ELIAS Consortium Member Nuria Oliver Joins International Scientific Expert Advisory Panel on Advanced AI Safety

ELIAS Consortium Member Nuria Oliver Joins International Scientific Expert Advisory Panel on Advanced AI Safety

Feb 23, 2024 | News

Nuria Oliver, Director of ELLIS Alicante and Vice-President of ELLIS, has been selected to join an esteemed international advisory body tasked with providing expert insights for the “International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety.” Representing Spain, Nuria Oliver joins 32 experts from 30 nations, as recently announced by the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology of the British Government.

The first-of-its kind report will drive an up-to-date, science-based understanding of the safety and risks of cutting-edge advanced AI systems. Announced at the AI Safety Summit in November 2023, the UK has commissioned Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, a Turing Award-winning AI academic and member of the UN’s Scientific Advisory Board on AI, to chair the report. The report will serve as a reference point and working tool in upcoming AI safety summits.

The panel members will advise the Chair on the content of the report and are expected to share and promote its findings in their own countries, ensuring that they may guide policymakers and technologists to make informed decisions regarding AI safety. The first publication is expected to take place in the Spring of 2024 and a second iteration will be released at the end of the year. The report is set to become a landmark publication on the most advanced scientific research about the risks and capabilities of frontier AI development. It aims to cement the scientific community’s drive to ensure that discussions on AI safety remain an international collaborative endeavor, bringing together global expertise and diverse perspectives.

Aside from Nuria Oliver, members of the Expert Advisory Panel represent all continents, including Dr. Hiroaki Kitano, CTO of Sony; Amandeep Gill, UN Tech Envoy; Dame Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government and Saif M Khan, senior adviser to the secretary for critical and emerging technologies at the US department of commerce. A full list of panel members is available here.

Nuria Oliver, renowned for her over 25 years of research experience in human-centric AI, will contribute her expertise to the panel. Her participation aligns closely with the mission of ELLIS Alicante, a non-profit private foundation dedicated to responsible AI for Social Good. ELLIS Alicante advocates for transparent, user-centric AI development, focusing on critical issues such as algorithmic fairness, privacy, and the societal impact of AI.

Nuria Oliver, renowned for her over 25 years of research experience in human-centric AI, will contribute her expertise to the panel. Her participation aligns closely with the mission of ELLIS Alicante, a non-profit private foundation dedicated to responsible AI for Social Good. ELLIS Alicante advocates for transparent, user-centric AI development, focusing on critical issues such as algorithmic fairness, privacy, and the societal impact of AI.

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Nuria Oliver, renowned for her over 25 years of research experience in human-centric AI, will contribute her expertise to the panel. Her participation aligns closely with the mission of ELLIS Alicante, a non-profit private foundation dedicated to responsible AI for Social Good. ELLIS Alicante advocates for transparent, user-centric AI development, focusing on critical issues such as algorithmic fairness, privacy, and the societal impact of AI.

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Remarkably, Dr. Oliver is not only a distinguished figure within ELLIS but also holds an important role in the ELIAS Consortium, further underscoring her commitment to collaborative efforts in advancing AI research and innovation and addressing AI safety challenges and ensuring the positive impact of AI on society.

ELLIS Alicante, our partner in ELIAS, will also contribute to identifying use cases demonstrating AI solutions for Trustworthy AI, with a particular focus on addressing the challenges of responsible AI use in online advertising.

For more information:

Read the related press release issued by our ELLIS Unit Alicante in Spanish and in English.

For more information about research conducted at the ELLIS Unit in Alicante, please visit this website. ELLIS Alicante is a non-for-profit private research foundation focused on ethical and responsible AI for social good. Hence, it is also known as the Institute of Humanity-centric AI.

Contact

For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact info@ellisalicante.org or pr@ellis.eu.

AIDA Semester Course : Statistical Methods for Machine Learning

AIDA Semester Course : Statistical Methods for Machine Learning

Feb 16, 2024 | Opportunities

The International AI Doctoral Academy (AIDA) invites you to attend the upcoming semester course by Prof. Nicolo Cesa-Bianchi:

Statistical Methods for Machine Learning

This is a course about the theoretical foundations of machine learning and the analysis of machine learning algorithms. The focus is on understanding the mathematical principles at the basis of machine learning.

Host Institution: Università degli Studi di Milano

Level: Graduate

Period: 4 March 2024 –  4 June 2024 

Course attendance will be asynchronous in English: https://cesa-bianchi.di.unimi.it/MSA/index_23-24.html

Both AIDA and non-AIDA students are encouraged to participate in this course for free (Maximal registrant number: 10 students.

The International AI Doctoral Academy (AIDA), a joint initiative of the European R&D projects AI4Media, ELISE, Humane AI Net, TAILOR, VISION, supports a world-level AI education and research program. AIDA has regular lecture series, short courses, semester courses, and summer schools with the participation of hundreds of academics and serving a growing community of AI PhD students and researchers.

I'm Interested

How to apply:

If you are an AIDA Student* already, please:

  •  Step (a): Register in the course by sending an email to the Course Lecturer (nicolo.cesa-bianchi@unimi.it) for your registration. AND
  •  Step (b): Enroll in the same course in the AIDA course link using the ‘Enroll on this course’ button therein, so that this course enters your AIDA Certificate of Course Attendance. If you are not an AIDA Student do only step (a). 

*AIDA Students should have been registered in the AIDA system already (they are PhD students or PostDocs that belong only to the AIDA Members.

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Advancing AI Frontiers: Exploring Multimodal Foundation Models at ELLIS Workshop

Advancing AI Frontiers: Exploring Multimodal Foundation Models at ELLIS Workshop

Jan 22, 2024 | Events, News

ELIAS Consortium Members Engage in Cutting-Edge Exploration of Multimodal Foundation Models at ELLIS Workshop

The ELIAS Project Coordinator Niculae Sebe and Consortium Member Cees Snoek, both directors of the ELLIS Program on Multimodal Learning Systems, lead discourse on advancements in Multimodal Learning Systems.

January 17 – 19, 2024, Oberwolfach-Walke, Germany – In a groundbreaking event, members of the European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability (ELIAS) consortium gathered at the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO) in Oberwolfach-Walke, Germany, for an important workshop focusing on Multimodal Foundation Models. The workshop, organised by ELIAS Coordinator Niculae Sebe and Consortium Member Cees Snoek, both directors of the ELLIS Program on Multimodal Learning Systems, sought to delve into the intricacies of this paradigm-shifting facet of artificial intelligence.

Workshop Deliberations: At the epicenter of the discussions were Multimodal Foundation Models, a paradigmatic class of artificial intelligence models renowned for their prowess in synthesizing multifaceted content, ranging from textual information to images, sound, and videos, often via interactive prompts. Models such as ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, Gemini, and GPT4 were scrutinised for their perceived intelligence, adaptability, and, notably, the ethical concerns associated with their capacity to produce potentially misleading information. The workshop facilitated an international assembly of researchers from both academia and industry to scrutinise recent advancements, deliberate on their impact, and envisage future implications.

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The ELIAS Project Coordinator Niculae Sebe and Consortium Member Cees Snoek, leading figures in the ELLIS Program Multimodal Learning Systems, guided the discussions throughout the workshop. Their leadership underscored the collaborative efforts propelled by ELLIS Programs, fostering interdisciplinary engagements across European scientific communities to propel the frontiers of artificial intelligence.

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The ELIAS Project Coordinator Niculae Sebe and Consortium Member Cees Snoek, leading figures in the ELLIS Program Multimodal Learning Systems, guided the discussions throughout the workshop. Their leadership underscored the collaborative efforts propelled by ELLIS Programs, fostering interdisciplinary engagements across European scientific communities to propel the frontiers of artificial intelligence.

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In-Depth Program Structure: The workshop unfolded through meticulously structured sessions, encompassing Foundation Models, Vision & Language, Generative AI, and Multimodality. Renowned experts, including Karteek Alahari, Cristian Sminchisescu, Xavier Alameda-Pineda, Elisa Ricci, Hakan Bilen, Shaogang Gong, Jakob Verbeek, Juergen Gall, Ioannis Patras, Dima Damen, and Dimosthenis Karatzas, shared their insights and research findings.

European Union’s Scientific Support: This scientific endeavor received financial backing from the European Lab for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), aligning with the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 951847, known as ELISE – European Network of AI Excellence Centres.

Future Trajectory: The fruitful discussions and presentations at the workshop are expected to pave the way for further advancements in the field of Multimodal Foundation Models. The collaborative efforts of ELIAS and ELLIS Programs continue to drive progress in artificial intelligence, ensuring its responsible and sustainable development.

For more information:

For a detailed breakdown of the workshop’s scientific program, refer to The ELLIS Multimodal Learning Systems Workshop on Multimodal Foundation Models

For a broader understanding of the ongoing initiatives and endeavors within the ELLIS Program, we invite you to explore the full spectrum of activities at ELLIS Programs.

 

#Opportunity: Postdoctoral Researcher in AI for Sustainability – University of Amsterdam (UvA)

#Opportunity: Postdoctoral Researcher in AI for Sustainability – University of Amsterdam (UvA)

Jan 11, 2024 | Opportunities

#Opportunity: Postdoctoral Researcher in AI for Sustainability – University of Amsterdam (UvA)

Postdoctoral Researcher in AI for Sustainability at the University of Amsterdam

Amsterdam Machine Learning Lab (AMLab)

Duration: 2 years (starting winter 2024)

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher in AI for sustainability. AI has a tremendous potential for accelerating the development of sustainable technologies. Realising this potential requires fundamental research to develop new AI methods for the design and modelling of physical systems as well as translational research to adapt inventions to practical use cases.

This work contributes to the European Lighthouse of AI for Sustainability (ELIAS). ELIAS will accelerate the development of AI-driven methods for computational design, data-driven simulations, as well as the development of neural networks for fast approximation of scientific computations (e.g., to accelerate climate simulations). ELIAS will also focus on devising new approaches for reducing the energy requirements of AI systems. 

Responsibilities

  • Develop AI methods for computational design, by combining techniques for:
    • Bayesian optimisation and experiment design;
    • Probabilistic programming and simulation-based inference;
    • Development of data-efficient neural surrogate models;
  • Present your research by contributing to international conferences, workshops, and journals;
  • Actively participate in activities for the ELIAS and ELLIS networks;
  • Assist in teaching activities: teaching courses; supervising master and PhD students.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Machine Learning, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field;
  • Experience in programming and software development. Familiarity with Python and statistical computing libraries (e.g. NumPy, PyTorch, JAX) is preferred;
  • Enthusiasm for the scientific process: formulating and conducting experiments, data collection and analysis, disseminating findings via writing and oral presentations;
  • Ability to cooperate and work effectively within a team;
  • Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Offer

UvA offers a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of 24 months. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,226 to € 5,090 (scale 10). UvA additionally offers an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UFO profile Researcher 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

 Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park, UvA offer you multiple fringe benefits:

  • 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
  • Multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
  • Multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
  • Multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
  • 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
  • Partly paid parental leave;
  • The possibility to set up a workplace at home;
  • A pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
  • The possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
  • Help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

About UvA

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the Netherlands’ largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 42,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

 The Faculty of Science (FNWI) has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

 The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. The research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

 You will be working within the Amsterdam Machine Learning Lab (AMLab) which conducts research in the area of large scale modelling of complex data sources. This includes the development of new methods for probabilistic graphical models and non-parametric Bayesian models, the development of faster (approximate) inference and learning methods, deep learning, causal inference, reinforcement learning and multi-agent systems and the application of all of the above to large scale data domains in science and industry (‘Big Data problems’). AMLab is co-directed by Max Welling and Jan-Willem van de Meent. AMLab positions itself in the AI research theme, and also with clear links to the Data Science theme of the Informatics Institute.

I'm Interested

How to apply:

Interested candidates should submit their application in a single PDF by 04.02.2024 including the following information:

  • A curriculum vitae, including a list of publications (with hyperlinks);
  • A research statement describing your interests and research trajectory;
  • The names and contact information of at least two academic references (please do not include the letters themselves);
  • Optional: A letter providing any additional information not sufficiently highlighted by the other materials. For instance, the letter could describe how Covid-19 has affected productivity.

You can use the CV field to upload your resume as a separate pdf document. Use the Cover Letter field to upload the other requested documents, including the motivation letter, as one single pdf file.

 A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure.
(for details: National knowledge security guidelines).

Need more details or have questions?

Contact: Jan-Willem van de Meent, Associate Professor (UHD)

✉️ Email: j.w.vandemeent@uva.nl

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The new ELLIS call for Fellows & Scholars is open!

The new ELLIS call for Fellows & Scholars is open!

Jan 4, 2024 | Opportunities

ELLIS appoints Fellows and Scholars in a model inspired by the Canadian LMB CIFAR network , organised in Fellowship Programs that study common research themes through workshops and collaboration.

This plays a dual role: (1) Fellows are high-caliber scientists advancing the field, (2) creating a community and giving a voice to Machine Learning and AI. In Canada, the latter strongly influenced the pan-Canadian AI strategy which resulted in the foundation of three major new centers for AI (Mila in Montreal, Vector in Toronto, and Amii in Edmonton).

ELLIS Fellows advance science and act as ambassadors of ELLIS. They provide strategic advice and leadership not just scientifically, but also in terms of how to build and grow ELLIS. ELLIS Scholars are outstanding junior scientists, often assistant professors, who do not yet have the seniority of a Fellow but are on a clear trajectory to reach this level. Below, we use the term “Fellow” to collectively refer to Fellows and Scholars alike.

In addition to (1) and (2), Fellows also play a role in

  • Student supervision in the ELLIS PhD program
  • Establishing ELLIS units and institutes
  • Providing strategic advice and helping to define the scope of ELLIS
  • Selection of new Fellows

The ELLIS Fellowship Programs bring together academics at regular meetings throughout Europe to promote free exchange of ideas and help create a European community of top AI researchers to retain and attract talent. Together, they stand up for European interests and generate high international visibility. Fellow programs are funded by the ELISE project and hence the fellow appointments are guaranteed until the end of the ELISE project funding (2024).

Only directors of Programs and Units can nominate Fellows. Every proposed Fellow goes through an evaluation process by the ELLIS Fellow committee. The selection is based solely on scientific excellence. In order to guarantee independence of the process, Fellows are only evaluated by (a) Fellows who are not based in the same country as the candidate, (b) do not have the same nationality as the candidate, and (c) have no conflict of interest. Proposals are checked against a set of “objective” criteria such as: high number of publications at top tier conferences high citation impact international awards and prizes. For more information about the nomination process please contact directly the director(s) of the Program or Unit you would like to be part of.

I'm Interested

How to apply:

The deadline for nominations is 1 March 2024. Please note that nominations are only possible through the directors of ELLIS Programs and ELLIS Units – people interested in applying should therefore contact the respective directors directly.

You will find more information about the guidelines for evaluating scientific excellence for Fellow/Scholar nominations here.