2023-05753 - PhD Position F/M Neurons, Burst and Adaptive Controller/Observer: Induced Contraction
Contract type : Fixed-term contract
Level of qualifications required : Graduate degree or equivalent
Fonction : PhD Position
About the research centre or Inria departmentThe Inria University of Lille centre, created in 2008, employs 360 people including 305 scientists in 15 research teams. Recognised for its strong involvement in the socio-economic development of the Hauts-De-France region, the Inria University of Lille centre pursues a close relationship with large companies and SMEs. By promoting synergies between researchers and industrialists, Inria participates in the transfer of skills and expertise in digital technologies and provides access to the best European and international research for the benefit of innovation and companies, particularly in the region.
For more than 10 years, the Inria University of Lille centre has been located at the heart of Lille's university and scientific ecosystem, as well as at the heart of Frenchtech, with a technology showroom based on Avenue de Bretagne in Lille, on the EuraTechnologies site of economic excellence dedicated to information and communication technologies (ICT).
AssignmentThe development of digital technology is no longer sustainable and the end of `Moore's law' is now happening. Neuromorphic engineering is a response to this inefficiency of digital machines in comparison to the animal world, in which the bits and clocks of digital computers are replaced by the spikes and rhythms of analog electronic circuits. We believe that by studying the non- intuitive analogy that exists between neurons and classical adaptive controllers: the appearance of bursting with or without injection of white noise, we head for the theory of designing event-based online adaptation, which is energy efficient compared to the digital machines prevalent these days. Moreover, our hypothesis is that bursting is necessary to induce contraction, hence for adaptation, in both examples of neurons and classical adaptive controllers. Thereby, we plan to base our study on the theory of induced contraction, motivated by the phenomenon of noise-induced synchronization of neurons.
Main activitiesThe proposal consists of three steps that are spanned over three years.
1) The first step which would take a year would be to train the associated Ph.D. student, as there are lots of background materials to learn to initiate the project, for instance, classical and recent (in the language of mixed feedback) mathematical models of neurons, noise-induced synchronization of neurons, bursting phenomenon in neurons and adaptive controllers, contraction, induced contraction, and monotonicity.
2) The second step which would take another year would be to understand the bursting phenomenon that simultaneously appears in both neurons and adaptive controllers, with or without the injection of white noise, based on the theory of induced contraction. We also plan for the initiation of the completion of the theory of induced contraction while doing so.
3) The last step which would take the final year would be to finalize unifying the analysis and providing a design guideline for the theory of induced contraction. With this completion of the theory, further designing for some applications, for example, an adaptive observer is desirable.
SkillsThe candidate should have expirience in analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems and/or theory of control and estimation. The main mission will be analysis of existing results on the topic of the thesis, development new theories and its practical verification.
Benefits package1st and 2nd year: 2 051€ gross per month
3rd year: 2 158€ gross per month
General InformationTheme/Domain : Optimization and control of dynamic systems Biologie et santé, Sciences de la vie et de la terre (BAP A)
Town/city : Villeneuve d'Ascq
Inria is the French national research institute dedicated to digital science and technology. It employs 2,600 people. Its 200 agile project teams, generally run jointly with academic partners, include more than 3,500 scientists and engineers working to meet the challenges of digital technology, often at the interface with other disciplines. The Institute also employs numerous talents in over forty different professions. 900 research support staff contribute to the preparation and development of scientific and entrepreneurial projects that have a worldwide impact.
Instruction to applyCV + Cover Letter
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