PhD in Speech and Language Technology

Aalto University; Espoo; On-site; EUR 32,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Campus life Otaniemi

Job summary

Aalto University in Espoo, Finland invites applications for a Doctoral Researcher in Speech and Language Technology in the DICE group. The COWAMA project develops content-based watermarking for AI-generated audio and robust deepfake detection to address misinformation, copyright, and attribution.

You will build detectors for origin and authenticity, create diverse datasets, and contribute to open-source tools while publishing in top venues.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or near completion in speech/audio processing, ML, signal processing, CS or E.E.
• Strong interest in doctoral research on audio deepfake detection, watermarking and generative AI.
• Good programming skills (Python and ML tools).
• Basic knowledge of deep learning, signal processing, speech/audio processing, or statistical ML.
• Interest in datasets, detector models, generative audio models, and evaluation.
• Motivation to publish scientific articles and contribute to open-source and reproducible research.
• Ability to work independently and in international teams.
• Fluency in English; Finnish not required.

Responsibilities

• Detect generated audio content from multiple sources and collaborate on robustness, evaluation, and generalization.
• Develop methods for detecting authenticity and origin of speech and audio content from various models and watermarking methods.
• Create datasets of real and generated speech and audio from different models and watermarking methods.
• Adapt and improve detector baselines for multi-objective detection (deepfake, content origin, watermark ID).
• Develop explainable, localized detection methods for watermark and deepfake attribution.
• Study robustness against signal-processing and adversarial attacks, and downstream processing like mixing.
• Publish research in leading journals and conferences; contribute to open-source software and reproducible outputs.

Skills

Doctoral research focus

Python

Machine learning tools

English proficiency

Experimentation

Independence and collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in related field

Tools

Python

Job description

Recruitment Notice

Application closes on Unit Job category Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 16 000 students and 5 200 employees, including 446 professors. Our campus is in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community. The research will be carried out at the Department of Information and Communications Engineering, DICE, at Aalto University, Finland.

The project environment offers excellent infrastructure for deep learning, speech, and audio research, including Aalto University’s large-scale scientific computing cluster with CPU and GPU nodes, access to CSC’s national computing infrastructure including LUMI, and the Aalto Acoustics Lab with anechoic chambers, listening rooms, and audio measurement equipment.

We are now looking for a Doctoral Researcher in Speech and Language Technology. Are you excited about speech and audio AI, deepfake detection, and the question of how we can identify the origin of AI-generated content? We are looking for a Doctoral Researcher to join the funded project COWAMA: Content-based watermarking for AI-generated audio, led by Assistant Professor Lauri Juvela. The rapid development of generative AI has made it possible to create realistic speech and music, but it has also created risks related to misinformation, malicious deepfakes, copyright, ownership, attribution, and accountability. The project addresses these challenges by developing methods for detecting the origin and authenticity of generated and watermarked audio data, improving content-based audio watermarking, and evaluating robustness against removal, spoofing, adversarial attacks, and realistic downstream processing.

Responsibilities

• As the Doctoral Researcher, you will take primary responsibility for detecting generated audio content from multiple sources, and work jointly with the Postdoctoral Researcher on robustness, evaluation, and generalization.
• Developing methods for detecting the authenticity and origin of speech and audio content generated by multiple models and containing different watermarking methods.
• Creating datasets of diverse real and generated speech and audio, including content from different generative models and multiple watermarking methods.
• Adapting and improving detector baselines for multi-objective detection involving deepfake detection, content origin detection, and watermark identification.
• Developing explainable and localized detection methods for watermark and deepfake attribution, especially when generated content is mixed with other audio sources.
• Studying robustness against signal-processing attacks, generative resynthesis attacks, adversarial attacks, and realistic downstream processing such as mixing.
• Publishing research in leading journals and conferences in speech, audio, and machine learning, and contributing to open-source releases of software, trained models, and reproducible research outputs.

The research methods will include experiment design, software implementation, running deep learning experiments on high-performance computing infrastructure, and evaluation using objective metrics and subjective listening tests.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree, or be close to completing a master’s degree, in speech or audio processing, machine learning, signal processing, computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field.
• Strong interest in doctoral research on audio deepfake detection, watermarking, source tracing, and generative AI.
• Good programming skills, preferably including Python and modern machine learning tools.
• Basic knowledge of deep learning, signal processing, speech/audio processing, or statistical machine learning.
• Interest in working with speech and audio datasets, detector models, generative audio models, and experimental evaluation.
• Motivation to publish scientific articles and contribute to open-source and reproducible research.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an international research environment.
• Fluency in English is required. Finnish language is not required.

For more information about the role, please contact Professor Lauri Juvela ([e-mail]; [phone]).

We will go through applications, and we may invite suitable candidates to interview already during the application period. You will hear from us the latest in the second week of November. We aim to have a transparent and equal recruitment process, so feel free to ask us for feedback.

Team and Working Environment

Excellent computing and audio research infrastructure, including CPU/GPU clusters, access to CSC and LUMI, FIN-CLARIN resources, and the Aalto Acoustics Lab. A supportive research team and supervision by Assistant Professor Lauri Juvela. International collaboration opportunities with leading researchers in speech synthesis, music technology, deepfake detection, and generative audio.

A strong open-science environment: the project aims to publish in leading venues and release software source code and trained models to support reproducibility and FAIR data management.

Great possibilities for competence development and learning, including professional development opportunities, staff training, and development projects based on your interests and needs.

A culture guided by responsibility, courage, and collaboration, where equality and inclusion support curiosity, innovation, collaboration, and wellbeing.

Our vast array of professional development opportunities means you will grow and learn, having the chance to participate actively in staff training and development projects based on your interests and needs.

Benefits & Compensation

• The starting salary for this position is 3143 €/month and increases after a mid-term evaluation.
• The position is fixed term and follows school’s standard 2+2 model. It will be made initially for two years, with a six-month probationary period, and extended by two further years after a successful mid-term review, giving a total duration of four years.
• The position starts in January 2027 or as mutually agreed.
• We value work-life balance and well-being in all aspects of life.
• We work in a hybrid model, with the primary workplace located at the Otaniemi Campus in Espoo, Finland.
• Life on the revitalized campus is vibrant, featuring stunning architecture, tranquil nature, and a variety of cafes, restaurants, and services, all complemented by excellent public transportation connections.

Location

Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. The primary workplace is located at the Otaniemi Campus.

Additional Information

Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos: This is Aalto University! Aalto University - Towards a better worldand Shaping a Sustainable Future.

Read more about working at Aalto: https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto and check out our new virtual tour https://virtualtour.aalto.fi. Finland is a great place for living with or without family – it is a safe, politically stable and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life and was listed again as the happiest country in the world: World Happiness Report 2025. For more information about living in Finland: Aalto Careers for International Staff.

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