Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Interactive Computing
Position ID:
Position Title:
Postdoctoral Fellow - Georgia Institute of Technology
Position Type:
Postdoctoral
Position Location:
Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States of America
Subject Areas:
Computer Science / Health, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Visualization, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Robotics, Social Computing
Appl Deadline:
finished (2023/11/15, finished 2024/11/16)
Position Description:
*** this position has been closed and new applications are no longer accepted. ***
Position Description
School of Interactive Computing (IC) The School of Interactive Computing (https://ic.gatech.edu/), part of Georgia Tech's renowned College of Computing, is at the forefront of research areas intersecting computing with the real world. Our collaborative environment includes connections with leading centers such as the GVU Center, the Institute for People and Technology, and more. Position Overview: Postdoctoral Fellow Georgia Institute of Technology is seeking applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to work at the Teachable Artificial Intelligence Lab—or TAIL for short (https://tail.cc.gatech.edu). The TAIL mission to better understand how people teach and learn and to build machines that can teach and learn like people do. The lab engages in both use-inspired and fundamental research to achieve this mission. The postdoctoral researcher will conduct work in the areas of cognitive systems and interactive machine learning. The position will be supported by three projects associated with the Army Research Lab’s STRONG program (https://www.arl.army.mil/business/collaborative-alliances/current-cras/strong-cra/): • Human-Guided Machine Learning for Futuristic Human-Machine Teaming. On this three-year project, we aim to create interactive machine learning techniques that enable more effective teaming between humans and machines. To achieve this goal, our team will develop a set of asymmetric cooperative multiplayer games that can serve as a testbed for humans and AI agents to partner up to solve problems. On this effort, the Georgia Tech researchers will lead the development of AI agents that can interact with humans in these games. In particular, the project will focus on developing teachable AI agents that can learn on the fly from natural interactions with their human partners while participating in cooperative problem solving. The project aims to develop agents that can interactively learn from multiple, mixed modalities, such as learning from a combination of demonstrations, feedback, and natural language instruction. • Co-evolution of Human-AI Adaptation. On this three-year project (which is closely aligned to the previous project), our team will develop AI agents that leverage a technique called interactive task learning (see: https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/sitemaker/docs/pubs/Laird_et_al_InteractiveTaskLearning_IEEE_IntelligentSystems_2017.pdf). This approach lets humans interactively teach an agent to perform novel tasks through natural language instruction. To evaluate our agents, human participants will team up with them to accomplish tasks in a virtual reality game environment—leveraging the AI agents as personal assistants to support problem solving and interactively teaching them new knowledge as needed. • Building Adaptable Machine Teammates with Human-Like Learning. The project seeks to revolutionize AI adaptability by integrating hierarchical task networks (HTNs) and modern AI tools, aiming to combine the strengths of humans and machines for optimal performance. It focuses on three key areas: modeling task knowledge using HTNs, introducing human-like learning strategies, such as direct instruction and apprentice learning, and incorporating large language models like ChatGPT for enhanced verbal understanding in training interactions. These strategies aim to create AI models with a hybridized neural-symbolic architecture that could enable faster, more accurate problem-solving at a large scale, while remaining adaptable to evolving situations. The project has already achieved initial successes in forming HTN plans from human-like interactions and seeks to further expand its capabilities by exploring additional instructional paradigms and dialog modalities. Across these projects, the postdoctoral researcher will support the development of AI agents that can learn interactively with/from human teammates across multiple asymmetric cooperative games. The project will be highly collaborative, with faculty and students from several academic institutions collaborating to accomplish the project’s goals. Key Responsibilities - Conducting high-level research in collaboration with faculty and other researchers. - Engaging in interdisciplinary projects and contributing innovative ideas. - Publishing and presenting research findings in prestigious journals and conferences. - Assisting in mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. - Support in preparation and execution of research grants. Required Qualifications - A PhD (or anticipated PhD) in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field. - Demonstrated research excellence in relevant areas. - Strong commitment to contributing to a diverse academic environment. - Excellent communication and collaboration skills. Application Process Please apply through Academic Jobs Online and provide the following materials: - A cover letter indicating your research area and interests. - A detailed CV. - Names and contact information of at least three references. - A statement of research interests (optional, but recommended if available) The review of applications will commence immediately and continue until all positions are filled. About Georgia Tech Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech’s faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation’s top 20 universities for research and development spending and No. 1 among institutions without a medical school. Georgia Tech’s mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 1. Students are our top priority. 2. We strive for excellence. 3. We thrive on diversity. 4. We celebrate collaboration. 5. We champion innovation. 6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression. 7. We nurture the well-being of our community. 8. We act ethically. 9. We are responsible stewards. Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact. The School of Interactive Computing (IC) is a part of the Georgia Institute of Technology located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of five schools within the College of Computing, which is ranked among the top ten Computer Science departments in the nation. The School includes 48 full-time tenure-track Faculty, 7 Faculty with joint appointments, and 132 PhD students. We work in a wide range of research areas relating to the interface of computing to the world. The School is affiliated with the GVU Center, the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, the Institute for Information Security and Privacy, the Institute for People and Technology, and the Machine Learning Center. Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. This prohibition applies to faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including affiliates, invitees, and guests. Georgia Tech is a member of the University System of Georgia (USG), where every member of the community is required to adhere to the USG Statement of Core Values – Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect – that form and guide the daily work of the organization. USG and its institutions foster an environment where all members of the USG community are free to share ideas and opinions. Learn more about Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression.Application Materials Required:
Submit the following items online at this website to complete your application:
- Cover letter
- Curriculum Vitae
- Research statement
- Three references (no actual letters, just names and email addresses
)
And anything else requested in the position description.
Further Info:
School of Interactive Computing
Technology Square Research Building
85 5th Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30332-0760
Technology Square Research Building
85 5th Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30332-0760