Postdoc – Neuromorphic Engineering / Computing

Contenuto del lavoro

Conducting research for a changing society: This is what drives us at Forschungs­zentrum Jülich. As a member of the Helmholtz Association, we aim to tackle the grand societal challenges of our time and conduct research into the possibilities of a digitized society, a climate-friendly energy system, and a resource-efficient economy. Work together with around 7,100 employees in one of Europe’s biggest research centres and help us to shape change!

There exists a substantial gap between the computational abilities of modern computers and those of the brain. The new Peter Grünberg Institute – Neuromorphic Compute Nodes (PGI-14) – aims to close this gap and develop novel computing capabilities by incorporating some of the remarkable features found in biological brains. We take a hands-on approach building and programming novel test chips, and applying them to important application areas. We particularly focus on in-memory, mixed analog-digital approaches to develop architectures integrating novel components, such as memristors, combined with traditional CMOS. Practical application areas include AI and machine learning, NP-hard optimization problems, scientific computing, and signal processing. Our institute works closely with the new Peter Grünberg Institute – Neuromorphic Software Ecosystem (PGI-15), as well as device, materials, circuit researchers and neuroscientists in other institutes at Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen.

We are looking to recruit a

Postdoc – Neuromorphic Engineering / Computing Your Job

There are openings for postdoctoral researchers interested in the co-design of neuromorphic circuits and systems with novel algorithms. You will work in a diverse team, targeting societally relevant computing applications to build more energy-efficient technologies to tackle them. Multiple funded projects are available, please see PGI-14 webpage for some research areas: https://www.fz-juelich.de/en/pgi/pgi-14.

Depending On The Project Area, Your Tasks Will Include

• Development and design of novel neuromorphic circuits, integrating analog and digital blocks with emerging device technologies, such as memristors
• Invention, simulation, and prototyping of more efficient, specialized non-von Neumann architectures for application areas in AI, optimization, probabilistic computing, and scientific computing
• Design and quantification of hardware realizations of several physics-based and biologically-inspired compute models (Hopfield networks, Ising machines, Cellular Automata, etc.) applied to specific problem areas
• Integrated Circuit (IC) design (CMOS 28nm and below), simulation, and testing using Cadence development tools
• Quantitative performance benchmarking to state-of-the-art competing approaches
  

Your Profile

• Completed academic university studies (master’s degree or equivalent) and PhD degree in electrical / electronic engineering, computer engineering, physics, computer science, mathematics, or a related field
• Coursework and experience with computer architecture, FPGAs, accelerators, and/or embedded systems is advantageous
• A strong electronics background is needed, including experience in design and simulation of analog, digital, or mixed-signal circuits using SPICE and related tools
• Proficiency in practical programming and analysis of problems in the areas of combinatorial optimization, learning / training of artificial neural networks, machine learning, and related areas is greatly desired
• Some work or exposure to computational complexity theory and information theory will be helpful
• Experience with emerging compute and memory technologies, such as non-volatile memories (ReRAM, PCM, ferro-electric, STT, Flash, etc.), analog computing, and beyond CMOS logic technologies
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a team are essential
• Strong English skills will be required for the international working environment
  

Our Offer

We work on the very latest issues that impact our society and are offering you the chance to actively help in shaping the change! We support you in your work with: We work on cutting-edge research topics with a high potential to positively impact society. We offer ideal conditions for you to complete your doctoral degree:

• A world-leading, international research environment with state-of-the-art equipment
• Opportunity to work in the highly interdisciplinary and exciting field of neuromorphic and brain-inspired computing, collaborating with physicists, neuroscientists, materials scientists, and engineers
• Flexible working hours in a full-time position with the option of slightly reduced working hours
• Flexible work (location) arrangements, e.g. working in home office
• 30 days of annual leave and provision for days off between public holidays and weekends (e.g. between Christmas and New Year)
• Targeted services for international employees, e.g. through our International Advisory Service
  

We offer you an exciting and varied role in an international and interdisciplinary working environment. The position is for a fixed term of two years. Salary and social benefits will conform to the provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD-Bund) depending on the applicant’s qualifications and the precise nature of the tasks assigned to them.

Place of employment: Aachen

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities, in which everyone can realize their potential, is important to us.

We look forward to receiving your application until September 13, 2022, via our Online Recruitment System!

Questions about the vacancy?

Get in touch with us by using our contact form. Please note that for technical reasons we cannot accept applications via email.

www.fz-juelich.de

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