We expect from applicants:
1. an excellent Master degree in Computer Science or related discipline
2. strong programming skills
3. the ability to do independent research
4. a good background and interest in human-computer interaction research: this is a strong requirement
5. strong commitment and the ability to work in a team
6. a high level of proficiency in English, both spoken and written.
We have an open PhD position (fully funded, 4 years) in Human-centred Explainable AI for a new project on the use of AI in mental health.
The project aims to enhance our understanding of stress recovery and adaptive coping strategies.By exploring patterns of stress recovery in daily life in a multimodal way and by bringing together subjective experiences collected through a conversational agent, physiological data and contextual information,the project seeks to identify patterns in stress recovery and the factors that influence it. In this project, we will research different explanation and interaction methods that support decision making and facilitate feedback of healthcare professionals. Research has shown that explainability and control are a key starting point to support appropriate trust and confidence. Particularly in high-risk domains such as mental health, providing healthcare professionals with understandable and actionable insights into the quality of data and predictions are challenges that need to be addressed in a systematic way.
The Augment group is is one of the research units of the Human-Computer-Interaction section of the Department of Computer Science of KU Leuven. Research in the Augment group focuses on Human-Centered AI, an emerging discipline that aims to amplify and augment human abilities and preserve human control in order to make AI systems more productive, enjoyable, and fair. The objective is to enable end-users to understand the rationale of AI models and to enable them to steer models with input and feedback. The approach is researched to increase appropriate trust, acceptance and accuracy of models and to empower users to be an active and responsive part-taker in data-driven solutions. The focus is on visualisation and interaction techniques, using the full spectrum of hardware from small mobile devices to large multi-touch displays. Applications include learning analytics, precision agriculture, healthcare, media consumption, digital humanities, food & nutrition, fintech and human resources.
Funding is available immediately. The research will be carried out at the Department of Computer Science of KU Leuven.