Open research positions in Louvain and Brussels

Research positions in Louvain and Brussels, Belgium

Summary
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Two 36-months research positions in Pattern Recognition, Data Mining and Statistical Machine Learning are open at (1) the Machine Learning Group, University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve (http://www.ucl.ac.be/mlg), and (2) the IRIDIA Laboratory, University of Brussels (http://code.ulb.ac.be/iridia.home.php), Belgium.

Position description
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Applications are invited for two full-time research positions starting in February 2011 at the (1) Machine Learning Group, Université de Louvain (UCL) and (2) IRIDIA Laboratory, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium. The researchers will essentially work with Prof. Marco Saerens (to have an idea about the covered research topics, see http://scholar.google.be/scholar?q=m+saerens), Operations & Information Department, Louvain School of Management, Louvain, and Prof. Hugues Bersini, IRIDIA Laboratory, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Brussels (http://code.ulb.ac.be/iridia.home.php). Marco Saerens (marco.saerens(at)uclouvain.be) is the coordinator of the project.

Both vacancies offer a tenure of 36 months. The researchers are expected to carry out research in Computational Linguistics, Pattern Recognition, Data Mining and Machine Learning and to play an active role in an applied research project, which is funding the position. The project, involving four academic partners, focuses on *Text mining* and *Graph mining*. More specifically, the aim is to develop innovative link-analysis and text mining algorithms/models exploiting external onthologies, like wikipedia. The researchers will develop and implement algorithms for extracting knowledge from large graphs or networks and documents. Integration of state-of the-art algorithms and specific novel methods is expected.

The candidates could have the opportunity to start a PhD thesis on the subject if wanted – this is to be discussed.

Location
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The Machine Learning Group UCL (MLG, http://www.ucl.ac.be/mlg) is a research group of about 30 researchers that carries out theoretical and applied research on data mining, statistical machine learning, predictive modeling, pattern recognition and computational statistics. The MLG takes part in several applied research projects in domains as diverse as text mining, bioinformatics and biomedical engineering. Collaborations between members of the group are strongly encouraged.

The IRIDIA Laboratory ULB (http://code.ulb.ac.be/iridia.home.php) is a well-renowned artificial intelligence lab of about 40 researchers that carries out theoretical and applied research on swarm intelligence, intelligent robotics, local search, data mining and statistical machine learning. It takes part in several international research projects in different fields of artificial intelligence.

Located in – ULB – and near – UCL – Brussels, both the Université Libre de Bruxelles (http://www.ulb.ac.be) and the Université de Louvain (http://www.uclouvain.be) are known for quality research through their prestigious affiliate research centers and world renowned faculties. They are french-speaking and are located at 25 km from each other. Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of the European Union, is a cosmopolitan city with a very vibrant cultural life spiced up by many international languages. Louvain-la-Neuve is a dynamic university town near Brussels hosting more than 30,000 students.

Qualifications
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Applicants for the research positions should be highly interested in areas related to computational linguistics, data mining, pattern recognition, statistical machine learning or computational statistics. In particular, any practical experience on data mining, machine learning, and statistical analysis applied to real problems will be an asset. Applicants are expected to have strong applied mathematics, statistics and programming skills, the ability to work independently, strong interpersonal skills, good english writing and oral communication. Upon offer of a position in MLG-UCL or IRIDIA-ULB, the candidates who are non-EU citizens are required to obtain an appropriate long-term Schengen visa; further information is available from their nearest Belgian embassy.

Deadlines and contacts
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Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as positions will remain open until filled by a suitable candidate. Deadline is December 26, 2010.

Candidates are invited to send their detailed CV and a cover letter, a copy of their grades and the names/email of two references in .pdf format, by email to marco.saerens(at)uclouvain.be. The subject field of the email must be MLG-JOB.

ULB is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to employing more handicapped individuals and especially encourages them to apply. ULB wishes to increase the proportion of women in areas in which they are underrepresented. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application deadline: December 26, 2010
Contact Adress: Marco SAERENS
Contact Email: marco.saerens(at)uclouvain.be
Posted on 2010-11-19