PhD: Energy-Based Learning in Neuromorphic Systems

RUG; Groningen; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

232 vacation hours per year

End-of-year bonus

Professional development

Teaching experience (10%)

Job summary

The University of Groningen invites applications for a PhD position in Systems and Control Theory for Energy-based Learning. You will develop a system-theoretic framework and energy-based learning algorithms for analog circuits, aiming at efficient, local learning rules within dissipative networks.

You will work on the ERC Starting Grant project and collaborate with an international team, contributing to teaching and supervision where appropriate.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Systems and Control, (Applied) Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, or closely related field.
• Strong mathematical background and ability to conduct theoretical research.
• Excellent English communication skills, written and spoken.
• Strong analytical abilities, creativity, persistence, and collaboration.
• Familiarity with circuit theory, networked systems, machine learning, or neuromorphic computing is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Developing a system-theoretic framework that models learning as the feedback interconnection between continuous-time circuit dynamics and optimization algorithms.
• Designing novel energy-based learning algorithms for training analog circuits directly from input-output data.
• Developing fully decentralised learning rules that rely on local circuit information and are suitable for large-scale systems.
• Establishing rigorous theoretical guarantees for convergence and scalability of the proposed learning algorithms.
• Extending the theory from analog circuits to more general dissipative networks.
• Testing and validating the developed methods.
• Publishing research findings in leading international journals and conferences and presenting your work at scientific meetings.
• Contributing to teaching activities and supervising Bachelor’s and Master’s students where appropriate.

Skills

Strong mathematical background

Excellent English communication

Analytical abilities

Creativity

Persistence

Collaborative

Education

Master’s degree in Systems and Control

Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Job description

The University of Groningen invites applications for a PhD position in Systems and Control Theory for Energy-based Learning. You will develop a system-theoretic framework and energy-based learning algorithms for analog circuits, aiming at efficient, local learning rules within dissipative networks.

You will work on the ERC Starting Grant project and collaborate with an international team, contributing to teaching and supervision where appropriate.