[alife] Two PhD openings in molecular and nanoscale computing

[Christof Teuscher]

========================================================================================
OPENING 1
PhD Position in Molecular Computing
========================================================================================

The research group of Prof. Christof Teuscher (http://www.teuscher-lab.com) has an immediate opening for a paid PhD student in the area of molecular computing and novel computing paradigms. The goal of the project is to explore how molecules can be harnessed to achieve complex behaviors, including simple forms of computation, adaptation, and learning. The project team will start by building networks of DNA enzymes, where actions of one enzyme stimulate another, just as protein enzymes stimulate one another in a living cell. They will build networks that can detect patterns of change in the environment; for example, the strength and the frequency of a periodic stimulation. Ultimately, they will build large networks that embody the ability to learn (memorize and generalize) patterns of past stimulation, and respond to new conditions in the environment accordingly.
The project will develop biocompatible, DNA molecular sensors and actuators that will be of immediate use in pathogen detection, non-invasive diagnostics, and intelligent therapeutics. As the project progresses, these will be combined with ever more capable biomolecular learning machines we will develop, but they can also be used independently by other researchers or medical doctors.

The position is funded by the National Science Foundation under grant number 1028120, "Computing with Biomolecules: From Network Motifs to Complex and Adaptive Systems." The project is a collaboration between PSU, the University of New Mexico (UNM), and Columbia University.

QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate has experience in DNA and molecular computation, computational intelligence, neural networks, complex networks, optimization techniques, evolutionary algorithms, evolvable hardware. Other qualifications:
- Masters degree in CS, ECE, or physics.
- Eligible for PhD program in ECE, http://www.ece.pdx.edu/Graduate/Graduate.php
- Interested in far-reaching cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.
- Team player.
- Experience in research environments.
- Outstanding academic records.
- Excellence in computer programming (e.g., C, C++, Matlab, Java).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Highly motivated, responsible, independent, with outstanding work ethics.
- Visionary, creative, outside-the-box thinker.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Please visit http://www.teuscher-lab.com/openings
The position remains open until filled. Portland State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Applications from women and minorities are strongly encouraged. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US and upon eligibility to the ECE PhD program. 


========================================================================================
OPENING 2
PhD Position in Inference Computing at the Nanoscale
========================================================================================

The research group of Prof. Christof Teuscher (http://www.teuscher-lab.com) has an immediate opening for a paid PhD student in the area of inference computing at the nanoscale and in novel computing paradigms. The goal of the project is to develop a new inference-based information processing structure that performs probabilistic computing using radically new nanoscale devices.  Our approach exploits the analog, time-dependent properties of such devices, and their massive parallelism.  By doing so, such a computing structure will be more efficient and scalable than by using more traditional digital hardware.  This approach is the first that we are aware of to include time-dependent circuit elements to build analog associative memories that approximate Bayesian inference, and which are, in turn, assembled into complex networks that capture higher order structure in streams of data.  Our ultimate goal is to use these circuits to develop hybrid CMOS / molecular scale implementations of a Field Adaptable Bayesian Array (FABA).

The position is funded by the National Science Foundation under grant number 1028378, "Inference at the Nanoscale." The project is a collaboration between PSU and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate has experience in SPICE, computer architecture, nonlinear systems, circuit theory, analog systems, complex systems, probabilistic computation, optimization techniques, evolutionary algorithms, evolvable hardware, and computational intelligence. Other qualifications:
- Masters degree in CS, ECE, or physics.
- Eligible for PhD program in ECE, http://www.ece.pdx.edu/Graduate/Graduate.php
- Interested in far-reaching cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.
- Team player.
- Experience in research environments.
- Outstanding academic records.
- Excellence in computer programming (e.g., C, C++, Matlab, Java).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Highly motivated, responsible, independent, with outstanding work ethics.
- Visionary, creative, outside-the-box thinker.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Please visit http://www.teuscher-lab.com/openings
The position remains open until filled. Portland State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Applications from women and minorities are strongly encouraged. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US and upon eligibility to the ECE PhD program. 

========================================================================================

WHAT YOU GET:
A place to invent, design, create, investigate, support and advice, an unconventional lab environment, free coffee, a competitive salary, tuition, a foosball table, access to a powerful research blade server to run your hottest and coolest simulations, a unique team, opportunities to collaborate with researchers from other fields.

WHAT WE DO:
The mission of teuscher.:Lab is to study, rethink, model, and design the implementation of computations in living and non-living systems. An understanding of the phenomena provides a basis for better, smarter, and more robust computing paradigms, architectures, devices, algorithms, languages, and systems for applications such as embedded systems and biomolecular engineering. We are interested in bold, visionary, and transformational solutions to complex and critical problems needed for the medium- and long-term sustainability of the technological future of the computing disciplines. For more information, see http://www.teuscher-lab.com

WHERE WE ARE:
Portland State University (http://www.pdx.edu) is located in Portland, Oregon. The Portland region is known throughout the world for its natural beauty, progressive urban planning, commitment to green environment, and high quality of living. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (http://www.ece.pdx.edu) is part of the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science (http://www.pdx.edu/cecs), the premier engineering college in Portland.

CONTACT:
Got questions? Don't hesitate to ask!
http://www.teuscher-lab.com/contact