KEYWORDS: Evolutionary Computation; Neuroevolution; Evolvable Hardware; Lifelong Learning; Continuous Adaptation.

DESCRIPTION: In the Centre of Industrial Electronics (CEI) at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), we are looking for a highly motivated and talented PhD student in the field of Evolvable and Neuroevolvable Hardware for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). The proposed PhD research project is focused on the following topics:

• Neuroevolutionary algorithms for lifelong learning in robust Cyber-physical systems.
• Evolutionary algorithms for automatic feature extraction for Self-adaptive CPSs.
• Hardware architectures for Evolvable and Neuroevolvable systems in reconfigurable FPGAs.
• Robust control techniques for autonomous CPSs based on automatic learning and evolvable hardware.
• Fault-tolerance in Cyber-Physical Systems based on evolvable and neuroevolvable hardware properties.

The PhD candidate will be part of a highly international and enthusiastic team. This 3-year position will be funded within the H2020 KYKLOS 4.0 (An Advanced Circular and Agile Manufacturing Ecosystem based on the rapid reconfigurable manufacturing process and individualized consumer preferences) project (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/872570).

The three-year PhD grant includes health insurance coverage and a gross salary of 18,200 € in 12 monthly pays. Expenses for attending conferences, summer schools, and workshops are also covered with the available funding.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s degree in Electrical / Electronics / Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics; or similar. Previous research activities in the fields of interest will be highly appreciated.

PREFERRED SKILLS: Very good knowledge of digital hardware design and VHDL; High-level synthesis tools for FPGAs; Design of mixed software/hardware systems; Experience with Machine Learning and Evolutionary Algorithms is also valuable. A high level of English, as well as being willing to learn Spanish, are also necessary for this position.

POSITION AVAILABLE: The selection procedure will open in October 2020 and will be maintained opened until the position is covered. The starting date is flexible, but preferred ASAP.

INFORMATION: If you are interested in this position and want to have more details about it, please contact Dr. Andrés Otero (joseandres.otero@upm.es) or Dr. Jorge Portilla (jorge.portilla@upm.es), including the reference PhD_ML_RC. For the formal application, the following documents will be required:

• CV
• Academic transcript of courses followed and grades obtained provided by your institution.
• Brief letter describing your motivation and previous experience.
• Any reference you can provide from professors of the field.