Join the group

I am hiring a PhD student to work on fundamental Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) research. The topic is flexible, such as using SAT/ASP/MaxSAT solvers or exploring Bayesian methods for noisy data. If interested, please email andrew.cropper@helsinki.fi with your CV.

Our research

Our research is driven by testable hypotheses. To make a scientific contribution, we must understand why something works. Experiments should try to show that a claim is wrong by isolating the key variable. Often, the most important baseline is a version of an algorithm with and without the new idea. Hypotheses should be theoretically characterised, and results must be supported by statistical analysis. Simply beating the state-of-the-art is not science.

Living in Helsinki

Language. You do not need to speak Finnish. Almost everyone speaks English. Banks, government services, and the university all work in English.
Salary. PhD students earn €2600–3600/month (€2100–2700 net). Postdocs earn €3800–4100/month (€2800–2900 net). This is enough for a comfortable life. Taxes cover healthcare and social security.
Housing. Flats are high quality and well-insulated. A one-bedroom flat is about €1000/month in the city centre and €800/month outside. Rent usually includes heating and water.
Weather. Winters are cold (sometimes -15°C) but the air is dry. Homes and public spaces are very warm. Days are short in winter, but snow reflects the light. Summers are long and sunny. Helsinki has more annual sunshine than London (1802 vs 1675 hours).

Why Helsinki?

Nature. The department is next to a forest and the sea is 5 minutes away by bike. You can go to the beach in summer or go skiing and ice skating in winter, all within 15 minutes of the department.

Infrastructure. Everything works well. Public transport is cheap, clean, and runs on time.