Sciencepreneurship Summer School 2024: Sustainability & AI

Sciencepreneurship Summer School 2024: Sustainability & AI

Rolling admissions – deadline March 22, 2024

April 29 – May 3, 2024 ― Lausanne, Switzerland

A week-long summer school of talks, workshops, and socials on turning scientific innovation into societal impact through entrepreneurship.

    accomodation included | travel grants available | course credit (1 ECTS)

    Aim

    The aim of this summer school is to address the following questions by sharing knowledge, experiences, and pitfalls about how to transform scientific advances into societal impact through entrepreneurship:

    • How can science be directly valuable for society and scale from lab to market?
    • How to get and choose the right team, funding, advisors, and legal setup?
    • What are common pitfalls in this process, and how to avoid them?
    Program

    The program of this summer school is tailored to provide the participants with a framework to develop the societal impact of scientific advances.

    • First, participants present a scientific innovation and form co-founding teams. 👩‍🔬🧑‍🔬
    • Then, putting the school its lectures, workshops, and socials into practice, teams shape their science-based business. 🚀
    • Finally, participants pitch their work to a jury, receive feedback, and compete for a prize. 🏆

    Entrepreneurial graduate students from any institute

    The Sciencepreneurship Summer School focuses on enhancing the exchange between entrepreneurially interested graduate students – mainly PhD students – from EPFL, ETH Zurich, and other leading institutes from around the world. Participation is highly competitive and the total number of participants is limited with admissions on a rolling basis.

    The organizing committee is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive summer school. We encourage all students with an interest to apply. If you have any questions regarding eligibility, feel free to reach out.

    Got any questions? You can reach us on arnout.devos@epfl.ch

    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

    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.

    ELLIS Workshop_6

    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.

    ELLIS Workshop_6

    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

    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 InstitutionUniversità degli Studi di Milano

    Level: Graduate

    Period: 4 March 2024 –  4 June 2024 

    Course attendance will be asynchronous in Englishhttps://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 AI4MediaELISEHumane AI NetTAILORVISION, 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.

    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.

    Advancing AI Frontiers: Exploring Multimodal Foundation Models at ELLIS Workshop

    Advancing AI Frontiers: Exploring Multimodal Foundation Models at ELLIS Workshop

    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.

    ELLIS Workshop_1
    ELLIS Workshop_4
    ELLIS Workshop_5

    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.

    ELLIS Workshop_6

    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.

    ELLIS Workshop_6

    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)

    #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.

    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