Application deadline: 12 December 2024 at 23:59 hours local Danish time

The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Southern Denmark (Odense) invites applications for one or more postdoctoral research fellowship in computer science under the umbrella of the Danish Foundation Models (https://www.foundationmodels.dk/) initiative.

The proposed starting date is 1 January 2025 or soon thereafter. The appointment will be made for an initial term of two years at an internationally competitive salary. The position can be extended pending the availability of sufficient funding, with the limitation that the total duration of a postdoctoral fellowship in Denmark cannot exceed 4 years.

The ideal candidate has a research background in or research experience with one or more of the following topics:
• Natural Language Processing (NLP).
• Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Deep Learning and/or Reinforcement Learning.
• Model fine-tuning and/or preference alignment.
• Machine Learning Operations (MLOps).

The candidate is expected to hold a relevant PhD degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Physics, (Applied) Mathematics, Computational Statistics or another field that provides a strong research background in computer science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, and/or data science.
Fluency in English and Python are required.
Research experience working with large-scale machine learning projects, extensive research software development experience, and intimate knowledge of machine learning frameworks (such as transformers and torch) are advantageous. Publications in top ML/NLP venues such as NeurIPS, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP are a further plusl.
PhD candidates about to complete will also be considered and should attach a statement from their supervisors regarding their impending completion.

The successful candidate will contribute to the development of advanced language models and derived use cases by performing frontier research on one or more of the following topics:
• Language modelling for low- and ultra-low-resource languages.
• Development of frameworks for user-defined agentic workflows.
• Quantization and linearization techniques for transformer architectures.
• Development of communication-efficient distributed training paradigms.
• Reasoning with language models through logic (Hybrid AI).

The successful candidate will become part of the Centre for Machine Learning (https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/machine-learning). The center is part of the Data Science & Statistics section (https://dss.sdu.dk/) at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (https://imada.sdu.dk/). The department offers an inclusive and international working environment with state-of-the-art facilities and strong traditions for collaboration across research groups, departments and faculties, and with other organisations like educational institutions, municipalities, and companies. The degrees offered by the department include BSc and MSc degrees in Computer Science, a BSc degree in Artificial Intelligence, and an MSc degree in Data Science.

The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) was founded in 1966 and now has more than 27.000 students, almost 20% of whom are from abroad. It has 3,800+ employees, and 115 different study programs in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, and engineering. Its main campus is located in Odense, the third largest city in Denmark. Odense provides family-friendly living conditions, with the perfect combination of a historic city center with an urban and vibrant feel and yet close proximity to beaches and recreational areas. Its location on the island of Funen is ideal with easy access to the larger cities and airports in Aarhus and Copenhagen.

For further information, please contact Professor Peter Schneider-Kamp ([email protected]).
Application deadline: 12 December 2024 at 23:59 hours local Danish time

Application, salary etc.
The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). Please check links for more information on salary (only available in Danish) and taxation.

The application must include the following:

• A curriculum vitae including information on previous employment
• A full list of publications stating the scientific publications on which the applicant wishes to rely
• Copy of PhD diploma (if PhD diploma has not yet been received, please include statement from your supervisor)

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.
Incomplete applications and applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

To qualify you must have passed a PhD or equivalent. Applications will be assessed by an expert assessor/committee. Applicants will be informed of their assessment by the university.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now". Attached files must be in Adobe PDF format. We strongly recommend that you read How to apply for a position at SDU before you apply.

Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark.

Placering: Odense, Denmark