One to two postdocs in developing deep learning for satellite images

Information about the research/the project/the division
This is a call for up to two postdoctoral position in the Data Science and AI division at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

We are recruiting postdoctoral researchers for a project in Observatory of Poverty, within the research project Observatory of Poverty, funded by the Swedish Research Council (SRC).

About 900 million people—one-third in Africa—live in extreme poverty. Operating on the assumption that life in impoverished communities is fundamentally so different that it can trap people in cycles of deprivation (‘poverty traps’), major development agencies have deployed a stream of development projects to break these cycles (‘poverty targeting’). However, scholars are currently unable to answer questions such as in what capacity do poverty traps exist; to what extent do these interventions release communities from such traps—as they are held back by a data challenges. There is a lack of geo-temporal poverty data; this project will develop new methods to produce such data. Consequently, the aim of this project is to identify to what extent African communities are trapped in poverty and explain how competing development interventions alter these communities’ prospects to free themselves from deprivation. To achieve this aim, the project will tackle the following objectives:

Obj1: To train learning algorithms to estimate poverty from satellite images, of African communities over time and space, quarterly, from 1984 to 2020.
Obj2: To causally examine how World Bank (WB) development programs versus Chinese programs, select African communities, and how these affect communities’ chances of breaking the cycle of deprivation (using the data of Obj1).
Obj3: To develop theories of the varieties of poverty traps by examining the extent to which these traps lurk in different social contexts that shape both local governance and public-service provisioning, and how these contexts may be more or less important for Chinese- or WB-styled projects.
Obj4: To create a statistical package—ObservatoryOfPoverty—that enables us, and other scholars, to produce poverty estimates (Obj1) and conduct comparative program evaluations (Obj2 and Obj3).

The postdoc is expected to pursue research mainly related to the project’s Obj1 or Obj2. In other words, we are searching for candidates that are interested in either the prediction or the causal inference part of the project. Your interest should be clearly stated in your application, and clearly linked to your track-record.

The project is a collaboration among Chalmers University of Technology, the Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University, and Dept of Statistics, Harvard University. Accordingly, although the candidatae will pursue research in machine learning within computer science and engineering at Chalmers, this person expected to have an interest in social-scientific issues and interdisciplinary research.

Major responsibilities
The main responsibility of the candidate will be to pursue research in the area of the position. The candidate will have the chance to work with the group members and collaborators at Chalmers and abroad, including the co-supervision of PhD students. The candidate will be expected to supervise/teach up to 20% of their time.

Qualifications
Applicants must have a doctorate, PhD or equivalent degree, in a relevant field.  The degree should have been awarded no more than three years prior to the application deadline (according to the current agreement with the Swedish Agency for Government Employers). Exceptions can be made e.g. for parental leave.

To qualify, candidates must have experience in one or more of (1) deep learning, (2) causal inference (3) image data (preferably earth observations), (4) modeling geo-temporal data, as evidence by publications in appropriate venues.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. Swedish is not a requirement. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The employment is limited (temporary) for 24 months with the possibility of extension with another 12 months (contingent on funding and research performance).

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Read more and apply here

Application deadline: 8 May, 2022

For questions, please contact:
Affiliate Docent Adel Daoud, CSE/DSAI daoud@chalmers.se


*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. *** 
   



Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!