PhD Scholarships in Voice Analysis for Diagnosis of Parkinsons, Aalborg University, Denmark (2016)

At the Faculty of Engineering and Science, Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology one or more PhD stipends are available within the general study programme Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The stipends are open for appointment no later than July 2016.

Job description:
The open positions are with the research group Audio Analysis Lab. The PhD students will work on the project entitled Signal Processing for Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease from Noisy Speech, which is funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research.

The project is concerned with automatic diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) from telephone-quality speech signals. Many people are affected by PD in some way. There currently exists no cure, there are no known biomarkers that can be used for diagnosis, and the number of people with PD is expected to rise dramatically in the near future. The project aims at finding accurate and robust signal processing methods for analyzing natural, noisy speech for early diagnosis and monitoring of the progression of PD based on parametric models. The project is a collaboration between Aalborg University, MIT, University of Colorado-Boulder, the Parkinson's Voice Initiative, and Lund University.

The successful applicant should have a M.Sc. (or equivalent) in engineering within signal processing or machine learning. Pior experience with speech, audio, language, or signal processing is a plus but not required. Moreover, the successful applicant should be fluent in English, have strong programming and math skills, and be familiar with MATLAB (or similar tools). The applicant must submit his/her M.Sc. thesis (or a draft thereof) as part of the application. The degree must be completed at the time of the appointment.

The Audio Analysis Lab at Aalborg University conducts basic and applied research in signal processing theory and methods aimed at or involving analysis of audio signals. The research focuses on problems such as compression, analysis, classification, separation, and enhancement of audio signals, as well as localization, identification and tracking using microphone arrays. The lab and its members are currently funded by grants from the Villum Foundation, the Danish Council for Strategic Research, the Danish Council for Independent Research, and Innovations Fund Denmark. The research projects are carried out in close collaboration with leading industrial partners and universities around the world.

You may obtain further information from Professor Mads Grζsbψll Christensen, Audio Analysis Lab, Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, phone: +45 9940 9793, email: mgc@create.aau.dk concerning the scientific aspects of the stipend.

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Masters degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of the Faculty of Engineering and Science, in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of August 27, 2013 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed every six months. It is a prerequisite for continuation of salary payment that the previous progress is approved at the time of the evaluation.

The qualifications of the applicant will be assessed by an assessment committee. On the basis of the recommendation of the assessment committee, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Science will make a decision for allocating the stipend.

Further details:
http://www.academicjobseu.com