[visionlist] PhD positions, Excellence Cluster 'The Adaptive Mind' @ Cognitive Science, TU Darmstadt

[Constantin Rothkopf]

As part of the DFG Cluster of Excellence "The Adaptive Mind" (TAM), a 
four-year PhD-student position is available in the lab of Constantin 
Rothkopf at TU Darmstadt.

In TAM (https://theadaptivemind-excellencecluster.de/), the universities 
of Giessen, Marburg, and Darmstadt, in collaboration with the University 
of Frankfurt and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), 
conduct interdisciplinary research in mind, brain, and behavior. We 
combine state-of-the-art behavioral and neurophysiological research with 
approaches from psychiatry and clinical psychology, as well as 
quantitative analyses and computational modeling using artificial 
intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. We measure and model the 
continuous adaptation of natural human behavior in a constantly changing 
and unpredictable world.

Possible research directions include human navigation under uncertainty, 
active learning and active sensing, sensorimotor control and intuitive 
physics, and causal reasoning in natural behavior. Our research 
environment includes large-scale VR and naturalistic experimental 
setups, infrastructure for tracking eye and body movements, strong 
collaborations in cognitive science, neuroscience, and AI, and access to 
excellent computing infrastructure.

Our group (https://www.pip.tu-darmstadt.de) is part of the Centre for 
Cognitive Science and the AI Center at TU Darmstadt, which are home to 
an internationally outstanding group of PIs and junior researchers 
working in the areas of computational cognitive science, machine 
learning, and artificial intelligence. We are part of the two Excellence 
Clusters, “The Adaptive Mind” and “Reasonable AI”, the Simons 
Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE), and engage in multiple 
fruitful research collaborations. Our lab fosters an inclusive, 
supportive, and collaborative environment driven by scientific curiosity 
and mutual respect. We maintain close interactions with other research 
groups, including joint lab meetings.

We are looking for candidates with an M.Sc. in cognitive science, 
machine learning, AI, computer science, neuroscience, psychology, 
engineering, or related fields, with an interest in combining theory, 
experiments, and computational models, and strong programming and 
quantitative skills.

For informal inquiries, please reach out to 
constantin.rothkopf at tu-darmstadt.de. Please apply through the central 
application portal at 
https://www.career.tu-darmstadt.de/tu-darmstadt/job/54045

The Frankfurt-Darmstadt metropolitan area is located in the heart of 
Europe and is one of the most international regions in Germany, with a 
diverse community and rich culture, and has repeatedly earned high 
rankings in worldwide surveys of quality of life. Frankfurt has recently 
achieved a top worldwide ranking of attractiveness according to The 
Economist, and Darmstadt has consistently ranked among the top 
innovation-driving cities in Germany.