[Opt-net] PhD Position in Analysis of Algorithms, University of Twente

[Bodo Manthey]

    PhD Position at the University of Twente
    ========================================

A full-time PhD position is available within the project

    Smoothed Analysis of Belief Propagation

in the group Discrete Mathematics and Mathematical Programming (DMMP) at 
the Department of Applied Mathematics. The project is funded by 
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and is embedded 
in the University of Twente's Centre for Telematics and Information 
Technology (CTIT), the largest academic ICT research institute in the 
Netherlands.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate should have a Master's degree in Mathematics, 
Computer Science, Econometrics, or a related field. A solid background 
in Discrete Optimization, Theoretical Computer Science, or the Analysis 
of Algorithms is highly appreciated but not a must as the candidate will 
be given the opportunity to follow courses in the LNMB PhD program 
during her/his first year (see www.lnmb.nl).

WHAT WE OFFER

We offer a 4-year research position in a dynamic and international 
environment. The DMMP group consists currently consists of 10 faculty 
members and 13 PhD students and is headed by Prof. Marc Uetz. Please see 
www.utwente.nl/ewi/dmmp/ for more details. The University of Twente 
provides excellent campus facilities, and actively supports professional 
and personal development.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Belief propagation is a heuristic approach for solving large-scale 
statistical inference problems. It is an easy-to-implement heuristic has 
become very popular in a wide range of applications.
Its success in practice, however, is at sharp contrast to the lack of 
theoretical understanding of its performance. To provide a more 
realistic analysis of algorithms, the concept of smoothed analysis has 
been developed. In smoothed analysis, performance is not measured in 
terms of worst-case instances. Instead, an adversary specifies an 
instance, and then the expected performance is measured when this 
instance is slightly randomly perturbed. Smoothed analysis takes into 
account that practical data is often noisy, e.g., due to measurement errors.
The aim of this project is smoothed analysis of belief propagation. The 
goal is to get a deeper understanding of its performance and to bridge 
the gap between theoretical and practical performance of belief propagation.

INFORMATION AND APPLICATION

You are invited to send your application (including curriculum vitae, 
copies of certificates, and a letter of motivation) to as well as two 
letters of recommendation to the address below. Electronic submissions 
are highly encouraged (please attach relevant documents as PDF).

Deadline for applications is March 31, 2011. The letters of 
recommendation can be sent after the application, but not later than 
April 15, 2011. The intended starting date is late summer 2011.

Please do not hesitate to send any questions to the email given above.

    Bodo Manthey
    University of Twente
    Department of Applied Mathematics
    P.O. Box 217
    7500 AE Enschede
    The Netherlands
    Email: b.manthey at utwente.nl
    Phone: +31 53 4893385
    http://www.math.utwente.nl/~mantheyb/