AI Researcher - Social Behavior Understanding
We are seeking two highly motivated PhD students to join our innovative project focused on developing advanced AI models for real-world social behavior understanding. Our goal is to capture the broader phenomenological aspects of where and why people look, integrating gaze with other social cues in natural, dynamic environments.
The project will analyze complex social interactions in daily scenes through a unified multimodal, multi-task framework. This includes both individual-level cues (e.g., gaze target, head gestures, emotions, attentiveness) and interpersonal dynamics (e.g., social gaze, group identification, conversational activities).
Main research areas include:
* Unified deep learning for head, facial, and upper body behavior recognition, including human-object interactions and audio processing;
* Models for attention states and social relations analysis;
* Machine learning strategies such as multi-task learning, unsupervised learning, and distillation to unify the modeling of these social behaviors.
Your Profile
The ideal PhD candidates will hold an MS degree in computer science, engineering, physics, or applied mathematics. A solid foundation in statistics, linear algebra, signal processing, machine learning, and programming is essential, with mandatory experience in deep learning.
We are looking for individuals with strong analytical abilities and excellent written and oral communication skills. You will work on key tasks such as dataset creation, model design, and benchmarking, addressing these challenges in diverse, unstructured settings.
This PhD position is fully funded for 4 years, contingent on steady progress. We expect you to lead to a PhD dissertation and be enrolled as a doctoral student at EPFL, subject to acceptance by the Electrical Engineering Doctoral School.
Salary and Benefits
You will receive salaries according to EPFL standards. Our institute offers competitive benefits and a young, high-quality, dynamic, and multicultural environment. English is the official working language.
About Us
We are a research institute that engages in fundamental research, education, and technology transfer in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and signal processing. Our aim is to foster creativity and innovation while promoting diversity and inclusivity. Employment at our institution is based solely on merit and qualifications.