Netherlands : Bayesian Biometrics for Forensics: PhD Positions at University of Twente

With various forms of biometric technologies becoming available, there is a growing need for scientists who are able to assess the merits of these technologies when applied to forensics. The Marie Curie Initial Training Network Bayesian Biometrics for Forensics (BBfor2) will provide a training infrastructure that will educate Early Stage Researchers in the core biometric technologies of speaker, face and fingerprint recognition, as well as the forensic aspects of these technologies. In this context two PhD students will conduct research at the University of Twente in the area of face recognition in the forensic domain.

Position 1 – Face recognition for forensics:

This research will focus on the development of face recognition methods that are specific for the forensic domain on the one hand and on illumination and pose correction as preprocessing stages for forensic face recognition on the other.

Position 2 – ROC calibration based on image quality:

It is known that the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of a biometric recognition system degrades under unfavorable conditions, e.g. due to noise or variations of illumination or pose.

This research will focus on quantifying the quality aspects of the images and on finding the relation between the degradation of the ROC and the quality scores.

The University of Twente

The University of Twente (UT; http://www.utwente.nl) is an entrepreneurial research university, located in Enschede, the Netherlands. Most of the faculty’s research, including the present project, is part of the multidisciplinary research institute Centre for Telematics and Information Technology (http://www.ctit.utwente.nl).

What we ask

We are looking for highly motivated researchers with an MSc degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics or a related topic, with adequate experimental and theoretical skills. You have knowledge of image processing, pattern recognition, and probability theory.

Knowledge in more specific areas such as biometrics is an advantage but not necessary. Fluency in English is a requirement. An interview will be part of the selection procedure. This position is only open to non-Dutch nationals who have not resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in The Netherlands for more than 12 months in the past 3 years.

What we offer

We offer a contract for four years. The extent of this position is a maximum of 38 hours per week (1 fte) according to the Dutch university rules. The monthly salary of a PhD student, in accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU), ranges from EURO 2042 gross in the first year to EURO 2612 gross in the fourth year. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus, and a number of additional benefits. Your main responsibility will be to carry out research, but you will be given the opportunity to acquire some teaching experience as well.

Information and application Candidates are invited to send their application together with curriculum vitae, marks transcripts, and the names and addresses of three referees before November 15, 2009 by e-mail to Raymond Veldhuis, (r.n.j.veldhuis@utwente.nl), who can also be contacted for more information.