Currently, two vacancies for a Ph.D. student position (AIO) exist in ajoint project "Task Coordination for Non- cooperative Agents", to becarried out at both the Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics andComputer Science (EWI) of TU-Delft, and in the Theme Group"Computational Intelligence and Multi-agent Games" of CWI Amsterdam.The project is funded by NWO, the Dutch Organization for ScientificResearch.

The aim of this project is to address task coordination problems inmulti-agent systems that arise if a complex task consisting of a set ofinterrelated subtasks has to be solved by a number of non-cooperativeactors (self-interested agents or competitive companies). Typicalexamples are multi-modal transportation problems, where differenttransportation companies are involved in bringing goods and/orpassengers to their destinations, and patient health care systems,where a sequence of treatments has to be assigned to different parties.The research can be
characterized as fundamental with a clear eye on the applications.

Task PhD student 1:
One PhD student (CWI Amsterdam) will concentrate on Market-basedallocation methods for complex tasks, addressing suitable taskallocation processes and addressing fair assignment policies foradditional task constraints to agents. The latter is to ensure that theagents involved are able to plan autonomously on their
own (sub) tasks.

Task PhD student 2:
The other PhD student (TU-Delft) will concentrate on Plan coordinationmethods for complex tasks, constructing suitable algorithms andheuristics for finding suitable constraints to be added to a complextask such that autonomous planning is ensured.

Both PhD students will cooperate on the problem how to interleave theplan coordination and task allocation process, in order to find lesscostly solutions to the problem, and they will apply these methods in amulti-modal transportation as well as a patient-health care case.

Candidates are expected to have a university degree (MSc) in computer science, artificial intelligence, economics, or similar
discipline; good communication skills, in written as well as spoken English. He or she must be open-minded and capable
of working independently and in a small team.

Job type(s):
- Ph.D. students, research trainees, non-tenured lecturers, researchers (Scientific expertise: Computer Science)
Functietype(n): Promotie, toegev. onderw./onderz.plaatsen, Werkveld(en):  Techniek, Landbouw en natuurlijke omgeving

Organization
Website:
http://www.tudelft.nl

Website:
http://www.isa.its.tudelft.nl/

Additionele information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
dr. Cees Witteveen
+31 (15) -2782521
witt@ewi.tudelft.nl

prof.dr.ir. Han La Poutre
+31 (0)20 592 4082
hlp@cwi.nl

You can apply for this job before: 01-10-2005 by sending your application to:

TU Delft Faculteit EWI
De heer W.A. Maertens
Mekelweg 4
2628 CD  Delft
Nederland
peno@ewi.tudelft.nl

Reference:
http://vacatures.ewi.tudelft.nl/index.php?taal=&m_id=50&record=47