[agents] Fully funded PhD position in Automated Negotiation and Multi-agent Systems (CWI Amsterdam & Utrecht University)

[Tim Baarslag]

Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) has a vacancy in the “Intelligent 
and Autonomous Systems” research group for a talented PhD in Automated 
Negotiation and Multi-agent Systems.

Apply here: https://www.cwi.nl/jobs/vacancies/945385

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Job description
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The world of trading is changing rapidly. Whereas in the past, people 
would contact their vendors personally over phone or e-mail, online 
peer-to-peer trading platforms now make it possible for vendors to 
negotiate in a more effective and scalable way. This creates a new 
opportunity to use artificial intelligence techniques and negotiation 
agents that can support vendors in their negotiations and eventually 
make deals autonomously on their behalf. This requires a combination of 
a state-of-the-art multi-agent and machine learning techniques that can 
support the user in making efficient offers and learn the preferences of 
the user as well as of the trading partners.

The aim of the vacant position is to develop fundamental and applicable 
solutions for agent negotiations and to develop a new online trading 
framework. Depending on the interests and expertise of the candidate, 
the project draws on tools and techniques from artificial intelligence, 
multi-agent learning, combinatorics, preference modeling and 
elicitation, protocol design, machine learning, automated negotiation, 
decision support systems, and sequential multi-agent decision-making 
under uncertainty. One of the scientific challenges in this project will 
be to formulate negotiation strategies that can strike partial deals 
with multiple partners at the same time.

The project is a collaboration between CWI and Utrecht University, and 
the applicant can divide their time between both institutes. The vacant 
position will primarily devise algorithms and simulation experiments for 
concurrent negotiations in face of uncertainty, and will closely 
collaborate with other project team members for the implementation of 
experimental tests.

The successful applicant will contribute to the research group's 
ambition to develop and mature fundamental principles that find 
applications in practical intelligent and autonomous systems. The 
position is embedded in a diverse team of motivated junior and senior 
researchers (including B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD students) with experience 
and ongoing complementary projects on topics such as multi-agent 
learning, autonomous representation, negotiation, smart energy systems, 
and more. Group alumni have moved on to excellent positions in academia 
and industry, making it a cornerstone in their career path.

We offer a fully funded PhD position for a period of 4 years. The PhD 
position is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Vidi grant, which 
is an individual grant for talented, creative researchers to conduct 
research of their choice. The PhD will be embedded in the graduate 
school of Utrecht University and will have ample learning opportunities 
in the form of summer schools, PhD courses, and international 
competitions. There is a personal budget available for travel to 
workshops and conferences, and multiple research visits to other 
universities and companies are anticipated.

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Requirements
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Candidates are required to have an M.Sc. degree in computer science, 
mathematics, artificial intelligence, or similar areas with relevant 
experience. If you are obtaining your M.Sc. degree soon, you are also 
invited to apply.

Candidates should have a clear interest in fundamental research, should 
have interest in multi-agent systems and in the application area of 
negotiation and trading, should be able to cooperate with experts from 
different disciplines, and should be experienced in programming 
(preferably object-oriented, e.g. Python, Java). Needed qualifications 
for candidates include a passion for science and good academic writing 
and presentation skills. Candidates are expected to have an excellent 
command of English.

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Terms and conditions
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The terms of employment are in accordance with the Dutch Collective 
Labour Agreement for Research Centres ("CAO-onderzoeksinstellingen"). 
The initial labour agreement will be for a period of 18 months. After a 
positive evaluation, the agreement will be extended by 30 months. The 
gross monthly salary, for a PhD student on a full time basis, is € 2,441 
during the first year and increases to €3,128 over the four year period. 
Employees are also entitled to a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross 
annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.33%. CWI offers attractive 
working conditions, including flexible scheduling and help with housing 
for expat employees.

Please visit our websites for more information about our terms of 
employment:
https://www.cwi.nl/jobs/terms-of-employment and
https://www.nwo-i.nl/en/working-at-nwo-i/jobsatnwoi/​​​​​

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Information and application
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Applications can be sent until and including July 31st 2022. To apply 
please go to https://www.cwi.nl/jobs/vacancies/945385 and click the 
‘apply’ button which will open an application form at the bottom of the 
webpage. The application must include:

- A detailed CV.
- A letter of motivation including research interests and reasons for 
applying.
- B.Sc. and M.Sc. level certificates.
- Lists of courses followed (at B.Sc. and M.Sc. level) including 
obtained grades.

The preferred starting date is between September and November 2022, to 
be determined in consultation with the candidate.

For non-native English speakers, a TOEFL English language test might be 
required.

For more information about the vacancy, please contact dr. Tim Baarslag, 
telephone +31(0)20 592 4019, email: T.Baarslag at cwi.nl, homepage: 
https://homepages.cwi.nl/~baarslag/

For more information about CWI, please visit www.cwi.nl or watch our 
video about working at CWI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCfI7_rLeho

CWI encourages a diverse workforce: we endeavour to develop talent and 
creativity by bringing people from different backgrounds and cultures 
together. We recruit and select based on capabilities and talent. We 
strongly encourage everyone with the appropriate qualifications to apply 
for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation 
or physical abilities.

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About CWI
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Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) is the Dutch national research 
institute for mathematics and computer science and is an institute of 
the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The mission 
of CWI is to conduct pioneering research in mathematics and computer 
science, generating new knowledge in these fields and conveying it to 
trade, industry, and society at large. CWI is an internationally 
oriented institute, with 160 scientists from approximately 30 countries. 
The facilities are first-rate and include excellent IT support, career 
planning, training, and courses. CWI is located at Amsterdam Science 
Park which is home to one of the largest concentrations of beta science 
in Europe. A melting pot of innovation. Companies looking to collaborate 
can work together with brilliant students, scientists and fellow 
entrepreneurs. Collectively they develop revolutionary solutions for 
today’s issues and tomorrow’s challenges.

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About the research group
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For more information about the research of the Intelligent and 
Autonomous Systems group at CWI, please visit the website: 
https://www.cwi.nl/research/groups/intelligent-and-autonomous-systems

You will also join the Intelligent Systems group at the Department of 
Information and Computing Sciences of Utrecht University. You will be 
working closely with members of this research group, other research 
groups within and outside of the faculty, and collaborators from outside 
of Utrecht University.

Utrecht University is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart 
of an ancient city. Utrecht is a thriving cultural hub that is 
consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. Utrecht 
University os renowned for their innovative interdisciplinary research 
and emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. This 
lively and inspiring academic environment attracts professors, 
researchers, and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the 
University and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and 
wonderfully diverse community.

For more information about conducting a PhD in the Netherlands and 
Utrecht in particular, please visit: 
https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/phd-programmes/phd-in-utrecht/about-phd-programmes