[alife] PhD Studentship: Enactive Representation in Robotics

[Chrystopher L. Nehaniv]

UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
http://perseus.herts.ac.uk/uhinfo/research/stri/

Research Studentship in Adaptive Systems
on "Enactive Representaion in Robotics"
- to start in October 2007, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The Adaptive Systems Research Group in the Centre for Computer Science 
and Informatics Research of STRI is a strongly interdisciplinary team 
including roboticists, biologists, cognitive scientists, mathematicians 
and computers scientists. Members of the group are internationally leading 
in research including social and developmental robotics, emotion 
modelling, sensor evolution. Associated to the group is the Hertfordshire 
Interactive Systems and Robotics Laboratory that is particularly suited 
for experiments involving physical robots. The laboratory has a range of 
small and medium-sized mobile robotic platforms as well as humanoid 
robots. Group members are currently involved in the following FP6 
projects: Robotcub, Cogniron, Feelix Growing, eCircus, Iromec, Humaine, 
euCognition, and Euron. The group, consists of 5 core academic leaders, 15 
research fellows and 14 PhD students plus a regular influx of shorter-term 
research visitors from other leading labs in Japan and the EU. More 
information about the group can be found at: URL: 
http://adapsys.feis.herts.ac.uk/

Applications are invited from candidates with good first degrees in Computer 
Science, Cybernetics, Cognitive Science, or a related discipline (preferably a 
Master's degree) with an interest in applying their knowledge to Adaptive 
Systems Research in following area:


Theme III:  Enactive Representation in Robotics
Contact: Prof. Chrystopher L. Nehaniv (E-mail:  C.L.Nehaniv at herts.ac.uk)

The PhD studentship will support research to develop recent fundamental 
advances in the application of information theory to the autonomous making of 
meaningful representation in embodied organisms. The enactive creation of 
relevant or meaningful information depends on temporally extended experience 
(which we define operationally) in a physical and social environment, on 
embodiment (which may well be changing), and on agent-specific notions of 
usefulness. The work will employ autonomous robots as a test-bed. This research 
will complement ongoing work in one or more EU-funded projects in which the 
Adaptive Systems Research Group at the University of Hertfordshire plays a 
leading research role.

The ideal candidate will be self-movitated with good writing and communication 
skills, an excellent programmer, mathematically literate, have some familiarity 
with sensors, networking, scripting, and have experience with autonomous 
robots. A background in biology, evolution, artificial intelligence/life and/or 
philosophy (esp. R. G. Millikan, C. S. Pierce, latter Wittgenstein) could be 
very beneficial for this post. The PhD will be supervised by Prof. Chrystopher 
L. Nehaniv (C.L.Nehaniv at herts.ac.uk), whom interested candidates are invited to 
contact via email in the first instance.

For an application form, please contact Mrs Lorraine Nicholls, Research Student 
Administrator, STRI, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, 
University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, UK. Tel: 
+44 (0) 1707 286083 Fax: +44 (0) 1707 284185 or email: 
stri.admissions at herts.ac.uk.

The short-listing process will begin on 15 August 2007.

**Note, all applications must be made formally via Lorraine Nicholls.

References:

C. L. Nehaniv, N. A. Mirza, and L. Olsson, "Development via Information
Self-structuring of Sensorimotor Experience and Interaction", book chapter
for edited collection based on the 50th Anniversary Summit of Artificial
Intelligence (Monte Verita, Switzerland - 9-14 July 2006), Springer Verlag
(in press).

C. L. Nehaniv, K. Dautenhahn, & M. J. Loomes, "Constructive Biology
and Approaches to Temporal Grounding in Post-Reactive Robotics". In: G.
T. McKee & P. Schenker, Eds., Sensor Fusion and Decentralized Control in
Robotics Systems II (September 19-20, 1999, Boston, Massachusetts),
Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 3839, pp. 156-167, 1999.

L. Olsson, C. L. Nehaniv, & D. Polani, "From Unknown Sensors and Actuators to 
Actions Grounded in Sensorimotor Perceptions", Connection Science, special 
issue on Developmental Robotics (Douglas Bank and Lisa Meeden, guest editors), 
volume 18(2):121-144, 2006.

A. S. Klyubin, D. Polani, & C. L. Nehaniv, "Representations of Space and
Time in the Maximization of Information Flow in the Perception-Action
Loop", Neural Computation, (in press).

-----------
Prof. Dr. Chrystopher L. Nehaniv
Research Professor of Mathematical & Evolutionary Computer Sciences
Adaptive Systems, Algorithms, & BioComputation Research Groups
School of Computer Science
University of Hertfordshire
College Lane
Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB
United Kingdom
e-mail: C.L.Nehaniv at herts.ac.uk
phone:  +44-1707-284-470
fax:    +44-1707-284-303
URL:    http://homepages.feis.herts.ac.uk/~nehaniv/welcome.html

Director, EPSRC Network on Evolvability in Biological & Software Systems
Associate Editor, BioSystems
Associate Editor, Interaction Studies