Opportunities

Emergence of trust networks in human-agent teams

We are inviting prospective PhD students to apply for 2 open PhD positions at University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) to work on a 3-year project to study how trust networks emerge in resource-constrained teams comprising of multiple humans and agents. Positions are available immediately and we expect students to enroll for the Fall 2021 semester.

The research team is looking for prospective PhD students to join an existing multi-disciplinary team. All researchers will need to collaborate with team members outside their immediate 'discipline', so some degree of comfort with diving into and learning new fields of study will be expected of applicants. Specifically, we are looking for students interested in pursuing their PhD in the following two areas:

• Network science/Collective behavior: This position with entailed tasks such as: Building agent-based models of collective behavior and trust network evolution; Analyzing emergence of networks in teams comprising humans and agents (robots); Using neurophysiological signals of trust from team members; Evaluating correlations between behaviors of human and/or agent teammates to understand collective behavior of large groups.
• Reinforcement Learning: This position with entailed tasks such as: Implementing reinforcement learning algorithms in a multi-agent team; Designing RL algorithms to perform a search-and-rescue operation in building layouts of varying complexity; Creating novel multi-agent RL algorithms that operate with known constraints (such as constraints on time, information, communication etc.)

To apply, please send the following documents as a single PDF to both exalabs.research.applications@gmail.com and reza@cs.uml.edu:

• A detailed Curriculum Vitae (please include: your nationality for visa requirements, date of birth, your English level, scientific publications if any, programming skills, and hobbies)
• An unofficial copy of academic records/transcript and most recent diploma
• A copy of your relevant publications (if any)
• List of at least 2 referees (support-letter writers). Support letters will be requested only if your application is considered. So you don't need to upload them now.
• Your homepage and link to videos and code if available.

Among the basic skill set, prospective PhD students should possess a passion for robotics, modeling, mathematics, programming and abstract thinking; Excellent written and spoken English skills; Strong background in Linear Algebra, Calculus, Probability and Statistics, and Algorithms; Strong programming skills in Python, C++, MATLAB, or other programming language. Additionally, while not required, familiarity with one or more of the following topics will be viewed as a plus: dynamic modeling of collective behavior, Bayesian modeling, EEG instrumentation, game generation in Unreal or Unity, experience writing software or modifying hardware for robotic platforms.

Topological analysis of influential subspaces of dynamic systems

We are looking for an MS student with a strong mathematical background to help identify influential subspaces of dynamical systems through topological analysis, with applications to robotic swarms and traffic flow. Prior knowledge of differential geometry will be useful. Please send your resume/CV to exalabs.research.applications@gmail.com and include the term "influential subspace" in the resume header.