We apologize for the inadvertent multiple submissions

Are you motivated to conduct impactful research? Do you want to collaborate with a diverse group of scientists to advance wildlife conservation practices? If so, we invite you to apply to the “WildBotics - Autonomous Sampling with Robotics in the Wild for Nature Conservation” MSCA Doctoral Network (WildBotics - Recruitment https://www.wildbotics.eu/recruitment).

This innovative program brings together leading European institutions and industry partners to develop autonomous robotic solutions for nature conservation. In particular, you will have the opportunity to work closely with an Italian research group renowned for its long tradition in audio and speech analysis (https://speechtek.fbk.eu/) , applying these methods to ecological monitoring and biodiversity protection.

Aim: The research explores AI-driven analysis of soundscapes to detect species and bioevents, focusing on ultrasonic recordings critical for understanding biodiversity and ecosystem health. By automating the analysis of extensive audio data, AI enables faster, efficient tracking of animal populations and ecosystem changes. This approach offers essential tools for conservation, aiding in the preservation of species and habitats, particularly those impacted by human activity or climate change. These sounds, collected by microphones and specialised devices, are crucial for identifying various animal species and understanding ecosystem dynamics. Analytics will support the study of natural soundscape losses, a reflection of declining biodiversity and disrupted ecosystems. Analytics will be based on data filtering, feature extraction and segmentation with CNN/RNN/Transformers models. AI models will be deployed for offline (post-flight) or almost real-time data processing, exploiting on-board GPU capabilities, for field work activities (DC11).

Host institution: Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Italy

PhD enrolment: University of Salamanca (USAL), Spain

Principal / Academic supervisor: A. Brutti (FBK) / D. Gonzalez-Aguilera (USAL)

The available 12 PhD topics for the Doctoral Candidates are summarized here https://www.wildbotics.eu/network/topics.

The PhDs call is centralized by FBK - the project coordinator - and more info is available here https://jobs.fbk.eu/Annunci/Offerte_di_lavoro_12_Doctoral_Candidates_to_join_the_WildBotics_Team_241893734.htm .

Once you are ready to apply, please submit your candidature here https://script.google.com/macros/s/AKfycbwMXmh7dVoIHtRXJqwuXaetmmMw16pc09fHf272a0b4O9vxIHLTuHoR5NVQLd-zsuM/exec .

The candidature phase will close on January 7th, 23:59 CET.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Giuseppe Daniele Falavigna

Fondazione Bruno Kessler Via Sommarive 18 - 38123 Povo - Trento, Italy

mail:falavi@fbk.eu - tel:+39(0)461314562 - fax:+39(0)461314591

HomePage: https://speechtek.fbk.eu/people/profile/falavi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------