Description of the host institution and research group

The Open Lab  at University West (UW) is a multi-disciplinary research cluster and physical environment for exploring emerging interaction technologies including VR, AR, and AI with both innovation and sustainability high on the agenda. The lab currently engages around 7 senior researchers, 3 PhD students, and +30 undergraduate students yearly in different projects. Many of these further expand to engage additional students from the local PhD schools in Production Technology (PT) and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), and of course senior researchers from international networks. Application domains beyond PT and WIL include healthcare, agile design, and sustainability. As part of the research team you will work under the supervision and mentorship of Professor Thomas Pederson and Professor Amit Mishra. Professor Thomas Pederson is a researcher in emerging Augmented Reality and subtle guidance methods. Professor Amit Mishra specializes in sensor technology with a focus on AI and has broad competence and experience in applied AI.

Project description: In this project, our aim is to explore the use of large language models, LLMs, (like LLaMA or chatGPT) in perception action cycles to mimic human-in-loop. Perception-action cycle is a classic model of human cognition. In the perception vertical, sensory data about the environment is processed to extract actionable information from it. In the action vertical, intentions from brain are transformed into actuation commands. The connection between these two is the upper layers of pre-frontal cortex responsible for human consciousness. This has been a bottleneck for cognitive engineers to implement. Hence, we have humans in loop in most automation systems.

In recent months, LLMs have proven to be impressively successful in various domains. In this project, the aim is to use LLMs to mimic human-in-loop in perception action cycles for modeling the environment surrounding human individuals, and for generating output that can inform and positively influence in situ behavior of both humans and robots. The applications of such a system would be many. Given the existing industrial collaborations in the Open Lab, we shall focus on two applications for this novel architecture, viz.  context-aware Augmented Reality guidance of technicians in production factories during unplanned machine restart events, and smoother and more efficient operation of robots in applications where the robots are expected to work in unknown situations (like in disaster recovery).

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

European Fellowship: Applicant researchers can be of any nationality applying to come to Sweden from any country in the world or moving within Europe. Duration of fellowship between 12 and 24 months. The fellowship can be extended by up to 6 months placement in a company.

Requirements

Research Field: Cognitive Engineering, Computer Science, AI and Human-Computer-Interface (HCI).

Education Level: PhD or equivalent

Skills: Strong programming skills. Knowledge of the working of AI algorithms. Some level of expertise/understanding in robotics and HCI

Languages: ENGLISH

Level: Excellent

Additional Information

Benefits

The EU provides support to the recruited researcher in the form of

• a living allowance
• a mobility allowance
• if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances
• research, training and networking activities
• management and indirect costs

University West provides support to the recruited researcher in the form of

• support in research proposal writing and application through the Grants and Innovation Office.
• state of the art research infrastructure
• an international, creative, participatory and inclusive university community

Eligibility criteria

Researchers interested in Postdoctoral Fellowships

• should have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply
• must have a maximum of eight years experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum, nor will years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe
• must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Sweden for more than 12 months between 14.9.2020 - 13.9.2023.
• for European Postdoctoral Fellowships, candidates with any nationality are eligible
• must be fluent in English (both written and spoken)

Please check carefully the requirements to make sure you are eligible to apply.

Selection process

If you are interested in working around the project description, please send your application by email to Prof. Amit Kumar Mishra (amit.kumar-mishra@hv.se) by latest 20th June 2023.

Please include in your email

• CV (incl. a link to your orchID or other repository)
• Motivation letter
• a short research proposal (max 2 pages)

The deadline for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship application is on 13 September 2023. Interested researcher submits an application together with a host organisation as guided in MSCA PF website.

Additional comments

University West in Trollhättan is a university which offers education collaborating with work-life in an attractive and modern study environment. We focus on the student and learning. Work integrated learning (WIL) as perspective and method permeates the work at the university and is also our profile.

Quick facts about University West:

25 undergraduate programs

20 programs at advanced level

13 200 students

750 employees

4 institutions

Several research environments

We offer an attractive and modern study environment. Our campus is centrally located in Trollhättan and is built with the students' needs in focus. The open planning make it simple for students, teachers and work-life to coexist.