University of Groningen 2022 PhD Scholarships in Human-robot Interactions in Regional Language, Netherlands

Recent advances of AI and speech technology have led to important steps in the development of (social) robots. The current generation of robots has the ability to connect with their user on a social level and to engage in spoken interactions. One important advantage of robots is versatility in language, which makes it possible to adapt to the language of the user. This can be a foreign language - the robot Franny showing passengers the way at Frankfurt Airport for instance speaks 44 languages - but also a regional language. Speaking regional language can be an important asset in, for instance, health and elderly care because multilingual elderly often retreat to their first, native language, usually the one spoken in family context. Multilingual robots may also be an asset for language instruction at schools, or can be used as a modern interactive tool to interest pupils in the regional language.

The goal of this PhD project is to investigate whether the experience with human-robot interactions may be improved if regional language is used. Furthermore, the project aims to examine whether using regional language in human-robot interactions helps in instructional settings, for instance to activate elderly to exercise or motivate children to learn aspects of a regional language. The project will build on a text-to-speech implementation of a local variety of Low Saxon (“Gronings”) that is currently developed and implemented into the commercial robot “Pepper”. The PhD student will perform field studies in elderly care institutions and schools to explore the benefits of using regional language for human-robot-interactions. Depending on the expertise and interest of the candidate, it would be possible to also develop and implement a speech recognition system for the regional language, and integrate this in the robot.

• Table of Content
• About University of Groningen
• University of Groningen PhD Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of University of Groningen PhD Scholarship
• Requirements for University of Groningen PhD Scholarship Qualification
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About University of Groningen

The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.

University of Groningen PhD Scholarship

Application Deadline	Not Specified
Country to study	Netherlands
School to study	University of Groningen
Type	PhD
Sponsor	University of Groningen
Gender	Men and Women

Aim and Benefits of University of Groningen PhD Scholarship

The University of Groningen will provide the successfully selected candidates a sum of € 2,249 per month for up to 4 years of PhD study.

Requirements for University of Groningen PhD Scholarship Qualification

• To be eligible, the applicants must meet all the following/given criteria:
• The applicants must have strong and demonstrable programming skills.
• The applicants must have excellent programming skills (Python), and a strong interest in, or experience with, speech technology.
• The applicants that have experience with programming robots will be given more preference.

Documents Required for Application

1. A motivation letter
2. Your CV including the names of three references
3. A research proposal (max 2 pages)
4. A scan of your diploma including transcripts
5. A proof of English proficiency
6. Other relevant documents (please merge these documents with the attachments of 4 or 5).

Application Deadline

Not Specified

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to University of Groningen on www.rug.nl to apply