Jobs

Assistant Researcher in Data Science and Geospatial Data

Our lab is looking for a passionate full-time researcher with experience in Data Science and Machine Learning applied to geospatial data. If you are a computer scientist, a physicist, or an engineer, you have a PhD, and you are interested in working with High-Frequency Location Based data and GPS tracks, and to devise new scientific geospatial applications and research, this position could be for you. As an Assistant Researcher at Sony CSL, you will collaborate to team projects as well as develop your own research.

You would be joining a group based in Paris, contributing also to a new project embedded in the vibrant Rome research community which includes some of the top Italian universities and research Institutions.

If you want to apply, please send your CV and a brief research statement at geoapplication@csl.sony.fr

The position will remain open until the ideal candidate is found.

Sony is committed to creating a diverse environment. Applicants will receive consideration for employment based on qualification only, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age.
More information about Sony CSL Paris can be found here. More information about Sony CSL Paris geospatial applications can be found here.

Qualifications:

1. PhD in Quantitative Fields (Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics,, Machine Learning, AI, Statistics, or equivalent);
2. Independence and great problem-solving skills;
3. Experience in managing interns and PhD students;
4. Experience with Python Language using ML libraries (scikit-learn, tensorflow or pytorch, etc.);
5. Experience with Big-Data analysis frameworks (Dask, Spark or Hadoop);
6. Experience with GIS software and spatial-aware databases (QGIS, mongodb, PostGIS);
7. Experience in developing research projects;
8. Good communications and team-working skills;
9. Preferred Qualifications;
10. Excellent scientific publication record in geospatial data-related topics (human mobility, transportation systems, etc.);
11. Strong interest in learning and being up-to-date with recent scientific and technological advancements in the field.

Seniority Level: Medium-High

Kind of Employment: Full-time, temporary-to-permanent

Sector: Research

Postdoc Researcher in Misinformation and Opinion Dynamics

We are looking for an enthusiast, early-career post-doctoral researcher to join the Misinformation and Social Dialogue project at Sony Computer Science Lab (Sony CSL).Our primary research focus is studying the preconditions for the proliferation and spreading of misinformation and the conception of possible countermeasures.

The successful candidate will be joining a new project based in Rome, embedded in the vibrant research community of the city which includes top Italian universities and research institutions, and managed by Sony CSL Paris..

Sony Computer Science Laboratories Paris is a Sony research centre focused on bridging pure research with applications in science and engineering, active in several areas of Computer Science (Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing) and Complex Systems (Misinformation, Urban Studies, Information Dynamics).

The News ecosystem is the core of our democracies, and misinformation represents a serious “vulnus” to them. While the effects on social dialogue and opinion polarisation are dramatically exploding, the determinants underlying the extraordinary success of misinformation are poorly understood. A deeper comprehension is essential to conceive policies for governments, authorities and the news ecosystem actors to minimise misinformation and improve the social dialogue. The research activities will:

1. tackle the infamous “echo chamber” effect by working on recommender systems to improve people’s diversity experience on the web. A new generation of recommender systems will be designed to enable plural access to the information ecosystem and foster people’s experience of novelties;
2. investigate the News ecosystem from the perspective of demand and offer of information and focus on how the interplay of information technologies and social media affects public discourse. Somehow, fake news seems to flourish in response to a lack of knowledge. It is possible to exploit this unbalance to introduce suitably defined indexes to quantify and predict misinformation;
3. face the problem of the validation of the sources through a novel approach. In several online markets, rating-based reputation mechanisms radically improved performance in sharing knowledge and quality item selection. The group aims to develop new rating aggregation algorithms to reward multi-partisan approaches and counterbalance the drift toward the extremes.

The successful candidate will ideally focus on one or more of these activities.

Requirements:

1. PhD in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science or Statistics with a particular appreciation for the following scientific skills: opinion dynamics modelling; network theory; recommender systems;
2. full working proficiency in a scripting language (e.g. Python, R);
3. knowledge of data analysis and machine learning libraries (e.g. pandas, scikit-learn);
4. experience in Data Science;
5. ability to communicate ideas and results effectively;
6. ability to work independently and to organise own workload;
7. ability to work with others in a collegial manner and to communicate effectively internally at all levels and with selected external individuals;

The following skills will be also favourably considered:

1. proficiency in a compiled language (e.g. C, C++, Fortran);
2. proficiency in web languages (e.g. HTML, Javascript);
3. proficiency in databases (e.g. MySQL);
4. mobile app development experiences;
5. ability to deliver effective presentations and scientific talks;
6. ability to devise novel quantitative models;
7. experience in formulating the world in statistical models and applying them to real data;
8. strong publishing record.

The position

The position will be a postdoctoral research contract of one year renewable for another year, starting in September 2021.

Sony is committed to creating a diverse environment. Applications will receive consideration for employment based on qualification only, regardless of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age.

Kind of Employment: Full-time

Sector: Research

If you want to apply, please send your CV and a brief research statement at csl_misapplication@sony.com