MACS – Lab (Modelling and Application of Complex Systems Laboratory)
Accademia di Architettura
di Mendrisio
Via Canavée, CH-6850 Mendrisio,
Switzerland
IDSIA Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial
Intelligence,
Galleria 2, CH-6928 Manno (Lugano), Switzerland
Quest. The MACS – Lab (Modelling and Application of Complex Systems
Laboratory) of the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio and the IDSIA (Dalle
Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence) offer a fellowship for a Ph.D.
student for the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) research project “Continuum state cellular automata and
random differential equations: a new approach to the modelling of complex
systems”.
The candidate should be interested in the following fields:
Project description. This 3 years research project aims to start the development of a new approach to the mathematical modeling of complex systems using Interaction Spaces, a new modeling framework interpolating between (continuous state) cellular automata and multi-agents systems. Interaction spaces inherit several good features from these types of models and have very good mathematical properties, like a clear and meaningful stochastic dynamics and the possibility to describe the dynamics using differential equations. At the same time the use of artificial intelligence techniques, typically fuzzy decision theory and fuzzy modeling, permits to construct a faithful model of the real system. The research project plans to start the development of mathematical models based on interaction spaces for systems like for instance urban development, traffic dynamics both at a microscopic and macroscopic level, pedestrian movement, financial markets, Darwinian evolution, patterns formation, evolution of free encyclopaedias like Wikipedia.
Job description. The PhD student’s research
work will focus primarily on the development of one of the above mentioned models
in the frame of the Interaction Spaces theory. One of the most important goals
of the project will be the development of a general theory of complex systems
through the construction of several particular models. This task will require
the investigation and the improvement of both the theoretical methods
introduced by the research group for the modelling of complex systems and the
use of fuzzy modelling and artificial intelligence to model the cognitive
behaviour of agents. For these reasons the PhD student will actively
participate in the work of the research group for the development of the other
models too.
Student’s PhD work will also focus on the development of a new
Matlab® based toolbox for the programming of generic Interaction Spaces, on the
development of new theoretical results about Interaction Spaces, especially the
development of numerical methods to solve the associated random differential
equation, on the implementation of a distributed computing network and on the
software programming of several models together with other researchers.
Your background. The candidate should
· have a Masters (or equivalent degree) in informatics, mathematics, physics or a related area. Also candidates who will obtain a master until a brief time will be taken into account.
· have good mathematical skills,
· have good programming skills preferably in Matlab® or C++.
· be able both to work in a highly independent and creative way and to integrate in the research activities of the group.
· have excellent interdisciplinary skills
In the course of their PhD, the candidates need to familiarize themselves with topics like mathematical modelling of urban systems and traffic dynamics. Not required but a plus would be
Appointment. The financial
support of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will cover the whole three
years of the PhD position inside the project, starting in autumn 2006).
The PhD student will have to work as assistant in the course of Statistics and Probability – Territorial
analysis for students in architecture. This job will amount to a small
percentage of a full job (the precise percentage has still to be decided). The
goal is to finish the PhD thesis within 4 years. The MACS-Lab shall try to
include the candidate into further research projects so as to cover the salary
for the fourth year.
The candidate will be affiliated to the Informatics Faculty at the
http://www.inf.unisi.ch/education/phd/phd-regulations.pdf
Note that PhD students employed as assistants have
not to pay tuition fees.
English is the
official language at Informatics faculty of
The gross salary is roughly SFr 35000 per year (about 2000 € per
month) plus the salary for the job assistance. There is travel funding in case
of papers accepted at important conferences.
References. To get an idea of the research area and the required skills, please have a look at the following web site and related bibliographical references:
http://www.mate.arch.unisi.ch/ACME
Application. Applicants should submit:
1.
Detailed curriculum vitae (including grades),
2.
List of two references (including their email addresses),
3.
Statement on how their research interests fit the above topics (1-2
pages),
4.
Links to their master’s thesis or publications.
We would like to fill the position as soon as possible. Please send
all documents until
MACS – Lab, Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Largo Bernasconi 2, 6850 Mendrisio,
Switzerland.
Applications can also be submitted by email to avancheri @ arch.unisi.ch and pgiordano @ arch.unisi.ch (2MB max!).
Use Firstname.Lastname.DocDescription.DocType for filename
convention. Please also indicate how you became aware of this announcement.
Thanks for your
interest
Luca Maria Gambardella, IDSIA,
Sergio
Albeverio, Professor, Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Institut für Angewandte
Mathematik Universität
Bonn.
[Mendrisio, June 2006]
ABOUT IDSIA. Our research focuses on artificial neural
nets, reinforcement learning, complexity and generalization issues,
unsupervised learning and information theory, forecasting, artificial ants,
combinatorial optimization, evolutionary computation. IDSIA is small but
visible, competitive, and influential. IDSIA's
algorithms hold the world records for several important operations research
benchmarks (see Nature 406(6791):39-42 for an overview of artificial ant algorithms
developed at IDSIA). In the "X-Lab
Survey" by Business Week magazine, IDSIA was ranked in fourth place in
the category "COMPUTER SCIENCE - BIOLOGICALLY INSPIRED" - after the Santa
Fe Institute,
About MACS – Lab. Our research focuses on
the mathematical modelling of complex systems and their applications, typically
to support decisions in the management of complex systems related problems
(traffic problems, urban changes related problems, emergency exits projects,
etc.). The research group started in 2001 with the SNSF project “Mathematical modelling of urban growth
processes: a cellular automata and statistical mechanical based approach”
focused on the development of continuum state cellular automata with good
mathematical properties. MACS-Lab’s further results are a Marie Curie ERG “Continuum state cellular automata and random
equations” of the European Community, a Cantonal mandate “Mathematical modelling based decisions
support for the problem: big traffic generators” and the SNSF project “Continuum state cellular automata and random
differential equations: a new approach to the modelling of complex systems”.
The research group has developed a new type of mathematical models for complex
systems interpolating between cellular automata and multi-agents systems, but
with very good mathematical properties, which promise to be a very good
framework for a general axiomatic theory of complex systems, applicable to a
wide range of situations. See http://www.mate.arch.unisi.ch/ACME
About the faculty of Informatics:
Established in
October 2004, the faculty of informatics is dedicated to high quality teaching
and research.
Teaching
excellence is assured by an international faculty, low student/faculty ratio
and a modern, innovative curriculum. The bachelor program is project-based and
comprises of six semesters of highly integrated courses and team-oriented
projects. The graduate program consists of a two-year Master's program and a
research-oriented PhD program. The language of instruction is English.
The faculty is active in research with focus on all aspects of
software-intensive systems, with particular strengths in software engineering,
distributed systems, and networks.