Research Associate (wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter)

Please find the official PDF here.

As a University of Excellence, Universität Hamburg is one of the strongest research universities in Germany. As a flagship university in the greater Hamburg region, it nurtures innovative, cooperative contacts to partners within and outside academia. It also provides and promotes sustainable education, knowledge, and knowledge exchange locally, nationally, and internationally.

Pending approval of external funding , the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences, Department of Informatics, Signal Processing (SP) invites applications for a

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE FOR THE PROJECT “KI-SiGS: AI-BASED SPEECH ENHANCEMENT FOR HEARING DEVICES”
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The position in accordance with Section 28 subsection 3 of the Hamburg higher education act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG) commences on 01.04.2020, subject to funding. This is a fixed-term contract in accordance with Section 2 of the academic fixed-term labor contract act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG). The term is fixed for a period of three years. The position calls for 100 % of standard work hours per week**. This position is also suitable for part time employment.

Responsibilities:
Duties include academic services in the project named above. Research associates may also pursue independent research and further academic qualifications.

Specific Duties:
The project is part of KI-SIGS, a collaboration of several northern German AI-Institutes and medical industry partners (https://ki-sigs.de/). The candidate will work in the Signal Processing (SP) group at the Universität Hamburg (https://uhh.de/inf-sp) and will do research on AI-based speech enhancement for hearing devices including Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids. Typically, the performance of hearing devices drops drastically in reverberation or when interfering noise sources are present. To mend this undesired behavior, speech enhancement algorithms are applied. The goal of the successful candidate is to develop novel speech enhancement algorithms that are tailored to specific requirements of hearing devices. For this, modern methods from signal processing and machine learning are to be applied. Besides developing new concepts and implementing new algorithms, the typical tasks of a Research Associate include experiments to test the methods, writing scientific publications, traveling to conferences and workshops to present the work, and communication with industry and university partners. We are interested in a highly motivated person who is interested in working with us on cutting edge research in a pleasant working atmosphere.

Requirements:
A university degree in a relevant field. Examples are Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, etc. Good knowledge of signal processing and machine learning is required as well as good programming skills in Python, Matlab and/or C++. Knowledge of speech processing and statistics as well as experience with machine learning libraries is helpful. Fluent English, spoken and written, and good communication skills are mandatory. Knowledge of German is helpful; we expect the willingness to learn German for non-native German speakers.

The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg promotes equal opportunity. As women are currently underrepresented in this job category at Universität Hamburg according to the evaluation conducted under the Hamburg act on gender equality (Hamburgisches Gleichstellungsgesetz, HambGleiG), we encourage women to apply for this position. Equally qualified and suitable female applicants will receive preference.

Qualified disabled candidates or applicants with equivalent status receive preference in the application process.

For further information, please contact Prof. Timo Gerkmann (timo.gerkmann@uni-hamburg.de) or consult our website at https://uhh.de/inf-sp.

Applications should include a cover letter, a tabular curriculum vitae, and copies of degree certificate(s). Please send applications by February 23, 2020 to: sp-office@informatik.uni-hamburg.de in a single PDF document. Please start the subject of your Email with [APPLICATION KI-SIGS]. Please do not submit original documents as we are not able to return them. Any documents submitted will be destroyed after the application process has concluded

** Full-time positions currently comprise 39 hours per week.