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Employment
Come work with us!
Smart Information Flow Technologies is looking to expand! We are looking for senior researchers as well as student interns.
SIFT is a growing company, based in Minneapolis, MN and conducting cutting edge research and development in a variety of human-automation integration fields. We value research and innovation, creativity and interdisciplinary approaches to improving human-machine relationships.
Our projects typically involve a mix of research and development. Applicants should expect to be exposed to a wide variety of tasks, ranging from requirements elicitation, design, implementation and testing/evaluation to research, proposal writing, and concept development. Furthermore, ideal applicants should be comfortable assimilating ideas from research literature, expanding and refining such ideas, and developing prototype software to demonstrate and experiment.

Full-time Positions
For full-time, permanent positions, applicants should have a Masters degree, Ph.D., or equivalent experience in a relevant field and should demonstrate more advanced proficiency in some of the skills described. More senior individuals will be considered as well.
Experience with proposal preparation and/or program management is a plus, but not required. Full-time applicants would have the opportunity to grow into securing and leading their own research and development programs.
Intern Positions
SIFT internships are open to graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Internships are typically 6-12 months in duration, though we are willing to negotiate the term. SIFT interns have praised the range of development opportunities their internships offered-including opportunities to take a leading role in the design, implementation, and evaluation of applications, as well as roles in proposal preparation and even program management. Publication is encouraged and much of our work is suitable for dissertation research. Interested applicants will be offered the opportunity to contact previous interns to compare notes.
Current Positions
Artificial Intelligence Professionals

Employing AI techniques to support human control of complex systems; example current major AI projects:
- UI, planner, and simulation interfaces for UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) systems
- planning system for web service composition as part of DARPA's Integrated Learning program
- plan/intent recognition algorithms and software for web service and computer security applications
- procedure display evaluation aid for NASA
Specific applicant skills/experience to be evaluated; not all required:
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Development/engineering skills:
- rapid development using ultra-high level languages (primarily Common Lisp) and scripting languages (e.g. PERL and Python)
- Java, largely for developing platform-independent user-interfaces
- constraint programming
- functional programming (e.g., SML, Ocaml, Haskell)
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Key research experience:
- AI planning methods; ideally both practical and theoretical
- plan recognition
- search algorithms
- constraint satisfaction/optimization
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Additional valued research experience:
- formal methods
- control theory
- optimization techniques
- Human/Computer Interaction (HCI) and UI development
- simulation
Human-Computer Interaction Researchers

Investigation of methods to improve the interactions of humans with complex comptuer automation; example current major HCI projects:
- UI, planner, and simulation interfaces for UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) systems
- stochastic workload modeling for Army helicopter pilots
- cultural modeling and interaction evaluation for training scenarios in a game/simulation environment
- effects of culture-specific 'etiquette' and politeness on compliance with directives
- user intent recognition algorithm/software development
- procedure display evaluation aid for NASA
Specific applicant skills/experience to be evaluated; not all required:
- human-automation interaction design, theory and evaluation techniques
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linguistics, sociology, social psychology and/or anthropology;
especially as they apply to human interactions in group and cross cultural group settings - UI design principles
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ability to implement UI designs in software;
especially using Java or Python - experiment design, conduct and analysis techniques
- Multiple Resource Theory and workload measurement
- experience with training/games simulation and/or military simulations and applications
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AI planning techniques;
especially hierarchical task network (HTN) planners
Restrictions
Due to the nature of our contract work, positions at SIFT are generally limited to US citizens or permanent residents.
Location & Work Environment
Our offices are located in the historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. A vibrant metropolis, Minneapolis offers a wide variety of activities, diversity, and a friendly atmosphere.
SIFT offers flexible work arrangements. SIFT employees have the option to work a substantial part of their hours in a home office, and hours are flexible to meet family needs, etc. We value the opportunity to work together with friendly, easygoing, creative researchers in a non-bureaucratic, flexible and responsive way.
Contact us
Please send resume and expression of interest to sift-jobs (at) sift (dot) info