Distributed Artificial Intelligence for Collective Decisions in Smart Cities

Can you envision a more inclusive and direct democracy for our digital society empowered by an ethically-aligned AI and blockchain? The Distributed Systems and Services group at University of Leeds has an opening for a PhD candidate position in the lab of Distributed and Intelligent Social Computing Systems.

<p>As a PhD candidate in this project you are expected to develop and study decision-support systems using blockchain and distributed AI for multi-agent systems (reinforcement learning, distributed combinatorial optimization). You will apply these decision-support systems to mobile crowd-sensing platforms and digital voting systems to empower trustworthy collective decisions in Smart Cities. You will apply data science skills to data collected from citizens to understand collective crowd behavior. You will have a unique opportunity to apply this research in real-world by running pilots tests in the city of Aarau in Switzerland with a strong tradition on direct democracy initiatives. This project will run in collaboration with ETH Zurich and University of Fribourg in Switzerland as well as the city authorities of Aarau.</p> <p>Related projects and publications:</p> <p><a href="http://smart-agora.org">Smart Agora</a> </p> <p><a href="http://epos-net.org">EPOS</a></p> <p><a href="https://evangelospournaras.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Proof-of-Witness-Presence-Blockchain-Consensus-for-Augmented-Democracy-in-Smart-Cities.pdf">Proof of Witness Presence: Blockchain Consensus for Augmented Democracy in Smart Cities</a></p> <p><a href="https://evangelospournaras.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Proof-of-Witness-Presence-Blockchain-Consensus-for-Augmented-Democracy-in-Smart-Cities.pdf">Collective Learning: A 10-Year Odyssey to Human-centered Distributed Intelligence</a></p>

<p>To apply for this project you will need to make a formal application for research degree study through the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">University website</a>. You will need to create a login ID with a username and PIN. </p> <p>•    For <strong>Application type</strong> please select <strong>Research Degrees – Research Postgraduate</strong>. <br /> •    The admission year for this project is <strong>2027/28</strong> Academic Year. <br /> •    You will need to select your <strong>Planned Course of Study</strong> from a drop-down menu. For this project, scroll down and select <strong>PHP Computer Science Full Time.</strong> <br /> •    The project start date for this project is <strong>1 October 2027</strong>, please use this as your <strong>Proposed Start Date of Research</strong>. <br /> •    Please state clearly in the<strong> Research Information Section</strong> that the research degree you wish to be considered for is <strong>Distributed AI for Participatory Digital Democracy</strong> as well as <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/computing/staff/6446/professor-evangelos-pournaras">Professor Evangelos Pournaras</a> as your proposed supervisor.</p> <p><strong>Please state clearly in the Finance section</strong>, <strong>the funding that you are applying for, if you are self-funding or externally sponsored</strong>.</p> <p>More information on how to apply is available on our website <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">here</a>. You will be required to provide a personal statement which outlines your interest in the project you are applying for, why you have chosen it and how your skills map onto the requirements of the project.</p> <p>We will assess applications continuously as we receive them. We welcome and strongly encourage any potential applicants to contact the supervisor(s) for an informal discussion, prior to applying, and recommend submitting your application early.</p> <p><strong>If you are applying with external sponsorship or you are funding your own study, please ensure you provide your supporting documents at the point you submit your application:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Full Transcripts of all degree study or if in final year of study, full transcripts to date including the grading scheme</li> <li>Personal Statement outlining your interest in the project</li> <li>CV</li> </ul> <p>If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (below).</p> <p><em>As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education. Across all Faculties we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community, people who identify as LGBT+ and people with disabilities. Applicants will always be selected based on merit and ability.</em></p>

Applicants to research degree programmes should normally have at least a first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline and very good programming skills (covering data science and systems). An MSc in Computer Science or in the broader area of Computational Social Science would be desired, as well as an interest in decision and social sciences (mechanism design). Relevant industry experience is also recognised.

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study is an IELTS of 6.5 overall with at least 6.5 in writing and 6.0 in reading, listening and speaking or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid.

<p>This is a non funded PhD project. Applicants are expected to be self funded or to secure external funding.</p> <p>You can find out more about our Funding Opportunities on our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/">Postgraduate Research Opportunities</a> website.</p> <p><strong>Important: </strong>Please note that all costs associated with your arrival at Leeds (<a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/international-visas-immigration/doc/applying-student-visa">visa, Immigration Health Surcharge</a>, flights etc) would have to be met by yourself, or you will need to find an alternative funding source.</p> <p> </p>

<p>For further information about your application, including how to apply, please contact PGR Admissions by emailing <a href="mailto:phd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk">phd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk</a></p> <p>For further information about this project, please contact Professor Evangelos Pournaras by emailing <a href="mailto:E.Pournaras@leeds.ac.uk">E.Pournaras@leeds.ac.uk</a></p>