Research Associate (wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter)

Please find the official PDF here.

The position in accordance with Section 28 subsection 3 of the Hamburg higher education act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG) commences on 15.04.2019 or at the soonest possible date.

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 33 months. The position calls for 39 hours per week.

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

Specific Duties:
The candidate will work in the Signal Processing group and will do research on modern methods for speech, audio, and audio-visual processing. The focus of the group is on developing novel methods for processing speech signals with applications in speech communication devices such as assistive listening, mobile telephony, and voice-controlled assistants. Typically, the performance of these devices drops drastically when interfering noise sources are present. To mend this undesired behavior, noise reduction is applied.
The goal of the successful candidate is to improve noise reduction systems by incorporating visual information captured by a camera. 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, and traveling to conferences and workshops to present the work. 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 subject plus doctorate. 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, computer vision, and statistics 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 University aims to increase the number of women in research and teaching and explicitly encourages women to apply. Equally qualified female applicants will receive preference in accordance with the Hamburg act on gender equality (Hamburgisches Gleichstellungsgesetz,
HmbGleiG).

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

For further information, please contact Prof. Timo Gerkmann (timo.gerkmann"AT"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 April 7, 2019 to: sp-office"AT"informatik.uni-hamburg.de in a single PDF document. Please start the subject of your Email with [APPLICATION AHOI DIGITAL].

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.

We offer a PhD position within the Data Science in Hamburg Helmholtz Graduate School for the Structure of Matter (DASHH).

If you consider applying please send a note with your CV  to timo.gerkmann@uni-hamburg.de

Further information on the school can be found here:

https://www.dashh.org

Our Project is entitled:

11. Phase Retrieval in Imaging and Speech Enhancement

Supervisors: Prof. Henry Chapman (DESY, CFEL, UHH, Fachbereich Physik), Prof. Timo Gerkmann (UHH, Fachbereich Informatik)

Abstract:

Advanced sources such as free-electron lasers produce intense and coherent beams of X-rays that are opening up new possibilities to image biological materials, such as single molecules, at atomic resolution. Since atomic-resolution lenses do not exist such methods usually rely upon retrieving the structural information encoded in the far-field coherent diffraction pattern [Shechtman et al, 2015]. This intensity pattern corresponds to the Fourier magnitude of the object, and is thus an incomplete measurement since the spectral phase cannot be measured. To reconstruct the original structure, the missing phase information needs to be retrieved . A very similar problem of phase retrieval is encountered in speech source separation and enhancement, which has received increasing attention recently [Gerkmann et al, 2015]. Just in the last few years, modern machine learning methods have been successfully applied to the problem aiming to obtain faster and more accurate results.
The goal of this project is to explore common concepts in X-ray imaging and speech enhancement. Recent advances in the application of machine learning in speech analysis will be transferred and tailored to X-ray imaging, obtaining deeper insights into this challenging inverse problem and providing new opportunities for high-resolution structure determination of biological systems.

Please find the official PDF here.

The Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences / Department of Informatics / Signal Processing invites applications for a 

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE - Robust Noise Reduction by Novel Means of Incorporating Phase Processing  - SALARY LEVEL 13 TV-L 

The position in accordance with Section 28 subsection 3 of the Hamburg higher education act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG) commences on 01.05.2019, or as soon as possible. 

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 until 30.04.2022. The position calls for 100 % of standard work hours per week**. 

Responsibilities: 
In the first year of employment, duties primarily include teaching and research. In the second and third year of employment, duties include academic services in the project named above. Re-search associates may also pursue independent research and further academic qualifications. 

Specific Duties: 
The candidate will work in the Signal Processing group and will do research on modern methods for speech and audio processing. The focus of the group is on developing novel methods for processing speech signals with applications in speech communication devices such as hearing aids, mobile telephony, and voice-controlled assistants. Typically, the performance of these devices drops drastically when interfering noise sources are present. To mend this undesired behavior, noise reduction is applied. This is most commonly done in a spectral domain, where speech is represented by means of its spectral magnitude and its spectral phase. Until today, most systems process only the spectral magnitude, as phase processing remains a challenge. However, this restriction to magnitude processing also limits the achievable robustness of noise reduction systems. 

Thus, the goal of the successful candidate is to improve noise reduction systems by incorporating phase processing. 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, and traveling to conferences and workshops to present the work. 

In the first year of employment, the teaching obligation is four teaching hours p/w. Universität Hamburg has been certified "familiengerechte hochschule". 

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 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 University aims to increase the number of women in research and teaching and explicitly encourages women to apply. Equally qualified female applicants will receive preference in ac-cordance with the Hamburg act on gender equality (Hamburgisches Gleichstellungsgesetz, HmbGleiG). 

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

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

Applications should include a cover letter, a tabular curriculum vitae, and copies of degree certificate(s). Please send applications by 21.04.2019 to: sp-office"AT"informatik.uni-hamburg.de in a single PDF document. 

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.