Due to a candidate withdrawal, we are re-posting this postdoc position at Université de Technologie de Compiègne, near Paris, France.

• Université de Technologie de Compiègne (Technological University of Compiègne)
• Heudiasyc lab

Distributed Algorithms and Theory of Belief Functions

In many distributed applications, it would be preferable to distinguish between the following pieces of information: the value is between 15 and 25, the value is probably 20, the value is probably between 15 and 25. The first one is imprecise but certain, the second is precise but uncertain while the last is both imprecise and uncertain.

The Theory of Belief Functions has been introduced by Dempster (1968) and Shafer (1976), and has been further developed by Smets (Transferable Belief Model) in the 1990's. It is also known as Dempster-Shafer theory or Evidence. It is a formal framework for representing and reasoning from partial (uncertain, imprecise) information, by generalizing both the Set-Membership approach and the Probability Theory.

During this postdoctoral study, we will focus on applications of the Theory of Belief Functions in distributed systems. This study is a continuation of previous work done in the joint research unit CNRS-UTC Heudiasyc regarding distributed data fusion [1,2].

Possibly, depending on the candidate's profile, fundamental applications would be considered for vehicular networks and fleets of UAVs, based on hardware and software platforms and the technical staff of the laboratory [3,4,5].

[1] Distributed Data fusion for detecting Sybil attacks in VANETs. N. El Zoghby, V. Cherfaoui, B. Ducourthial, T. Denoeux. Second International Conference on Belief Functions (BELIEF 2012), Compiègne, France, 2012.
[2] Self-stabilizing distributed data fusion. B. Ducourthial, V. Cherfaoui, T. Denoeux. 14th International Symposium on Stabilization, Safety, and Security of Distributed Systems (SSS 2012), Toronto, Canada, October 2012.
[3] http://www2.hds.utc.fr/pacpus
[4] https://www.hds.utc.fr/airplug
[5] http://www2.hds.utc.fr/uav-horus

Postdoc Supervisors
Bertrand Ducourthial, Bertrand.Ducourthial AT utc.fr
Véronique Cherfaoui, Veronique.Cherfaoui AT utc.fr

Lab. Heudiasyc UMR CNRS UTC 7253
Centre de Recherche de Royallieu
Université de Technologie de Compiègne
60205 Compiègne Cedex France

Candidate’s profile
PhD in distributed systems, preferably.
Read, written, spoken English.
It is not necessary to speak French.

Documents required to apply
Last diploma
Curriculum Vitae
Motivation letter
Recommendations

Dates
From now, an email of interest is welcome.
Application field to be sent for January 2013.
Selection of candidates in January 2013.
Starting on March 2013 ideally.