PhD Candidate: Audio AI for Technological and Neuroscientific Applications at the Donders Centre for Cognition

Employment 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary € 2,770 - € 3,539

Required background Research University Degree

Organizational unit Faculty of Social Sciences

Application deadline 16 May 2024

Do you have a passion for research and are you interested in audio machine learning for technological and neuroscientific applications? Are you eager to tackle complex problems and to develop creative solutions? Then join the Donders Centre for Cognition as a PhD candidate!

Universal audio embedding models capable of performing a humanlike range of hearing tasks have numerous technological applications (e.g. augmented hearing, assistive hearing technology) as well as neuroscientific applications (e.g. models of neural encoding). This project aims to leverage self-supervised learning approaches to develop universal audio embedding models which are capable of encoding the full complexity of real-world sound scenes, including the spatial dimension. As part of the research group, you will work with experts in machine learning, digital signal processing and computational auditory neuroscience on new algorithms for real-world, spatial audio representation learning.  

In this multidisciplinary PhD project, you will focus on designing, implementing and evaluating state-of-the-art self-supervised deep neural network models for universal audio representation learning. You will utilise quantitative analysis techniques to unravel the properties of such universal audio embeddings and employ the developed models and embeddings in a neuroscientific application to investigate brain encoding of real-world sound scenes.

You will dedicate 10 % of your working time to teaching activities at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.    

Profile

• You have a passion for research and are able to work with a high level of autonomy on complex problems.
• You hold a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science or Computational Neuroscience.
• You have a strong foundation in developing machine learning algorithms in Python, TensorFlow and/or PyTorch.
• You have experience with digital signal processing using Python or Matlab.
• You have previously collaborated on larger software projects and are familiar with relevant tools and infrastructure such as compute clusters, version control, etc.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Familiarity with neuroimaging data such as fMRI data is a plus.

We are

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre, that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and neurotechnology. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as ‘excellent’ and recognised as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

You will receive guidance from Dr Kiki van der Heijden and Prof. Marcel van Gerven throughout the project. You will be an integral part of the Human and Machine Hearing Lab (Dr Van der Heijden) and the Artificial Cognitive Systems group (Prof. Van Gerven), which are both situated within the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the Donders Institute.

Radboud University

At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

If you want to learn more about working at Radboud University, follow our Instagram account and read stories from our colleagues.

Faculty of Social Sciences
At the Faculty of Social Sciences, humanity and society are our focus; we study how people behave, think and feel. Within this context, we look at themes such as human behaviour and the human psyche, education and upbringing, communication, society and culture. The faculty provides education to 6,000 students and employs 700 staff. Education is organised into six programme clusters: Psychology; Artificial Intelligence; Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Sciences; Communication Science; Sociology; and Cultural Anthropology and Developmental Sociology. Our research is carried out within three research institutes: the Donders Centre for Cognition, the Behavioural Science Institute, and Radboud Social Cultural Research.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1,5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,770 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,539 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Practical information and applying

You can apply no later than 16 May, only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Kiki van der Heijden. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on 10 June. Any second interview will take place on 20 June. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.