学界|丹麦奥尔堡大学招募博士(Verification of Neural Networks for Control)

The Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University has a fully-funded PhD position available within the Computer Science study programme. The candidate will be working on formal verification of neural-network control policies. The earliest starting date is 1 May 2025, but a later date can be negotiated. The Department of Computer Science features a broad range of synergistic activities within research and education in the general area of computer science, including curiosity-driven research and targeted research in collaboration with industrial partners, traditional university education with a unique problem- and project-based focus, and continued education and knowledge dissemination.

The project addresses the fundamental question of how to trust a neural network that controls a dynamical system. Since neural networks are large black boxes, we need both automatic methods to analyze such systems and human-interpretable certificates of the analysis results. We will devise automatic and sound methods to respectively certify correctness and incorrectness of neural-network controllers. We will also develop a framework that integrates these methods for constructing correct-by-design controllers. Methodologically, we will investigate how traditional computer-science techniques for verification and falsification as well as machine learning can be tailored to these goals. This way, the project lays the grounds toward safe AI control systems.

The candidate will be part of the Distributed, Embedded and Distributed Systems research group:  https://www.cs.aau.dk/research/distributed-embedded-intelligent-systems/ 

Applicants must have a Master’s degree in computer science or a closely related field such as mathematics or control engineering. Due to the project’s angle, applicants should have a strong background in at least one of the following areas: formal methods, machine learning. Additional knowledge and experience within the following areas are appreciated: formal verification, deep learning, dynamical systems, control theory. Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English are expected.

The application deadline is 02.03.2025