EPSRC Industrial CASE Doctoral Studentship: AI and Cognitive Computing for Reasoning about Big Data with Application to the Oil and Gas Industry

Supervisors: Prof Georg Gottlob, Dr Emanuel Sallinger

Industrial Supervisor: Dr Paul J. Stone (BP)

Start Date: October 2016

In conjunction with BP, the Department of Computer Science is offering a fully funded DPhil studentship at the University of Oxford. The DPhil student will be registered in the Department of Computer Science.

The studentship is jointly funded by the EPSRC and BP in the form of an industrial CASE studentship. Students receive funding for a full EPSRC studentship for up to four years, which will cover fees at home/EU rates and will provide a stipend, additionally topped up by BP. There will also be provision for some travel funds, especially for the costs associated with placement at BP. To be considered for this studentship, applicants must be eligible to pay home/EU fees and be able to meet the EPSRC eligibility requirements:

https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/eligibility/

In particular, note the residence requirements for a full scholarship, as well as the conditions for a fees-only scholarship. Further details regarding industrial CASE studentships can be found at:

https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/coll/icase/intro/

This position is attached to the EPSRC VADA "Value Added Data Systems" programme at the University of Oxford. The academic supervisor will be Professor Georg Gottlob, Professor of Informatics at the University of Oxford and an internationally-leading expert on databases, algorithms and AI, the co-supervisor Dr Emanuel Sallinger. The industrial supervisor will be Dr Paul J. Stone (BP).

The broad aim of this doctoral project is to gain, in cooperation with BP, a deep understanding of how the latest AI and cognitive computing technologies can be used for reasoning over big data in the oil and gas industry - supporting and improving core business processes and decision making in this sector. Towards this aim, the student will significantly contribute to the development of a prototype reasoner for big data, its impact to be tested on applications important to BP.

To the mutual benefit of the student, BP, and Oxford University, and to maximise synergies, the studentship will be attached to the VADA "Value Added Data Systems" programme which - as one of its goals - aims to develop a general-purpose reasoning system, building on the experience with the Datalog family of languages.

Selection Criteria

We will consider applicants who have

• an excellent Master’s degree (or equivalent)
  in computer science, mathematics, or a related discipline
• possess strong programming skills
• excellent understanding of theoretical computer science, algorithms and logic
• the ability to communicate effectively with others and work in a team
• good writing and presentation skills

Moreover, applicants will be preferred who are knowledgeable in the following areas:

• rule-based reasoning
• databases
• knowledge representation and AI
• software engineering

Applicants must in addition satisfy the usual requirements for studying for a doctorate at Oxford. In particular, this requires a first-class or a strong upper second-class degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications). Details can be found at:

https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/dphil-computer-science/

There is no deadline for applying. We will continue to process applications until a suitable candidate is found. Candidates are therefore recommended to apply as soon as possible and to inform <julie.sheppard@cs.ox.ac.uk> and <emanuel.sallinger@cs.ox.ac.uk> when they have done so. The studentship will start in October 2016.

Please also email if you have any questions about the application process.