Vector Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow

Vector Institute; Toronto; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Vector Institute invites applications for Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows in Toronto to advance fundamental research in machine learning and deep learning algorithms. The position emphasizes independence, collaboration with world-class faculty, and publication at the highest international level.

Standard terms are 1–2 years, with possible extension to 3 years; eligible fellows may also pursue a placement at Vector before pursuing a faculty role.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in Computer Science, Statistics, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Excellent publication record in machine learning.
• Expertise in core ML areas such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, optimization, or theory; or applied ML in language, health, vision, robotics, or related domains.

Responsibilities

• Conduct state-of-the-art machine learning research and publish at the highest international level.
• Collaborate with Vector faculty and researchers across areas.
• Carry out research with independence and contribute to academic life of the Institute.

Skills

Publication record

Education

PhD or equivalent in CS/Statistics/EE

Job description

Postdoctoral Fellow Toronto, ON, CA

POSITION OVERVIEW

Are you an early career researcher with the potential to become a world-class machine learning scientist? The Vector Institute invites applications for Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows who are working on cutting‑edge fundamental research in machine learning and deep learning algorithms and their applications.

OUR areas of research include:

Computer Vision

Healthcare – computational biology, genomics

Natural Language Processing

Optimization

Statistical Learning Theory

Sequential Decision Making

Quantum Computing

The standard term for a Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow position is 1–2 years, with a possible extension to 3 years. Also available is the opportunity for eligible individuals to complete a placement at Vector before going on to take a faculty role elsewhere.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows at the Vector Institute are early career researchers with the potential to become world‑class researchers. Like postdoctoral researchers in a university lab, Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows at the Vector Institute are tasked with and supported in carrying out state‑of‑the‑art research, publishing at the highest international level, and contributing to the academic life and reputation of the Institute. The Vector Institute offers a dynamic environment, and research freedom and opportunity to collaborate within and across research areas. They are part of a thriving research community of over 860 Vector Faculty Members, Faculty Affiliates, Postgraduate Affiliates, Postdoctoral Fellows, and graduate students.

Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows at the Vector Institute have access to the resources of a well‑funded institute dedicated solely to machine learning and deep learning, and are encouraged to work with any of our over‑45 world‑class faculty in machine learning and deep learning, though they will work primarily with 1–2 faculty members.
They will be expected to propose work on research topics of their interest related to machine learning and deep learning and carry out that research with a great deal of independence. Should they be so inclined, Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows may teach and mentor at the Institute; engage in entrepreneurial activities; and/or work with existing companies to enhance their research. They have the ability to collaborate with the graduate students of the machine learning group at the University of Toronto, as well as the graduate students of other affiliated faculty, who spend the bulk of their time at the Institute.

ABOUT VECTOR

The Vector Institute is an independent non‑profit corporation, with Faculty Members and Affiliates from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and other Canadian universities. It is supported with generous funding from the provincial and federal governments, as well as Canadian industry sponsors.
The Vector Institute is strategically positioned at the forefront of AI advancement, located on the 11‑13th floors of the University of Toronto’s new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, surrounded by leading scholars, entrepreneurs, and industry partners. On any given day, the Vector Institute houses over a hundred students, dozens of Faculty Members, supported with state‑of‑the‑art compute power, and dedicated professional staff. The daily life and concentration of expertise in the Institute fosters collaboration and the exchange of ideas among its members through talks, seminar series, visitors, and tutorials.

The Vector Institute’s vision is to drive excellence in the creation of artificial intelligence, to use it to foster economic growth, and to improve the lives of Canadians. To that end, the Vector Institute has close ties to both academia and industry. This puts our Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows in a unique position to contribute broadly. A successful contribution can range from developing core algorithmic techniques and theoretical analyses of machine learning algorithms, to working closely with existing companies and health organizations, to engaging in entrepreneurial activities.

In addition to their research, Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows have the opportunity to work with industry to develop machine‑learning‑based solutions for their problems or engage in related entrepreneurial activities. We have dedicated staff facilitating all aspects of engaging with Vector sponsors and affiliated institutions, as well as close ties to incubators for entrepreneurial activities. The Vector Institute has extensive access to computing resources and datasets. We have a team of AI Engineers who help improve research productivity through software platform development, ensuring research reproducibility, publishing open source code and data, and in readying code for commercial use.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

We are looking for people with interests across a broad spectrum from core machine learning or deep learning research to more applied and entrepreneurial activities. We are also looking for people who have excelled in other areas and are interested in moving into deep learning or machine learning more broadly.

PhD or equivalent in Computer Science, Statistics, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field. You must have completed all requirements of your doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline;

An excellent publication record in machine learning;

Expertise in a core area of machine learning, such as deep, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, optimization, and theory; and/or applied machine learning, such as natural language, health, vision, robotics, medicine, biology, transportation, media, and finance;

For those looking to pivot to machine learning from a field with technical overlap, we are looking for an excellent publication record in your field as well as expertise in an area with some potential relevance to machine learning.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

A cover letter, including identifying a Vector Faculty Member as potential supervisor. We encourage applicants to contact Faculty Members before submitting their application.

Links to at least three recent publications.

A research statement outlining a proposed program of research.

Three reference letters. One referee should be your PhD supervisor. If referees prefer to submit reference letters directly, they can be sent to [e-mail] before the application deadline.

DEADLINES

Spring Cohort

To be considered for the Spring Cohort, application and reference letters must be received in full by 23:59 EST on February 28th.

If you wish to be considered for the Autumn Cohort, application and reference letters must be received in full by 23:59 EST on August 31st. Any applications received after this date will be added to the next cohort.

The Hiring Committee reviews applications on a rolling basis twice per year: March and September .

INTERVIEWS

Please note all interviews are currently being held remotely.

We thank all applicants for their interest in this exciting opportunity and will be in touch with those whose qualifications most closely match with our needs.

Achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive research institute is essential to creating excellent, innovative, and impactful research. The Vector Institute is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, racialized persons/visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ persons. Should you wish to self-identify, please indicate this in your cover letter. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Further, we are committed to fostering an environment of inclusivity and accessibility. If you require an accommodation at any point throughout the recruitment and selection process, please contact [e-mail] and we will happily work with you to meet your needs.