From: axs@cs.bham.ac.uk (Aaron Sloman)
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.offered,misc.jobs.offered.entry,uk.jobs,uk.ikbs
Subject: Lectureships in AI and CS at the University of Birmingham
Date: 17 Nov 92 23:12:26 GMT
Reply-To: A.Sloman@bham.ac.uk
Organization: School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, UK

Final posting: the deadline for applications is 19th Nov 1992

Previously posted to:
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.offered,misc.jobs.offered.entry,uk.jobs,comp.ai,uk.ikbs,sci.cognitive

Two posts are available starting April 1993: a lectureship in AI and
a two year temporary lectureship in Computer Science. Details follow.

NB: All requests for application forms, and all applications, must go
via the Director of Staffing Services. Address below.

Details of both posts follow.
=======================================================================
A. LECTURESHIP IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE at THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

POST REFERENCE NUMBER                                         S13198/92A
DEPARTMENT                                    School of Computer Science
 JOB TITLE                           Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence

 STARTING SALARY              On the scale 13,400 - 18,576 pounds a year
                                          or 19,352 - 24,736 pounds year
                                     (depending on level of appointment)
                                                     Plus superannuation

 STARTING DATE           from April 1993
=======================================================================

B. TEMPORARY LECTURESHIP IN COMPUTER SCIENCE at THE UNIVERSITY
OF BIRMINGHAM

POST REFERENCE NUMBER                                          S1788/92A
DEPARTMENT                                    School of Computer Science
 JOB TITLE                         Temporary lecturer in Compuer Science

 STARTING SALARY              On the scale pounds 13,400 - 18,576 a year
                                                     Plus superannuation

 STARTING DATE           from April 1993
=======================================================================

Further information about both posts follows

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS                19 November 1992
(It may be possible to consider applications received after the
closing date if the selection process has not gone too far.)

APPLICATION FORMS OBTAINABLE FROM AND RETURNABLE TO:

          The Director of Staffing Services
          The University of Birmingham
          Edgbaston
          Birmingham B15 2TT
          England

    FAX NO.           +44 (0)21-414-4802
    TELEPHONE NO.     +44 (0)21-414-6486

Non UK applicants can send email requests for their name and address to
be forwarded, but I regret I don't have time to deal with others.

FURTHER PARTICULARS

 -- Introduction
 -- Research areas
 -- Masters degrees
 -- Research training
 -- The Lectureship in Artificial Intelligence
 -- Two year temporary lectureship in Computer Science
 -- All applicants

-- Introduction -------------------------------------------------------

The University of Birmingham is a major civic university, based on an
attractive campus, with a wide range of teaching and research activities
including medical and dental schools as well as the usual range of
disciplines in science, engineering, social sciences, the humanities,
fine arts and education.

The University is experiencing considerable change and growth and the
School of Computer Science is one of the beneficiaries, with several
recent appointments, including two new professors, one to support the
recently introduced postgraduate training and research in cognitive
science and AI (Prof. A.Sloman), and one in the area of very large logic
databases (Prof. J.B.Bocca). Further recent appointments (academic staff
and computer officers) and equipment purchases have enhanced the
research activity in the School. Computing facilities are based mostly
on X terminals and Unix workstations connected to powerful servers
(SPARC and HP-PA), with some Macs, PCs, transputers, and links to the
Central Computing Service (with VAX and IBM mainframe) and national and
international networks.

Planned growth includes a substantial increase in undergraduate numbers
expected to follow from the introduction of a new half degree in AI
which can be combined with other disciplines. The initial degree
combinations will be AI with Psychology, and AI with Computer Science,
starting October 1993, and with Mathematics from October 1994.
Additional combinations are likely to begin in 1994 and 1995. The new AI
lecturership is intended to support this development, as well as helping
with existing AI courses and research supervision. If numbers of
applications for the new degrees are sufficiently high, it is hoped that
additional lectureships in AI will become available later.

The two year temporary lectureship in Computer Science is a replacement
for Dr. D.V.Murphy who will hold a two year SERC Postdoctoral Research
Fellowship from April 1993. (He will remain based in Birmingham during
that period.)

-- Research areas include the following: ------------------------------

1. Declarative programming and parallel processing

2.  Software Engineering and Formal Methods

3.  Human-Computer Interaction

4.  Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science

5.  Neural Nets

6.  Image Understanding, Image Processing and Computer Graphics

7.  Philosophical Foundations of AI, Cognitive Science and Computer
    Science

Further details of recent research and publications are included in the
Annual Research Review, available on request.

The school offers Masters degrees, Research degrees and undergraduate
degrees.

-- Masters degrees ----------------------------------------------------

The School offers a conversion MSc course in Computer Science, with an
emphasis on software engineering. This attracts over 50 students each
year, and has been growing steadily. From October 1992 this course
includes an AI stream and it is expected that the new lecturer will help
with further development of this stream, and with project supervision
for existing students in the summer of 1993.

A conversion MSc course in Cognitive Science has been running since
October 1991, in collaboration with Psychology and other schools, and in
its third year has grown to about 25 students taking a mixture of
courses in Psychology, Philosophy, Linguistics, AI and Computer Science.
New AI lecturers can expect to contribute to this course also, including
project supervision.

Both MSc courses have Research Council recognition in the form of
studentships.

-- Research training --------------------------------------------------

Research students, working towards a PhD or MPhil, are accepted in all
the previously mentioned areas of research, and several are being
supervised in collaboration with members of other schools. The number
has been rising steadily in recent years, and further expansion is
planned. A high proportion of the newer students are working on AI
topics, including natural language processing, vision, learning, and
cognitive modelling.

-- Undergraduate degrees ----------------------------------------------

The School has a flourishing array of undergaduate courses. Some are
taught entirely within the School, some in collaboration with other
Schools (Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Humanities Schools). The
orientation of much of the existing undergraduate degree work is towards
applied software engineering, though theoretical courses are taught as
well, and the situation is constantly under review.

There are existing options in AI for undergraduates, but no
undergraduate AI degree at present. A new half degree in Artificial
Intelligence (including cognitive science) will be offered in
combination with several other disciplines, the first combinations (with
Psychology, with Mathematics and with Computer Science) starting in
October 1993 or 1994. Depending on the numbers of students on these
courses it is hoped that there will be additional lectureships
advertised during 1993/4 to help with these courses. Additional schools
may wish to offer combinations with AI in subsequent years, e.g.
Electrical Engineering, Philosophy.

It is intended that the AI portion of the degree will include both
*scientific* attempts to understand existing intelligent systems and
also *engineering* work on designing useful new intelligent
artifacts. The courses will include a substantial practical element (for
which we currently plan to use the Poplog multi-language system
developed at Sussex University), as well as study of AI literature,
writing essays, etc. The detailed course structure will depend in part
on the expertise of those appointed to help develop the syllabus, but is
expected to include such topics as computer vision, natural language
processing, learning, problem solving, planning, expert systems,
intelligent interfaces, cognitive modelling, neural nets, and genetic
algorithms. The course will expose students to different AI
methodologies. Programming languages to be taught include Pop-11,
Prolog, Lisp and C, as well as higher level "packages".

-- The Lectureship in Artificial Intelligence -------------------------

Applicants for the AI lectureship should already have had experience in
teaching AI courses including, if possible, practical programming work
in both Prolog and a procedural AI language. They should also have a PhD
and substantial research achievements with publications.

The successful candidate will be expected to help existing staff with
course development, and contribute to AI teaching, AI research and
supervision of AI PhD students. Research interests may be in any area of
AI. Selection will be based on a combination of criteria relating to
high teaching ability and high research potential, including the ability
to attract research students and research grants.

-- Two year temporary lectureship in Computer Science -----------------

This post is a replacement for Dr. D.V.Murphy who will hold a two
year SERC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from April 1993. (He will
remain based in Birmingham during that period.)

Applicants for the temporary lectureship in Computer Science should have
qualifications and a research record in some area of Computer Science or
Software Engineering. The initial need is for someone who can help with
teaching of programming in C++ and a course on datastructures, as well
as project supervision for undergraduates and MSc students. It *may*
be possible to rearrange teaching to suit the qualifications of the
successful candidate.

Applicants for the temporary lectureship should, ideally, have a PhD, or
expect to have passed the examination by April 1993. In exceptional
circumstances it may be decided to appoint someone without a PhD.

Although the primary need is a teaching replacement for two years it is
also expected that the lecturer will contribute to research, and
research achievements and potential will play a strong role in the
selection process. Research interests relevant to the formal analysis of
parallel processes or the semantics of computation will be particularly
welcome.

-- All applicants -----------------------------------------------------

All applications should, if possible, include the applicant's home and
office phone numbers, electronic mail address, names of referees, full
information about the applicant's research interests and future research
plans, areas of teaching expertise, and details of any relevant
experience.

It is helpful if phone numbers and electronic mail addresses of referees
can be provided in case we need to make contact with them quickly.

Enquiries by electronic mail may be made to the Head of the School.
Please note that application forms are obtainable NOT from him but
from the Staffing services, address above.

Head of School:
 Professor Aaron Sloman
 School of Computer Science
 The University of Birmingham
 Edgbaston  Birmingham B15 2TT  England

 Email: A.Sloman@bham.ac.uk
 Phone: +44 (0)21 414 3711
 Fax: +44 (0)21 414 4281

Candidates who so desire may send copies of one or two recent research
reports direct to Professor Sloman, in order to strengthen their
applications.

The selection process is likely to include inviting shortlisted
applicants to present a seminar. It is expected that final decisions
will be taken some time in mid December or mid January.
=======================================================================
-- 
Aaron Sloman, School of Computer Science,
The University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, England
EMAIL   A.Sloman@cs.bham.ac.uk  OR A.Sloman@bham.ac.uk
Phone: +44-(0)21-414-3711       Fax:   +44-(0)21-414-4281
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.offered