Vacancy for PhD student in adaptive hypermedia at TU/e

The Databases and Hypermedia group is world-leading in the area of adaptive hypermedia and adaptive web-based information systems. The group has produced the most referenced reference model for adaptive hypermedia and developed the most popular general-purpose adaptive hypermedia system AHA!. The group also works in application fields for adaptive technology, including e-learning and e-culture.

The PhD research will be performed under the guidance of prof.dr. Paul M.E. de Bra, one of the leading scientists in the adaptive hypermedia community. Other project participants include dr. Mykola Pechenizkiy, dr. Toon Calders, dr. Lora Aroyo, and prof.dr.ir. Geert-Jan Houben, with ample experience in data mining, adaptive educational hypermedia and adaptive web-based information systems engineering.

The aim of the GAF project is to define, research and develop a reference model (and prototype implementation) for adaptive information systems. The project is subsidized by the Dutch National Science Foundation (NWO).

Project description:

Adaptation of an information system or service to its users is a powerful and useful concept. It is particularly helpful for the reduction of the information overload such as is frequently experienced on the Internet. But it is equally helpful for guiding users towards "interesting" topics, products, artifacts or descriptions thereof in electronic shops, libraries or museums, or for filtering appropriate items from a general or domain-specific news feed.

In 1999, a reference architecture model for adaptive hypermedia applications, called AHAM was defined, and an implementation closely following this model, called AHA!, was made available to the research community. This reference model unified the adaptive hypermedia research community and provided a leading generic architecture that spawned research activities in many directions. The impact of AHAM and AHA! is best illustrated by the fact that the papers introducing them have been cited more than 350 times.

The research field of adaptive hypermedia or adaptive web-based information systems, however, has been growing rapidly during the past ten years and this has resulted in a plethora of new terms, concepts, models and prototype systems. As a result, AHAM does not include many of the recent new concepts. In particular, open corpus adaptation, ontologies, group adaptation, and data mining tools for adaptation are not or at least insufficiently supported.

Therefore, the project aims at the development of a new, up-to-date reference model based on AHAM, called GAF, that provides a common reference in terms of both taxonomy and architecture. The new reference will be accompanied by an implementation of a modular generic adaptation framework that can be used for adaptive information systems (or AIS) research as well as for (further development into) commercial adaptive applications.

Requirements:

We are looking for a candidate who meets the following requirements:

Candidates must have a Masters degree in Computer Science or a closely related field (A standard procedure for checking the equivalence of non-Dutch degrees will be followed).

Good communicative skills in English, both in speaking and in writing.

Appointment and salary:

We offer:
a full-time temporary appointment for a period of 4 years; a gross monthly salary of 1,956 euro during the first year up to 2,502 euro during the fourth year of the appointment; a broad package of fringe benefits (e.g. excellent technical infrastructure, child care, savings schemes, and excellent sports facilities).
The PhD program is a 4 year program, which includes a number of courses (mandatory and elective), a significant body of research and writing and defending a PhD thesis. The Dutch universities jointly offer the course program through the SIKS research school, which is also a meeting place for PhD students in the field of information and knowledge-based systems.

Information:

More information can be obtained from:
about the position: the project leader: prof.dr. P.M.E. de Bra,
phone: +31(0)40-2472733,
e-mail: debra@win.tue.nl
(use "GAF project" in the subject to circumvent the spam filter);

further information: mrs P.J. Evers BC, personnel officer,
phone +31(0)40-2472321
e-mail: pzwin@tue.nl

Application:

Interested candidates are requested to send their application to:
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, Personnel Department, HG 6.22 PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands You can send your application by e-mail to pzwin@tue.nl. Always also send a copy to the project leader at debra@win.tue.nl.

The application should consist of the following parts:
a motivation letter;
a Curriculum Vitae;
copies of your diplomas together with the lists of grades, and other relevant certificates; names and addresses of two experts willing to recommend you; proof of English language skills (if applicable).

Applications should be received before 1st August 2007.

Please include the job vacancy code: V32.989.