AI for the sciences [PhD funding]

Our mega-university, PSL, is calling PhD candidates to apply for one of the 15 PhD scholarships supported to work on one of the 24 PhD topics proposed in the call. Deadline is 22 February 2021, the only constraint for applicants being that they must have stayed or studied less than 12 months in France, since 27 Feb 2018 … Here are some of the 24 topics:

• # 5 : Dark energy studies with the Vera Rubin Observatory LSST & Euclid – Developing a combined cosmic shear analysis with Bayesian neural networks (Observatoire de Paris – PSL)
• # 2 : AI-supported optimisation of multi-actor energy systems enhanced with privacy & confidentiality preserving data sharing (Mines Paris – PSL)
• # 20 : Unsupervized learning of causal graphical models from time-resolved cell biology data (Institut Curie)
• # 22 : A computational and artificial Intelligence approach for studying dolphin communication (Ecole Normale Supérieure – PSL)
• # 23 : Machine learning for biodiversity monitoring (EPHE – PSL)

hommage à Samuel Paty

Toute notre communauté universitaire exprime sa plus vive émotion à la suite de l’assassinat de Samuel Paty, professeur dans un collège de Conflans Sainte-Honorine. Nous nous associons pleinement à la douleur de ses proches, de ses élèves et de ses collègues.

En tant qu’université, nos missions prolongent celles assumées par nos collègues de l’enseignement secondaire, dont nous sommes pleinement solidaires. Et nous tenons à rappeler, dans ces circonstances, les principes qui inspirent nos missions d’enseignement et de recherche : le respect de la liberté de penser, le goût du débat, le développement de l’esprit critique, la production de connaissance, tout cela dans le strict respect des lois de notre République.

Patrice Geoffron, Administrateur provisoire de l’Université Paris Dauphine-PSL  & Nicolas Péjout, Directeur Général des Services

Prairie chair

Today is the launching day of PRAIRIE, one of the four Instituts Interdisciplinaires d’Intelligence Artificielle (3IA) supported by the French government. Taking place in Paris Dauphine, with Yann Le Cun as guest speaker. I have been fortunate to be endowed with one of these chairs for the coming years, along with my CEREMADE colleagues Laurent Cohen and Irène Waldspurger.

postdoc position still open

The post-doctoral position supported by the ANR funding of our Paris-Saclay-Montpellier research conglomerate on approximate Bayesian inference and computation remains open for the time being. We are more particularly looking for candidates with a strong background in mathematical statistics, esp. Bayesian non-parametrics, towards the analysis of the limiting behaviour of approximate Bayesian inference. Candidates should email me (gmail address: bayesianstatistics) with a detailed vita (CV) and a motivation letter including a research plan. Letters of recommendation may also be emailed to the same address.

instituts interdisciplinaires d’intelligence artificielle

Four French institutes have just been selected by [the jury mandated by] the French Government to become interdisciplinary institutes for artificial intelligence (3IA):

•    ANITI (Toulouse), centred at l’Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées
•    MIAI @ Grenoble Alpes (Grenoble), centred at l’Université Grenoble Alpes
•    PRAIRIE (Paris), centred à Inria
•    3IA Côte d’Azur (Nice), centred at l’Université Côte d’Azur

with Paris Dauphine, PSL Research University, a component of the third institute. (Where Prairie stands for PaRis Artificial Intelligence Research InstitutE.) This follows the “plan Villani“, launched by Cédric Villani to boost research in artificial intelligence in France and [possibly] slow down the brain drain of French IA researchers. With individual chairs attribued to each project, soon to be announced.