Dear Community, The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers the very attractive 'FITweltweit' program to support German Computer Science and Informatics students who want to carry out M.Sc or Ph.D research abroad, for a period of 1 to 6 months. The AI group of the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) at Berkeley is currently investigating the integration of deep neuronal Machine Learning and Knowledge Representation and Reasoning. Towards this, we are looking for motivated and skilled students who plan to write their thesis in this area, and who are interested in collecting experience in the wonderful city of Berkeley, California, near Silicon Valley in the San Francisco bay area. For details about eligibility and the program in general please consider the following DAAD website (note that, unfortunately, only students who are currently involved in the German academic systems can be funded): https://www.daad.de/ausland/studieren/stipendium/de/19047-internationale-for... The local supervisor at Berkeley is Manfred Eppe, who primarily has a background in AI, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, and Cognitive Robotics. While there are also Machine Learning Experts at ICSI, it would be useful if the interested student had another supervisor with a background in Machine Learning at the home university in Germany, or if the student already had an exceptionally strong record and research experience in Machine Learning. Possible research topics include, but are not limited to: * Symbol Grounding and Conceptualization in Deep Feature Networks * Representation and Exploitation of Relations between Features in Deep Networks * Semantic and Symbolic Visualization of Deep Networks * Supporting Reinforcement Learning with Classical Action Planning or Formal Reasoning * Semantic Classification and Object Recognition * Evolutionary Linguistics and Emergent Semantics with Neuronal Nets Application domains include, but are not limited to: * Robotics * Multi Agent Systems * Planning and Scheduling * Qualitative Spatial and Temporal Reasoning * Computer Vision * AI in Computer Games * Natural Language Understanding The FITweltweit fellowship is offered by the DAAD, and the prospective student is ultimately responsible himself for preparing the DAAD application. We have no influence on the success of an application, but we offer support in preparing the research plan and other paperwork, such as visa-related issues. It has been reported that the acceptance rate for the FITweltweit program is relatively high. According to the details provided on the DAAD website, research visits can last between 1 and 6 months, with financial support of monthly 925 EUR for Master students and 1350 EUR for doctoral students, plus travel allowance for the flight in both cases. We recommend to stay for at least 3 months (better 6). We offer a comfortable infrastructure within an internationally renowned research institute with office space, help to finding housing and accommodation in the bay area, as well as a very friendly and supportive working atmosphere (with free coffee, too!). We ask the interested student to send us a CV and an extended preliminary abstract about the planned research (max. 1 page). The CV should include relevant courses that you have taken at university. In your email, please also indicate the period in which you plan to come. Herein, please allow for a buffer and be conservative with your planning. Consider that it takes around three months for the DAAD to send you a decision about the application, and around 1-2 months to obtain the visa. Please note that the research visit should happen in 2016. Please send your documents by 1st February 2016 to eppe@icsi.berkeley.edu, and please get in touch earlier if you have any questions. Best Regards, Manfred Eppe -- - Dr. Manfred Eppe International Computer Science Institute University of California at Berkeley 1947 Center Street, 6th floor Berkeley, CA 94704 California, USA phone (USA): +1 510 646 3318 phone (Germany): +49 176 2153 2311 web: www.manfred.eppe.eu mail: eppe@icsi.berkeley.edu skype: manfred.eppe ************************** ****** Sapere Aude! ****** **************************