Internship | AI/Computer vision/LLM internship for Energy Renovation

AI/Computer Vision/LLM Internship for Energy Renovation

About this position

Processing documents with LLMs and Computer Vision models to enrich a database of the building stock in order to accelerate the energy transition in the built environment. Do you envision it? Become a Machine Learning intern at TNO in Delft.

What will be your role?

All houses energy neutral by 2050. For the construction sector, this is one of the biggest challenges ever. The largest hurdle is the renovation of existing houses, of which there are 8 million in the Netherlands. The current approach of renovating them one by one is not an option.

That is why TNO has developed the revolutionary ‘contingentenaanpak’. It consists of helping the sector find clusters of houses with similar characteristics to which renovation concepts can be applied in similar fashion, enabling industrialization and speeding up renovation processes. How do we cluster houses? With a set of features describing the housing stock on one hand, and some track record data used as label on the other hand (we make what we call clusters of houses, but we mainly apply classifications models, not clustering techniques). This methodology is the core of the so-called Clustertool software we developed therefore.

As a data scientist, you will work on the development of a set of features describing the inside of a housing, which are now missing but are crucial to improve the performance of the Clustertool. These features will be derived from documents containing pictures of the housings, blueprints and text descriptions.

We have already successfully deployed the Clustertool in production; and it has proven to predict the renovation potential of houses in the first use-cases. So far, we use features coming or derived from open data sources, and we experiment on image-based features to improve the performance of the classifiers.

You would contribute to our developments by applying Computer Vision models and LLMs on aforementioned documents. During the internship you would have to explore various topics such as:

• Analyze the data at disposal: coverage, quality, etc.
• Process free format text descriptions of housings into tabular data using LLMs.
• Design Computer Vision pipelines to retrieve information of interest from images and blueprints of housings. Convolutional Neural Network, Visual Transformers or Multi Modal LLMs could be used.

We would focus on features which are relevant for the applicability of heat pump installation and heat recovery ventilation. Qualitative new features would then be added to the current ones. Our innovative approach can only be successful with an optimally functioning and scalable Clustertool. In this way, you will make a lasting impact on the Dutch fossil-free renovation strategy.

With your expertise in machine learning and software engineering, you will strengthen our team of 30 experts in the field of digitalization in construction. You can learn a lot from your colleagues, for example in the field of computer vision, data science, machine learning and software development, along with gaining insight into the various aspects of digitizing and automating the built environment.

What we expect from you

First things first: you do not need to have any background in construction or sustainability to apply for this internship. Of course, if you do, that's a bonus, but surrounded by our experts, you'll learn quickly.

What else you need to bring:

• Be enrolled in a master program in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science or related.
• Experience with Python and common data science libraries.
• Experience in Computer Vision is a plus.
• Experience in LLMs is a plus.
• English language skills at B2 level or above. Dutch language is a plus.

What you'll get in return

You want an internship opportunity on the precursor of your career; an internship gives you an opportunity to take a good look at your prospective future employer. TNO goes a step further. It’s not just looking that interests us; you and your knowledge are essential to our innovation. That’s why we attach a great deal of value to your personal and professional development. You will, of course, be properly supervised during your work placement and be given the scope for you to get the best out of yourself. Furthermore, we provide:

• A highly professional, innovative internship environment, within a team of top experts.
• A suitable internship allowance (615 euro for wo-, hbo- and mbo-students, for a full-time internship).
• Possibility of eight hours of free leave per internship month (for a full-time internship).
• A free membership of Jong TNO, where you can meet other TNO professionals and join several activities, such as sports activities, (work-related) courses or the yearly ski-trip.
• Use of a laptop.
• An allowance for travel expenses in case you don’t receive an OV-card.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. Since 1932, we have been making knowledge and technology available for the common good. We find each other in wonder and ingenuity. We are driven to push boundaries. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference. Because with every innovation you contribute to tomorrow’s world.

At TNO we encourage an inclusive work environment, where you can be yourself. Whatever your story and whatever unique qualities you bring to the table. It is by combining our unique strengths and perspectives that we are able to develop innovations that make a real difference in society.

• Contact
  • E-mailadres: raphael.gueulet@tno.nl