The Interactive Robots and Media Lab of NYU AD, New York University’s largest global campus, home to “IbnSina”, the world’s first arabic speaking android robot and the “FaceBots” social robots, is organizing its third international summer school, which will take place in 2012 between June 17 and July 12, with a duration of four weeks.

The summer-school will be Research-Centered, with a strong focus on mini-projects, with multiple teams of 3-5 students including a mix of academic levels (Postdoc, PhD, undergrad). Selected seminars and lectures will also take place.

There will be free accommodation as well as air tickets for a limited number of applicants with excellent qualifications. Applicants can be at postdoctoral, graduate, and also undergraduate level.

Excursions to local attractions (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujeirah etc) will take place in the weekends, as well as tours of the region’s numerous spectacular sights.

To apply, please send CV as well as names and information of three Referees to nmav@alum.mit.edu
For more information on some of the existing projects of our lab: http://www.dr-nikolaos-mavridis.com

Desired qualifications

• Relevant Background in CS, EE, or Interactive Media
  A mix of:
  • Coding experience/expertise (C++ / Matlab / Java)
  • Engineering / real world troubleshooting skills
  • Psychological Experiment Design
• Interest and experience in one or more of the following technical areas:
  • Human-Robot Interaction, AI, computer vision, NLP, social networks
  • Interest in cognitive science and philosophy advantageous
  • Team working skills

Most importantly, desire, imagination, systematicity and persistence
in order to create the interactive robots and media of the future!

The IRML Lab

Core research areas include (but are not limited to):
Interactive and Social robotics and media, Human-Robot Interaction, Autonomous Vehicles, Cognitive Systems

The lab is equipped with multiple robots (The Ibn Sina human-size Android with full facial expressions, NAO humanoids, Pioneer and other mobile robots, manipulator arms, UAVs), state-of-the-art full-body motion capture, as well as advanced vision and other sensing systems.

Furthermore, IRML has continuous access to color 3D printing and 3D
scanning, as well as to a machine shop, and microcontroller / electronics labs, for prototyping novel interactive devices. In terms of computational resources, there is access to high-performance computation, as well as multiple workstations.

There is also close contact with numerous world-class institutions and companies in the field, across three continents.

The University

New York University Abu Dhabi is NYU’s largest global campus, consisting of a world center for advanced research and scholarship, and a highly selective liberal arts college — all fully integrated with each other and connected to NYU in New York. Together, NYU New York and NYU Abu Dhabi form the backbone of a unique Global Network University, with faculty and students from New York and Abu Dhabi spending “semesters away” at one or more of NYU’s study abroad sites on five continents.

The place

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and one of the world’s most spectacular cities, undergoing rapid development. The island capital is characterised by its signature Corniche, which fronts the amazing turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf. You can stroll, cycle, roller-blade or drive the Corniche for a journey to the tip where the majestic Emirates Palace – one of the world’s most opulent hotels sits on 1.3 kilometres of pristine beach. In Abu Dhabi city you’ll find all the conveniences of 21st century capital living and with some surprising additions. One can tour the awe-inspiring Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – one of the world’s largest – and you can book into one of its many beach resorts. Fine dining abounds, as do opportunities for more affordable fare in numerous city centre outlets. Shopping is as diverse as the emirate – there’s everything from marble-clad malls with haute couture brands to a textile souk (market) tucked away behind the main Hamdan Centre and a carpet souk at the Mina (Port).

Many other interesting sites exist nearby, such as the oasis city of Al Ain, and Dubai. Dubai, easily accessible by car from Abu Dhabi (one hour), is also a vibrant and liberal multicultural city, a big commercial hub of the middle east, and one of the most enjoyable places to visit, with lots of interesting sights: the tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa), one of the most luxurious hotels in the world (Burj Al Arab), man-made island communities in the shapes of palms visible from space, rich shopping malls with artificial skiing centers. Fine cultural and artistic events also abound.

In short, this will be a summer school to remember, not only in terms of research and learning, but also in terms of getting to know exciting cultures and interesting colleagues from all over the world!

Contact Information

Dr. Nikolaos Mavridis
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ass. Professor, NYU AD
nmav-at-alum.mit.edu