Postdoctoral Researchers, Language Technology

University of Helsinki; Helsinki; Presencial; EUR 41.000 - 49.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

University of Helsinki invites postdoctoral researchers in Language Technology to advance explainable and trustworthy AI for global threat analysis and AI-assisted language teaching projects. The role focuses on developing interpretable models, evaluating robustness, and applying state-of-the-art NLP techniques in collaboration with international teams.

Starting salary aligns with university scales and includes health care, career development support, and relocation assistance.

Formación

• A PhD degree (or imminent completion expected) in NLP, ML, CS, or related field.
• Experience with NLP, large-language models, explainability.
• Proficient Python programming, frameworks such as PyTorch and HuggingFace Transformers.
• Peer‑reviewed publications required for postdoctoral appointment.
• Excellent oral and written English communication.

Responsabilidades

• Conduct foundational and applied research on explainability and trust in language models.
• Develop methods to evaluate, interpret, and improve LLMs in detecting and representing threats or risk scenarios.
• Collaborate with project teams and external partners, including interdisciplinary groups.
• Implement algorithms and data analysis (e.g., PyTorch, JAX, transformers).
• Publish papers at premier AI/ML/NLP venues and conferences.
• Present results at academic conferences and workshops.

Conocimientos

Natural Language Processing

Explainability in AI

English communication

Educación

PhD degree

Herramientas

PyTorch

HuggingFace Transformers

Python

Descripción del empleo

Postdoctoral Researchers, Language Technology

Postdoctoral researchers Explainable & Trustworthy AI for Global Threat Analysis ("Know-AI") AI for language teaching and language learning ("DALAI-FIN") University of Helsinki - Department of Digital Humanities, Language Technology

Position type: Full-time postdoctoral researchers. Duration: initially 2 years (with possibility of extension). Start date: immediate.

Overview of Projects

The Know-AI project investigates what language models know and when they know it. The mission is to develop explainable and trustworthy AI systems for detecting and analyzing global threats, including disinformation in online media. The successful candidate will contribute to cutting-edge research in large language models - their interpretability, robustness, and real-world safety.

The DALAI-FIN / Revita project focuses on supporting second-language teaching for adults, for example migrants in Finland (or elsewhere in Europe), who require linguistic skills for professional and social integration. Learners have different levels of preparation and different backgrounds. Research goals include the development of AI-based tools for personalized teaching, i.e., exactly suitable for the current level of competency of each individual learner. This implies detailed and accurate learner modeling, learning analytics and assessment of the learner's skills, on a continual basis. The projects cooperate with an international network of collaborators.

Position Description

• Conduct foundational and applied research on explainability and trust in language models.
• Develop methods to evaluate, interpret, and improve how LLMs detect and represent potential threats or risk scenarios.
• Collaborate closely with project research teams and external partners, including interdisciplinary groups.
• Implement algorithms and data analysis (e.g., using PyTorch, JAX, transformers).
• Publish papers at premier AI/ML/NLP venues and domain-related conferences.
• Present results at academic conferences and workshops.

Requirements

• A PhD degree (or imminent completion expected) in Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• Experience with and strong interest in NLP, large-language models, explainability.
• Demonstrated programming skills in Python, ideally including frameworks, such as PyTorch and HuggingFace Transformers.
• Prior peer-reviewed publications (required for postdoctoral appointment).
• Excellent oral and written communication in English.

Salary & Benefits

Starting salary: ~3 700-4 400 EUR/month before taxes, consistent with salary scales of the University of Helsinki.

Comprehensive employee benefits including occupational health care, health insurance, sports facilities, and professional development support. In Finnish universities, the teaching and research staff (app. 65% of total staff) have a special system regarding the free time equivalent to holiday. They belong to the 1,612 annual working hour system, in which the annual amount of paid holiday is app. 5-6 weeks on average per year. The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by the University of Helsinki. The university is an internationally renowned research university offering a wide range of staff benefits, including occupational health care and health insurance, flexible working hours, excellent campus sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. International Staff Services support for relocation and settling in Finland.

Diversity & Inclusion

The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of genders, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and minorities. A diverse and equitable study and work culture is important to us. That is why we do our best to promote an inclusive university community. We encourage all qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for our positions.