PHD Opportunity. Joint Investigation of the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for Training in Technology-Constrained Contexts

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PHD Opportunity. Joint Investigation of the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for Training in Technology-Constrained Contexts

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Offer DescriptionLocation. Laboratoire d’Informatique de l’Université du Mans (LIUM), 20 Avenue René Laennec, 72000 Le Mans, FRANCESupervisors. Emmanuel G. BLANCHARD, Sébastien GEORGELanguage. Mastery of either French or English is mandatory.Duration. 36 months (typical duration for a French PhD)Funding : Funding for this thesis is confirmed at 99% (either exclusively from Le Mans Université, or shared between Le Mans Université and the Pays de Loire region).Keywords. Internet of Things, Technology-Enhanced Learning, Artificial Intelligence in Education, Smart Villages, cognitive computing, sustainable development, frugal computing.Summary. The Internet of Things (IoT) is generating new societal opportunities, such as the evolving concepts of Smart City and Industry 4.0. In addition, the latest developments in artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities and challenges in many areas.Research in Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) and Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) is starting to consider ways to interface these two innovative domains. Examples include the concepts of Education 4.0 (Gueye & Expósito, 2022), pervasive learning (Shuib et al., 2015) or ubiquitous learning (Cardenàs-Robledo & Peña-Ayala, 2018).However, such investigations have mainly been conducted in ecosystems with well-established, high-performance technological infrastructures (availability of networks and connected devices in cities, businesses and buildings). As a result, many teaching and training needs and opportunities are not considered currently in contexts with less mature infrastructures (e.g. limited network coverage, limited or non-existent sensor networks).Therefore, this thesis intends to (i) explore training challenges and needs in technology-constrained contexts, and (ii) develop AI and IoT-based solutions to provide relevant educational and training services in such environments. This effort will draw on related concepts such as distributed cognition, edge computing, machine learning, formal ontologies, unplugged artificial intelligence, frugal computing…Smart Villages (a rural version of the Smart City) and Smart Farming (intelligent agriculture) are the expected fields of application for this thesis. We expect that its contributions will open up new perspectives for addressing sustainable development issues by proposing innovative context-aware training methods for rural and agricultural professionals, while raising public awareness of the ecological challenges in these environments.In the event of positive results in the aforementioned fields of application, the work of this thesis could be extended to other fields of research such as culturally-aware educational technologies (Blanchard, 2015).ReferencesBlanchard, E.G. (2015). Socio-cultural imbalances in AIED research: Investigations, Implications, and Opportunities. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 25, pp. 204-228.Cárdenas-Robledo, L. A., Peña-Ayala, A. (2018). Ubiquitous learning: A systematic review. Telematics and Informatics, 35(5), pp. 1097-1132.Gueye, M. L., Expósito, E. (2022). Education 4.0: Proposal of a model for autonomous management of learning processes. Service-Oriented Computing – ICSOC 2022 Workshops – AI-PA, ASOCA, FMCIoT, WESOACS, and Satellite Events, Seville, Spain.Shuib, L., Shamshirband, S., Hafiz Ismail, M. (2015). A review of mobile pervasive learning: Applications and issues. Computers in Human Behavior, 46, pp. 239-244.Candidate Profile. The candidate must be motivated, dynamic, and hold a MSc degree in computer science (or a related domain with demonstrated skills in computer science). Considering that this thesis is related to interdisciplinary fields (TEL, AIED, Cognitive Computing), the candidate’s interest in one or more disciplines from the Humanities will be appreciated, without this criterion imposing a priori training.Application. The application must include the following: (i) a CV, (ii) a cover letter, (iii) a description of your MSc degree and an official document showing the grades obtained in the courses, and (iv) one or more letters of recommendation. Documents must be written in French or English.It is recommended to submit your application via the MASTIC doctoral school website: . Alternatively, you can submit your application by email to with the following subject: Application IOT+AIED. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis. Application deadline is May 15, 2024.RequirementsResearch Field Computer science Education Level Master Degree or equivalentSkills/QualificationsThe candidate must be motivated, dynamic, and hold a MSc degree in computer science (or a related domain with demonstrated skills in computer science). Considering that this thesis is related to interdisciplinary fields (TEL, AIED, Cognitive Computing), the candidate’s interest in one or more disciplines from the Humanities will be appreciated, without this criterion imposing a priori training.Languages ENGLISH Level ExcellentResearch Field Computer scienceAdditional InformationWork Location(s)Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute Laboratoire d’Informatique de l’Université du Mans Country France GeofieldWhere to apply WebsiteContact CityLe Mans WebsitePostal Code72000 E-Mailemmanuel.blanchard@univ-lemans.frSTATUS: EXPIRED

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Location

Le Mans, Sarthe

Job date

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 04:13:34 GMT

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