Call for PhD project proposals www.thecamp.fr Exponential technology, collective intelligence and personal transformation. In the areas of education or quality of life.
The world today is complex, not just complicated. The world is non-linear, dynamic and emerges out of the interaction of a huge number of autonomous, though intelligent, agents. Unfortunately, we witness today an unacceptable and growing level of inequality and poverty in the world, for which we can no longer close our eyes. Contributing to a better, fairer world, is moving onto the center stage of our economy. And finally, we are disrupted by a number of exponential technologies, new geopolitical challenges, and an environment that needs more attention. Creating the future in this reality requires a different mindset, not just another skill set. Such a shift in mindset, in paradigm in fact, will allow us to contribute to solutions rather than to create more problems exponentially. thecamp is the first European campus dedicated to emerging technology and social innovation. It is located in Aix-en- Provence, where a rich and diverse ecosystem creates the conditions for such transformation to take place. Activities on campus will consist of a Startup Accelerator, an Urban Lab, a Hive (a group of young creators, designers, artists, programmers, etc.), Co-innovation programs, Youth Camp Experiences, Transformational Journeys (executive education) and Thematic Summits all contributing to growing the understanding of and finding solutions to major challenges of mankind. In order to enrich our existing ecosystem, thecamp will also need an imagination tank and we would like to welcome PhD students to work with us on finding real solutions to real problems, for real people. 2
Call for Proposals thecamp offers talented students the opportunity to write their own PhD proposals. We supervise the selected PhD candidates on a research project written by them, fitting our overall interest, and promising to bring real breakthrough solutions to market. Three PhD positions will be available starting January 2017. We are now soliciting research proposals for those positions. thecamp is interested in the application of the following technologies: Artificial intelligence Semantics IoT and big data Robotics Virtual and augmented reality Challenges we want to contribute solutions to are: Education Quality of life in cities We expect proposals at the crossroad of one of those technologies with one application area, having a focus on the accompanying transformation processes. 3
Procedure Applications to participate in the PhD fellowship are open to all Master level students who have shown in their track record a real interest in, and capacity of creation. The PhD fellowship is ideally for young and/or early career researchers or graduates. Applicants must submit a file, containing a motivation letter and resume, a rather detailed research proposal, an indication of the prototype that will be the outcome of the research. Creativity in the presentation of the file will be appreciated. Criteria for evaluation and selection are the quality of the proposed research, the candidate s resume, and the contribution that thecamp anticipates to the realization of its own goals. Please send your application by September 30, 2017 to: Géraldine Ricour geraldine@thecamp.fr Schedule 30 September 2017: deadline for submission 1 October 30 October 2017: selection procedure, Possibly including interviews (live or visio) 31 October 2017: notification 1 January 2018: start PhD research 4
Terms of employment At thecamp, doing a PhD research is both an engagement towards your research project and thecamp s activities. We are looking for the fine line between evidence based and publishable prototyping, and a consistent contribution to the ecosystem. You will work under a 3-year contract with thecamp, at a gross salary of 24 000 per year. thecamp provides accommodation and meals on campus. Together with the candidate, thecamp will apply for a CIFRE grant and the candidate agrees to contribute to that application process. French Labor law is applicable to this contract. PhD candidates will be enrolled in the CERGAM (cergam. univ-amu.fr/en) research center of the Aix-Marseille University Business school (iae-aix.univ-amu.fr/en/home) for academic purposes, and will be academically supervised in that center. Other research centers of other universities can be considered. More information For more information, contact Géraldine Ricour: geraldine@thecamp.fr 5
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Wanderer, your footprints are the path, and nothing more; Wanderer, there is no path, it is created as you walk. By walking, you make the path before you, and when you look behind you see the path which after you will not be trod again. Wanderer, there is no path, but the ripples on the waters Antonio Machado