PhD student position in computer vision:

Research topic
Analyse the behaviour of 6 to 12 year old children in traffic under 
unsupervised conditions in order to evaluate how safe and understandable 
road infrastructure is for these road users.

Design and methodology:
Two experiments will be run. The first will use camera’s fixed in 
locations with typical infrastructure and traffic characteristics, where 
a lot of children are participating in traffic. The second will use 
minicameras, step counters and GPS fixed on children during their trips, 
and record their behaviour.

Using computer vision techniques, these observations will be used to 
measure risk and exposure of the children in different surroundings and 
traffic conditions. The results will be analysed in GIS in order to 
evaluate quality characteristics of road infrastructure, road 
environment and traffic for the behaviour of children.

The project
This PhD research will be conducted as part of a 4 year project, 
conducted by a team of one PhD researcher and one half time technical 
assistant during the second and the third year. The project starts 
January 1, 2008. The project is funded by the Research Foundation – 
Flanders as part of the Levenslijn action, with as primary target “More 
and safer mobility for children and young people.”

The work will be carried out at the VISICS group, which is
part of the Department of Electrical Engineering of the
Katholieke Un. Leuven, in Belgium, Flanders. More about us
can be found at
http://www.esat.kuleuven.ac.be/psi/visics/

Your profile:
- Solid knowledge of and programming experience with C++ ;
- Fluent in English, both written and spoken ;
- Creative team player ;
- Willing to travel ;
- Prior knowledge in the area of computer vision is a plus ;

We're convinced you will find our lab an exciting environment
for research. We are a highly international team, with members
from about 7 countries. The lab has a strong tradition in
international projects.

Start date: As soon as possible. We are continuously looking for
             good candidates and will hire as soon as a strong
             candidate has been found.

Duration: 4 years

Contact: prof. Luc Van Gool
          vangool@esat.kuleuven.be
          Please send a complete CV with publications and references.