PhD Position - Event-based Dynamics for Latent Reasoning

Peter Grunberg Institute 15; Deutschland; Vor Ort; EUR 42.000 - 60.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Peter Grünberg Institute 15 in Germany invites applications for a PhD position on Event-based Dynamics for Latent Reasoning within the MSCA ELEVATE Doctoral Network. The project investigates event-driven learning, hardware-aware neuromorphic designs, and efficient latent reasoning in complex tasks, supervised by PGI-15 and the University of Liège.

You hold a Master’s degree in a related field and have strong coding skills in ML frameworks (PyTorch/JAX).

Qualifikationen

• Master’s degree in physics, electrical/electronic engineering, computer science, mathematics.
• Proven ability to work as part of a team and collaborate on projects.
• Strong coding skills for programming neural networks, machine learning theory and ML software frameworks (e.g., PyTorch or JAX).
• Curiosity-driven with creative and analytical thinking across discipline boundaries.
• Knowledge of integrated circuit design and simulation using Cadence is a plus.
• Very good communication skills in English, German not required.

Aufgaben

• Develop an event-driven learning algorithm for latent reasoning.
• Explore hardware realizations of latent reasoning algorithms.
• Quantitative comparisons with different hardware backends; design conventional GPU-based networks for comparison.
• Publish research articles and participate in top international conferences.
• Complete one internship at the University of Liège and one internship at other ELEVATE partners.
• Participate in yearly retreats and weekly PGI-15 meetings.
• Support dissemination of software tools and concepts.
• Supervise student projects and BSc/MSc theses.

Kenntnisse

PyTorch

JAX

Neural networks

Machine learning

Teamwork

Communication

Ausbildung

Master’s degree in physics, electrical/electronic engineering, computer science, mathematics

Tools

Cadence

Jobbeschreibung

Organisation/Company Peter Grunberg Institute 15 Research Field Computer science » Computer systems Engineering » Electrical engineering Neurosciences » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 31 Aug 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Berlin) Country Germany Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 39 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101227453 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The Peter Grünberg Institute - Neuromorphic Software Ecosystems (PGI-15) led by Prof. Dr. Emre Neftci explores neuromorphic computing technologies that learn and work like the brain. Our research team designs computing algorithms and architectures from the perspective of neuroscience and their physical realizations in dedicated circuits and devices. Applications of our research are targeted to improve computing in computer vision, autonomous control, data processing in mobile devices, and scientific data analysis.

As part of a new MSCA Doctoral Network “ELEVATE”, we are offering a PhD Position - Event-based Dynamics for Latent Reasoning

Your Job:
Latent reasoning is a versatile and powerful method for problem solving where computations are adaptively unrolled along depth at test-time. However, current models for latent reasoning are computationally expensive, memory-inefficient and difficult to train. This project will investigate principles to improve on these challenges, namely through event-driven methods and control theory for dedicated implementations of latent reasoning. These investigations will be grounded in hardware through co‑design of neuromorphic hardware to improve accuracy, latency, data efficiency, and energy consumption on complex algorithmic or cognitive tasks. This project is part of the ELEVATE MSCA Doctoral Network (https://www.elevate-dn.eu/ ) and co‑supervised by our partners at the university of Liège.

Your tasks in detail:

• Develop an event‑driven learning algorithm for latent reasoning that sparsely updates network state and parameters in complex reasoning scenarios.
• Explore hardware realizations of the proposed latent reasoning algorithms.
• Quantitative comparisons with different hardware backends. Design conventional (GPU‑based) deep neural networks for comparison.
• Publish research articles and participate in top international conferences to present your work.
• Complete one internship at the University of Liège and one internship at other ELEVATE partners.
• Participate in yearly retreats organized by the doctoral network and attend weekly meetings at PGI‑15.
• Support the dissemination of software tools and concepts.
• Supervise student projects and BSc/MSc theses.

Your Profile:

• Master’s degree in physics, electrical/electronic engineering, computer science, mathematics, or a related field.
• Proven ability to work as part of a team and collaborate on projects.
• Strong coding skills for programming neural networks, machine learning theory and machine learning software frameworks (e.g., PyTorch or JAX).
• Curiosity‑driven personality with the ability for creative and analytical thinking across discipline boundaries and abstraction levels.
• Knowledge of integrated circuit design and simulation using Cadence is a plus.
• Very good communication skills in English, both spoken and written. PGI‑15 offers an English speaking environment, therefore German language skills are not required.

Our Offer:

We offer ideal conditions for you to complete your doctoral degree:

• PGI‑15 offers an interdisciplinary and international research environment with state‑of‑the‑art experimental equipment and opportunities for professional growth.
• An interdisciplinary and collaborative work environment including researchers at the following institutes: Neuromorphic Hardware Nodes (PGI‑14), Electronics Materials (PGI‑7), the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine‑Computational and Systems Neuroscience (INM‑6), The Jülich Supercomputing Center (JSC) and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at RWTH Aachen.
• 30 days of annual leave and provision for days off between public holidays and weekends (e.g. between Christmas and New Year)
• Further development of your personal strengths, e.g. through an extensive range of training courses; a structured program of continuing education and networking opportunities specifically for doctoral researchers via JuDocS, the Jülich Center for Doctoral Researchers and Supervisors: https://www.fz-juelich.de/en/judocs
• You will be enrolled in the PhD program of the department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, RWTH Aachen.
• Targeted services for international employees, e.g. through our International Advisory Service

In addition to exciting tasks and a collaborative working atmosphere in Jülich, we have a lot more to offer: https://go.fzj.de/benefits

The position is initially for a fixed term of 3 years. Pay in line with 75 % of pay group 13 of the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD‑Bund) and additionally 60 % of a monthly salary as special payment („Christmas bonus“). The monthly salaries in euro can be found on the BMI website: https://go.fzj.de/bmi.tvoed.entgelt Further information on doctoral degrees at Forschungszentrum Jülich (including its various branch offices) is available at https://www.fz-juelich.de/en/careers/phd

Place of employment: Aachen

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.