Doctoral or postdoctoral researcher: Decidability in Knowledge Representation

Job advertisement for: research assistant (f/m) / doctoral student (f/m)

Research group: Computational Logic
Contact: Sebastian Rudolph
Application deadline: May 31, 2019

The Chair of Computational Logic invites applications for a

Research Associate / PhD Position/ Postdoc

(subject to personal qualification employees are remunerated according to salaray group E 13 TV-L: see salary table, details subject to personal experience and tax status)

within the ERC Consolidator Grant „A Grand Unified Theory of Decidability in Logic-Based Knowledge Representation (DeciGUT)“ starting at the next possible date. The position is fixed-term for 4 years, maximally until to 30th September 2023. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz – WissZeitVG). The position is suitable for PhD students and for postdocs and offers the chance to obtain further academic qualification (e.g. Ph.D. or habilitation thesis). Balancing family and career is an important issue. The posts are basically suitable for candidates seeking part-time employment. A part-time employment of 50% of the fulltime weekly hours is possible. The aim of the ERC project DeciGUT is to create a unified, model theoretical basis for decidability, which in turn will enable the definition of new, even more expressive but decidable knowledge representation languages. The formalisms studied include description logics, rule languages, and fragments of first- and higher-order predicate logic in general. The project is thus of high relevance for various scientific fields such as artificial intelligence, database theory and mathematical logic with potentially far-reaching practical effects, for example in the areas of semantic technologies and information systems. As a member of the Chair of Computational Logic you will be part of a successful team of experienced researchers of many nationalities and backgrounds. You will work in the vibrant scientific environment of a prestigious ERC project and TU Dresden, one of the leading German research universities. Dresden is a highly livable city with a rich cultural life and beautiful nature.

Tasks: As a researcher in the ERC project you will investigate fundamental principles for computational properties (such as decidability, complexity) of reasoning tasks in the field of knowledge representation. The position is strongly focused on foundational research. Publication and presentation of results in high-ranking journals and at renowned international conferences is a central part of the work. Of great importance for the success of the project is also a lively exchange with the international experts in the field. Hence, the applicant is expected to undertake research visits and to actively participate in the organization of project-related workshops.

Requirements: We are looking for motivated and talented staff members with a very good university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in computer science, mathematics or a related area, if applicable a PhD, and with firm background knowledge in one or more of the following topics:

artificial intelligence, knowledge representation and reasoning
mathematical logic, model theory, algebra
database theory

Postdocs should have made significant research contributions to one of the above areas. Candidates should be independent in organizing their work, keen on working with teams of experts across other projects, and fluent in English, oral and written. Applications from women are particularly welcome. The same applies to people with disabilities.

Please submit your comprehensive application (including motivation letter, CV, statement of research interests and record of publications) by 31st of May 2019 (stamped arrival date of the university central mail service applies, later applications will be taken into account until the position is filled), preferably via the TU Dresden SecureMail by sending it as a single PDF document to Sebastian Rudolph or by postal mail to: TU Dresden, Fakultät Informatik, Institut für Künstliche Intelligenz, Professur für Computational Logic, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Rudolph, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069 Dresden. Please submit copies only, as your application will not be returned to you. Expenses incurred in attending interviews cannot be reimbursed.

Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, and further data protection information are available via https://tu-dresden.de/karriere/datenschutzhinweis