At the University of Bremen, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Prof. Michael Beetz) – part of the department Mathematics and Computer Science FB3 - calls for applications in the area of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics – under the condition of job release – for several positions in the DFG funded Collaborative Research Center 1320 “Everyday Activity Science and Engineering (EASE):

Research assistants (f/m/d)

- Salary scale TV-L – 13 (100 %)
for the period to June 30, 2025.

The employment is fixed-term and governed by the Act of Academic Fixed-Term Contract, § 2 (1) WissZeit VG (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, i.e. temporary science employment act). Therefore, candidates may only be considered for appointment if they still have the respective qualification periods available in accordance with § 2 (1) WissZeitVG. EASE pursues an interdisciplinary approach to the principles of human information processing in basic research. Starting from the analysis of underlying problem structures and solution strategies, the development of information-processing models is intended to enable autonomous robots to fully master everyday activities. EASE stands for open research, open data and knowledge exchange. For more information see www.ease-crc.org.

Successful candidates will support the expansion of the EASE central laboratory and conduct research in the following areas:

Tasks:

• knowledge-based robot control systems
• machine learning methods to successfully perform and improve robot-based everyday activities
• representation of everyday activities and their implementation as knowledge bases and virtual environments
• Knowledge modelling, representation and construction of knowledge bases for everyday activities
• cognitive architectures for robotic agents
• Integration of camera-based perception into simulation and rendering methods for everyday activities in household environments
• web-based experimental environments based on semantic digital twins
• scalable cloud-based knowledge representation and knowledge processing system based on KnowRob
• definitions of ontologies for everyday activities

Your ideal profile:

• University degree in computer science (master's degree, university diploma) with above-average success or a comparable degree
• Very good academic achievements in the fields of Robotics, AI, perception, programming, etc.
• Profound knowledge in the development of complex software systems, ideally in the field of robotics
• Substantial Know-how on AI methods in robotic applications
• Excellent programming skills in the field of AI and/or robotics. The programming languages include, for example: Python, C++, LISP, Prolog
• Excellent English skills, both written and spoken
• Independent and committed research in close cooperation with internal and external cooperation partners
• High level of commitment, flexibility and team spirit

If you think that your knowledge and skills match part of the task areas, we are looking forward to your application. We offer a team-oriented, attractive and future-oriented research environment in an interdisciplinary team with renowned national and international partners and ideal conditions for further scientific qualification.

General remarks: The University is committed to a policy of providing equal employment opportunities for both men and women alike, and therefore strongly encourages women to apply for the positions offered. Applicants with disabilities will be considered preferentially in case of equal qualifications and aptitudes. The University of Bremen explicitly invites individuals with migration backgrounds to apply.

If you have any questions regarding the positions, please contact Prof. Michael Beetz, PhD (ai-office(at)cs[dot]uni-bremen[dot]de).

Applications including a cover letter, CV, publication list, copies of degree certificates, should be submitted citing the reference number A92/21 to:

Prof. Michael Beetz, PhD
Artificial Intelligence / Universität Bremen
Am Fallturm 1
28359 Bremen
Germany

or by Email (including up to two PDF files; reference number A92/21) to: ai-office(at)cs[dot]uni- bremen[dot]de

The costs of application and presentation cannot be reimbursed. We kindly ask you to submit only copies (no folders) of your application documents, as these will be destroyed after the selection process has been completed.

If you are looking for a bachelor/master thesis or a job as a student research assistant, you may find some interesting opportunities on this page.

Wissensrepräsentation: Semantische Integration der saref Ontology (https://ontology.tno.nl/saref/) für smart devices in SOMA (https://ease-crc.github.io/soma/). Ziel dabei ist es, dass Roboter anhand von ein paar Beispielszenarien (z.B. Zubereitung von Popcorn/ Pizza) Fehler autonom finden können (z.B. Electricity ist aus → deswegen wird der Herd nicht warm und Popcorn poppt nicht).

Aufgaben:

• Arbeit mit Wissensrepräsentation und Wissensgraphen
• Wissensakquisition aus web-Quellen
• Abfrage mit KnowRob (Prolog) für autonome Roboter

Contact: Michaela Kümpel

In dieser Thesis soll untersucht werden, ob die Autonomie von Robotern durch Integration von Wissen zu Aufbewahrungsorten von Produkten aus dem Internet erhöht werden kann. Es gibt verschiedene websites, die Wissen dazu bereitstellen. Dieses Wissen soll von den websites abgefragt und anschließend sinnvoll ontologisiert werden. Anhand verschiedener Fragen werden die Ergebnisse evaluiert (Menge der erworbenen Informationen/ Nutzen der Information, v.a. für autonome Roboter…)

Aufgaben:

• Wissensakquise aus dem Internet
• Wissensrepräsentation/ Modellierung: Ontologisierung des Wissens
• Vergleich mit bestehenden Ontologien/ Arbeiten und manuell erstellten Ontologien
• Sinnvolle, automatisierte Abfrage des neu gewonnenen Wissens

Contact: Michaela Kümpel

In this thesis, the goal is to make a robotic system learn new objects automatically. The system should be able to generate the necessary models required for re-detecting it again and also consult online information sources to automatically acquire knowledge about it.

The focus of the thesis would be two-fold:

• Develop methods to automatically infer the object class of new objects. This would include perceiving it with state of the art sensors, constructing a 3d model of it and then infer the object class from online information sources.
• In the second step the system should also infer factual knowledge about the object from the internet and assert it into a robotic knowledgebase. Such knowledge could for example include the category of this product, typical object properties like its weight or typical location and much more.

Requirements:

• Knowledge about sensor data processing
• Interest in model construction from sensory data
• Work with KnowRob knowledge processing framework

Contact: Patrick Mania

In our research group, we focus on the development of modern robots that can make use of the potential of game engines. One particular research direction, is the combination of computer vision with game engines. In this context, we are currently offering multiple Hiwi positions / student jobs for the following tasks:

• Software development to create Interfaces between ROS and Unreal Engine 4 (mainly C++)
• Software development for our Robot Perception framework RoboSherlock which contains many algorithms for computer vision problems (mainly C++)

Requirements:

• Experience in C++.
• Basic understanding of the ROS middleware and Linux.

The spoken language in this job is german or english, based on your preference.

Contact: Patrick Mania

A recent development in the field of AI is the usage of photorealistic simulations, for example to create Digital Twins of environments like households or factories. In our research group, we focus on the development of modern robots that can make use of the potential of game engines. This requires a high degree of specialized game engine plugins that can simulate certain aspects of our research. Another important task is the creation of 3d models.

Therefore, we are currently offering multiple Hiwi positions / student jobs for the following tasks:

• Modelling of objects for the use in Unreal Engine 4.
• Creation of specific simulation aspects in Unreal Engine 4. For example the development of interactable objects.

Requirements:

• Knowledge of 3D-Modelling tools. Blender would be highly preferred.
• Experience in Game Engine development. Ideally Unreal Engine 4 and C++.

The spoken language in this job is german or english, based on your preference.

Contact: Patrick Mania