PhD student positions in Helsinki on mining and learning networks

Applications are invited for (up to) four-year fully-funded

PhD student positions

at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, Finland. The selected students will receive well-supervised PhD training in a world-class research environment on the topics of data mining and machine learning. The starting date is flexible and to be negotiated, at the earliest March 1st 2009.

Specifically, the selected students will be working on methods for learning networks and graphs from a variety of data and utilizing the found structures for visualization, explanation, and prediction. The research will be carried out in the context of the Finnish Centre of Excellence for Algorithmic Data Analysis (Algodan) and the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT). Students will be supervised by senior members of the recently established Discovering Network Structures (DiNS) collaboration:

– Jaakko Hollmen, chief research scientist
– Patrik Hoyer, academy research fellow
– Aapo Hyvarinen, professor
– Mikko Koivisto, academy research fellow
– Heikki Mannila, academy professor
– Petri Myllymaki, professor
– Juho Rousu, professor
– Hannu Toivonen, professor
– Esko Ukkonen, professor

Applications are welcome from candidates with a master’s degree or equivalent (students close to finishing can also apply) in a relevant quantitative topic, such as (for instance) computer science or statistics. Strong mathematical skills, adequate programming skills, and a good command of English are essential.

The salary for a starting doctoral student is based on level 2 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel. With the salary component based on personal work performance the overall starting salary is typically between 2000 – 2200 euros per month. There is no tuition fee at the university.

Applications with full contact information, a brief (one-page) statement of research interests, a CV and a transcript of studies (including all courses and grades) should be sent by email to Patrik Hoyer, patrik.hoyer@helsinki.fi. All applications received no later than Dec 8th 2008 will receive equal and full consideration.

Finland has a high standard of living and a well-developed democratic welfare state, has been a member of the EU since 1995, and consistently ranks at or near the top in various international comparisons of national performance. English is widely spoken, particularly in Helsinki.

For further information please contact Prof. Heikki Mannila, +358 9 191 51246, heikki.mannila@cs.helsinki.fi, or see the DiNS project webpage and the links therein:

http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/group/dins/

Further information on the research environment and on working in Finland:

http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/research/algodan/
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi
http://www.hiit.fi
http://www.helsinki.fi/intstaff/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland