PhD position on "Automatic Analysis of Human Group Behavior in the Presence of Robots" | University of Twente

The HMI group of the University of Twente is looking for a PhD candidate who will work on the automatic analysis of the behavior of small groups of humans, both in and without the presence of mobile telepresence robots. The research will be conducted in the context of the European TERESA project, which aims at developing a robot that can navigate through public spaces. The proposed PhD position consists of two parts: (1) the quantitative and qualitative analysis of human group behavior, including the recognition of group membership, formation and activity; and (2) the transfer of this knowledge to robot navigation behavior, to be evaluated in ethnographic user studies. This should lead to a notion of socially normative robot behavior.

For the first part, the candidate will develop algorithms to automatically analyze small groups from RGB+depth cameras. The aim is to detect group activity and group formation from estimated human positions, orientation and other cues. These automatic analyses should form the basis for the second part, to derive the navigation behavior for a mobile telepresence robot. The candidate will conduct longitudinal user studies to assess whether the robot's behavior is perceived as natural and appropriate.

The work encompasses a range of tasks covering technological innovation as well as user studies. Specifically, the PhD candidate:

- will work on the design and implementation of scientifically novel algorithms for human group detection and behavior analysis. The candidate will make and annotate recordings to train and evaluate recognition models;

- will conduct user studies to investigate proper robot behavior for the avoidance, entrance and membership of groups of humans. These studies will be partly conducted in French elderly homes;

- will work in close collaboration with the other researchers in the TERESA project towards a fully working navigation robot;

- will present research results to the scientific community in major international conferences and relevant journals.

Our offer

We offer a full-time PhD position in a dynamic and international environment. The duration of the contract is four years. The gross salary will range from €2.083 in the first year to €2.664 per month in the fourth year. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development. In addition, we offer a holiday allowance (amounts to 8%) and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% and a number of additional benefits. The labor agreements are in accordance with the CAO-NU for Dutch universities.

Your profile

The PhD candidate:

- has fluent command of English as a written and spoken language. Fluency in Dutch or French is a plus.

- has a MSc degree with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Vision. Candidates with a particularly strong background in only one of these are also encouraged to apply.

- has a broad interest in different facets of the topic, including human-robot interaction, computer vison and social signal processing.

Please send your application with your CV, motivation letter and letters of recommendation through the application link before October 15, 2013.

Further information about the PhD position can be given by Prof. Vanessa Evers (email: Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.) and Dr. Ronald Poppe (Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.).

The Organisation

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over six faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) comprises three disciplines that shape Information and Communication Technology. ICT is more than communication. In almost every product we use mathematics, electronics and computer technology and ICT now contributes to all of societies' activities. The faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. The research which enjoys a high profile both at home and internationally, has been accommodated in the multidisciplinary research institutes MESA+, CTIT and MIRA.

Apply here.