Researcher in Electrical Engineering

The University of Oulu is one of the biggest and most multidisciplinary universities in Finland. We create new knowledge and innovations that help to solve global challenges. We offer you an international and inspiring working environment where you are given responsibility and can use your skills, develop yourself and do work that matters. Our flexible and family-friendly workplace makes it easy for you to balance work and leisure. The University of Oulu is ranked in the top 3% of the world´s universities.

We are now looking for

Three one-year Postdoctoral Researchers or Doctoral Researchers

for the Center for Machine Vision and Signal Analysis Research Unit (CMVS), to work on new machine learning methods for the following positions:

1) Video-based eye tracking and visual speech recognition (with Docent Dr. Xiaobai Li and Prof. Guoying Zhao) or

2) Mutual gaze and/or facial expression estimation from video (Joint position with Turku University, with Prof. Zhao and Prof. Leppänen);

3) 4D facial (micro-) expression recognition and generation (with Prof. Guoying Zhao).

The starting date of the first two positions is Sep. 1, 2024, and the 3rd one is Jan. 1, 2025 (negotiable).

About CMVS

CMVS provides an inspiring and international research environment. CMVS is renowned worldwide for its scientific breakthroughs in machine vision and signal analysis. Many of its results, including the Local Binary Pattern, face analysis, and geometric camera calibration methodologies, are highly cited and have been adopted for different types of problems and applications worldwide. The unit is internationally attractive, with one visiting FiDiPro Professor and one Fellow, several visiting scholars, and an extensive international collaboration network, enabling a large number of joint publications in leading forums. The main research interests of CMVS are in computer vision and machine learning, affective computing, multimodal image and signal analysis, low-energy computing, and applications in affective human-computer interaction, biometrics, augmented reality, and biomedicine. In physiological signal analysis, basic, applied, and translational research in biomedical engineering is carried out to tackle key challenges of next-generation personalized medicine and wellness solutions. In its field, the Research Unit is globally highly ranked, and research activities are based on international collaborations. The partners of CMVS include three institutes of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Computing Technology, Psychology, and Automation), National University of Singapore, Stanford University (USA), University of Georgia (USA), Imperial College London, Czech Technical University (Prague), University of Maryland (USA), Idiap Research Institute (Switzerland), and EPFL (Switzerland). At the University of Oulu, the Research Unit and its leading experts are responsible for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral education in the field.

About the positions

Successful applicants for the first two positions would work at the intersection of psychology and machine learning, carrying out the following tasks:

• study the courses related to the subject field (for doctoral researchers);
• collect and process multi-modal interaction data, including facial expressions, eye gaze movements, and talking mouths with group members and collaborators;
• implement different methods and develop new algorithms for visual and multi-modal data processing for interaction analysis;
• analyze the experimental results, be able to find out the problems and adjust to new solutions;
• collaborate with other team members working on the same project or same subject;
• write research papers and technical reports;
• travel to other countries for collaborations according to project needs.

The successful applicant for the third position would work in the field of computer vision and machine learning, carrying out the following tasks:

• study the courses related to the subject field (for doctoral researchers);
• collect, annotate, and process multi-modal emotion data, including 4D videos, audio, and bio-signals with group members and collaborators;
• implement different methods and develop new algorithms for face analysis and emotion interpretation from multimodal data;
• analyze the experimental results, be able to find out the problems and adjust to new solutions;
• collaborate with other team members working on the same project or same subject;
• write research papers and technical reports;
• travel to other countries for collaborations according to project needs.

What we offer?

• Wellness benefit ePassi covers sports, culture, and well-being. Read more about other staff benefits here.
• Our Buddy Programme and Spouse Network support you and close-ones in settling into Oulu.
• Development and career options of the big organization.
• We have an HR Excellence in Research a quality label, which is a recognition awarded by the European Commission for developing researchers’ working conditions and careers.
• Work that matters and a workplace that promotes flexibility and work-life balance. Read more about working with us.
• Finland is one of the most livable countries in the world, with a high quality of life, safety, an excellent education system, and a competitive economy. Read more about living in Oulu.

Who are you?

Qualification requirements for a doctoral researcher(s)

• A successful candidate for the Doctoral Student position must hold a Master’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related area.
• Previous experience and publications on computer vision, machine learning algorithm design, or a related area will be a plus.
• Good spoken and written English is required
• Strong mathematical and programming skills with C/C++/Matlab/python are respected.
• After acceptance, the doctoral student will be enrolled to a doctoral program the host institution. Read more about the general requirements for admission to the UniOGS.

Qualification requirements for a postdoctoral researcher(s)

• A successful candidate for the Postdoctoral Researcher position must hold a doctoral degree in computer science or electrical engineering with previous experience and publications on computer vision or a related area. The degree must be completed no later than 5 years ago.
• Strong publication record is expected.
• good spoken and written English is required
• strong mathematical and programming skills with C/C++/Matlab/python are respected.

Salary

The salary will be in accordance with the Finnish universities salary system (for teaching and research personnel): level 2-4 (for a doctoral researcher) and 5-6 (for a postdoctoral researcher). In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (a maximum of 50% of the job-specific component). In practice, the starting salary of a new doctoral researcher is approximately 2400-2800 € per month, and it will progressively increase along with the student's progress. The typical starting salary for a Postdoctoral Researcher is 3500 – 3850 € / month (before taxes), depending on qualifications, performance, and experience.

The positions are fixed-term for one year. The starting date of the first two positions is Sep. 1, 2024, and the 3rd one is Jan. 1, 2025 (negotiable). The trial period of 6 months will be applied to the positions.

How to apply

Interested? If yes, please apply through our recruitment system by 9.6.2024 (23:59 Finnish local time).

The application should be written in English and include the following:

1. Curriculum vitae (max. 4 pages) in accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity
2. List of publications based on the guidelines of the Academy of Finland [with the ten most important indicated]
3. A research plan, max. 2 pages (better related to video-based eye tracking or visual speech recognition for the 1st position, to mutual gaze analysis and facial expression estimation for the 2nd position, and to 4D emotion analysis and synthesis for the 3rd position)
4. Certificates/Diplomas: Scanned copy of the original master’s degree certificate and transcript of records and, when necessary, official translations to Finnish or English
5. Contact information of two senior/experienced researchers who may be asked to give a statement on the candidate

Only applications containing all relevant appendices and submitted through the online recruitment system will be considered. Top candidates will be invited to an on-site or remote interview.

Further information

Academy Professor Guoying Zhao

Center for Machine Vision and Signal Analysis Research

Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering

Tel: +358 294487564

Email: guoying.zhao@oulu.fi