Fróðskaparsetur Føroya, the University of the Faroe Islands, is seeking to recruit to two PhD positions and one Postdoc Position in data science in its Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology
The University is seeking two highly motivated PhD candidates to join our team for research projects on Fraud Detection for Financial Data and for Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR).
The University of the Faroe Islands is the primary higher education and research institution in the Faroe Islands, the nation’s only university and its foremost knowledge centre. The University undertakes research and research-based teaching, providing for synergy between research and teaching to serve the evolving needs and priorities of the Faroes and their wider region. The University has around 100 academic staff, some 60 staff in support and service positions, and around 1,000 students. The University is comprised of five faculties and a central administration.
To meet the growing demand for well-trained IT professionals in the Faroe Islands the University of the Faroe Islands will, from 2023, offer a new 120 ECTS master’s programme in Data Science and a new Undergraduate Diploma in Web Development organised as 120 ECTS parttime study with the admission of students every year, in addition to admitting students every year to the existing 180 ECTS bachelor programme in Software Engineering. The master’s programme will focus on cutting edge IT subjects in areas including Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things/5G, and Internet Security.
Research interests at the faculty are, among others, within mathematics and statistics, computer science and data science, algorithms, computer networks and communications, internet security, wireless networks, biostatistics and bioinformatics, genetic research, environmental biology and chemistry, fish farming and fish stocks, physics and engineering, energy conservation, ocean currents and waves, weather, and climate change.
The University is seeking two highly motivated PhD candidates to join our team for research projects on Fraud Detection for Financial Data and for Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). The University is also seeking to recruit to one postdoctoral/PhD position on Post-Quantum Cryptography with a focus on both theoretical research and practical applications.
The PhD positions are 4-year positions, organised with 2 years for research, 1.5 years for teaching and supervision and 0.5 year (30 ECTS) for course participation. The postdoctoral position will be a 2-year position. The commence for all positions is as soon as possible.
Applicants should as a minimum hold a 120 ECTS master’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, data science, mathematics/statistics/physics or similar. Moreover, previous teaching experience is considered advantageous. Proficiency in English is required, while previous knowledge of Faroese is not mandatory but welcome.
Good communication and teamwork skills are essential, as the candidate will be expected to collaborate with other members of the computer science team at the University and with external collaborators.
PhD position on Fraud Detection for Financial Data
This PhD research project aims to develop a fraud detection system that accurately identifies fraudulent transactions in a large, unlabelled dataset provided by the Faroese public institution Gjaldstovan. The study will compare and evaluate different algorithms for detecting fraud in large unlabelled datasets of transactions and propose solutions to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of existing fraud detection methods. The results can help to reduce financial losses due to fraudulent activities and improve overall security in the financial industry. The project will use data analysis and machine learning techniques to address research questions related to developing an efficient and accurate fraud detection method for large unlabelled datasets of transactions.
The ideal candidate should have a background in machine learning, data mining, or statistical analysis and should be familiar with large-scale data analysis and data pre-processing. Knowledge and experience on financial data and fraud detection techniques will be an advantage.
PhD position on Natural Language Processing and Automatic Speech Recognition
This project aims to develop Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) techniques for Faroese speech that can accurately capture and transcribe real-world audio. The development of ASR for low-resource languages like Faroese is challenging due to the need for a large amount of transcribed audio data. However, recent advancements in multilingual language modelling and transfer learning have shown promise for improving ASR accuracy in low resource settings. The PhD student will build on these advancements to create a robust and user-friendly ASR tool for Faroese speech, with potential applications for automated captioning and audio transcription.
The project will also explore the use of data augmentation techniques to increase the size and diversity of the training dataset, which can help to improve the performance of the ASR system in real-world settings where the variability of audio data is high. Findings would help push the boundaries of low-resource ASR performance, beyond the specific use case of Faroese.
The ideal candidate should have previous experience in machine learning, signal processing, linguistics, and natural language processing.
Postdoctoral/PhD position on Post-Quantum Cryptography
The University is seeking to recruit to one Postdoc Research Position/PhD position for a research project on post-quantum cryptography with a focus on both theoretical research and practical applications.
The successful candidate will be involved in developing new cryptographic algorithms and protocols that are secure against attacks by quantum computers. In addition, the candidate will have opportunities to collaborate with the Faroese public institution Talgildu Føroyar to implement these algorithms in real-world applications, evaluate their performance, and secure their sensitive data.
The successful candidate will also contribute to enhance research efforts and support teaching in the field of cybersecurity on its educational programmes in Software Engineering and Data Science.
The ideal candidate should have a strong background in cryptography, be familiar with modern cryptographic techniques, and have experience in programming and in implementing cryptographic algorithms.
Application
Applicants are invited to send an application including letter of interest, full copies of diplomas (not just front pages), full curriculum vitae including working experience, publication list (if any), and a maximum of five publications they might consider relevant.
The application must be written in English, and you find the application forms below:
- PhD position on Fraud Detection for Financial Data
- PhD position on Natural Language Processing and Automatic Speech Recognition
- Postdoctoral/PhD position on Post-Quantum Cryptography
Terms of appointment
The start date will be as soon as possible. The positions will be filled according to the regulations governing positions at the University of the Faroe Islands. The salary and general terms of appointment will be in accordance with agreements between the Ministry of Finance and the Faroese professional union Akademikarafelag Føroya.
Closing date
The application deadline is 1st of May 2023.
Additional information
For additional information please contact Hans Pauli Joensen, hanspj@setur.fo, Dean at the Faculty of Science and Technology. For information about the University of the Faroe Islands, please visit www.setur.fo.
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