The Acoustics Lab of the Centre for Industrial Electronics (CIE) of the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites applications for a 3-year position as Postdoctoral Fellow sponsored by a EU HORIZON-JU-IA Grant on “Enhancing Human-Robot Interoperability in Industrial Settings” with the corresponding PI Oliver Niebuhr.

The targeted starting date of the position is 1 March, 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The SDU is both the third-largest and the third-oldest Danish university and currently educates about 32,000 students. Since the introduction of the ranking systems in 2012, the University of Southern Denmark has consistently been ranked as one of the top 50 young universities in the world by both the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World University Rankings. The SDU is also among the top 20 universities in Scandinavia. Its campus Sonderborg, on which CIE and Acoustics Lab are located, is the most international university campus in Denmark. More than 50 nationalities and languages are present here. The CIE itself is part of the Faculty of Engineering and the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at SDU. The Centre was initiated by a unique public-private partnership between the Region of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg Municipality, Danfoss, LINAK and SDU. The CIE has a strong mission to advance electrification, digitalization, and energy efficiency bridging between applied research, technology development for sustainable development and innovation.

Job description
Industry is not just machines! The future of production lies in the efficient and effective collaboration between humans and machines, especially within Europe, where production and labor costs are high. To facilitate a smooth holistic interoperability, we must optimize the interaction between humans and machines. So far, most interoperability, i.e. human-robot-interaction (HMI) relies on touch/tactile interfaces, i.e. on button presses. We will develop and test sound and/or speech signals to enhance and streamline the interoperability between worker and machine. Integrating knowledge from the speech sciences into HMI, while at the same time taking into account characteristic factory-noise conditions, can lead to innovations that lift acoustic interoperability to a new level of intuition, efficiency, and effectiveness.

The successful candidate will lead the process of creating an acoustic user interface for efficient HMI in factory halls, supervised by the PI and supported by two further project-team members. Together with engineering network partners like SoundFocus ApS and AllGoodSpeakers ApS, the project aims at providing the following deliveries: (1) a new, noise-robust and multi-purpose acoustic “vocabulary” for HMI in manufacturing contexts that will be easily adjustable to different cultures and languages, e.g., inspired by knowledge of sound symbolism and the “biological codes” of speech prosody; (2) a speech/sound output of the robot that reflects human speech behavior by imitating natural speech-melody variations, mirroring workers’ emotional states, and using a distance-, speaker- and noise-adjusted way of speaking; (3) a database of industry-noise sounds that also benefits other research purposes as well as practical well-being, hearing-protection measures and developments.

A successful candidate will drive internationally competitive research and collaborate closely with SDU Robotics, local engineering and acoustics companies, and the EU Arrowhead fPVN (flexible Production Value Network) network.

The candidate is expected to contribute to the excellent interdisciplinary research environment on SDU campus Sonderborg that includes the Mads Clausen Institute and the Human-Robot Interaction Lab.

We offer
We offer an inspirational international research environment with excellent facilities and strong collaborations with a vast international network, research organizations and industry stakeholders. The Acoustics Lab regularly hosts international conferences and includes cutting-edge instruments for the recording, analysis, and interpretation of acoustic signals. Thanks to being embedded in an engineering R&D environment, we also build our own equipment. The candidate has access to a high-end sound booth, a 3D acoustic ambiance simulation area, and the Bruel & Kjaer (HBK) 2270 sound recorder with the complete set of microphones (incl. infra- and ultrasound) and software bundles. Moreover, for speech and communication research, the lab offers EEG, EGG, eye-tracking, and a range of biosignal instruments to measure heart-rate, skin-conductance response, body language (AI-based gesture recognition), posture, walking patterns (Sensefloor), and breathing (RespTrack). The successful candidate will become part of the international lab team that currently consists of people from Germany, Spain, China, Hungary, and India (English being the everyday language).

We expect
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate, who works and communicates well in an international team. The candidate must be able to carry out independent and rigorous work at top international level. Further, the candidate must have a PhD degree in the speech sciences and a profound background in speech prosody, speech acoustics, and the use of related hardware and software for the recording and analysis of speech signals. A fluent command of English and in-depth experience in publishing and presenting scientific research are required as well.

In addition, one or more of the following skills are a plus:

• Experience in researching acoustic-prosodic features of speakers, in particular the ability to analyze the relationship between such features and aspects of (perceived) personality, emotion, stress, charisma (persuasion);
• Experience with the production, acoustics, and perception of Lombard speech (speech in noise);
• Experience in conducting, analyzing, and interpretation biosignal measurements;
• Experience in the practical application of linguistic skills in a creative context and/or experience in research communication (e.g., w.r.t. communicating with extra-academic project partners, in particular from the automotive industry);
• Strong leadership skills, especially the ability to lead and manage a team with heterogenous backgrounds, skills, and languages;
• Some extra-academic experience, such as internships in (preferably tech) companies or own business experience.
• Experience in MATLAB, Python or, more generally, in writing scripts.
• Experience in the acquisition of third-party funding.

Contact information
Further information is available from the Head of the Centre, Prof. Thomas Ebel ([email protected]).

Evaluation procedure
Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. Applicants will be informed of their assessment by the Faculty.

Shortlisting may be used. Shortlisted applicants will be assessed by an assessment panel.

As part of the overall assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, the applicant may be called for interview.

Conditions of employment
The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.

Application
Relevant applications require that the below listed attachments are uploaded through the link “Apply Online”. The Faculty expects applicants to read the SDU guidelines for applicants.

Attached files must be in Adobe pdf format. All PDF files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected. In case you have more than one file per field you need to combine the pdf-files into a single file, as each field handles only one file. Each box can only contain a single file of max. 10 MB.

The application including the required attachments must be in English.

Application deadline is 15 January 2023.

The applications must include:

• A motivational statement
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae
• Certificates/Diplomas (MSc and PhD) - Danish or English translation
• Research Statement
• List of publications
• Up to three letters of recommendation.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark.

Further information about The Faculty of Engineering.

Kilde: Jobnet.dk