Natural Language Processing Research Fellow (Thai Language Specialist)

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY; Singapore; On-site; SGD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution in Singapore is seeking a passionate Research Fellow to advance the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP). You will lead research on multilingual large language models, mentor researchers, and develop innovative solutions for under-represented languages in Southeast Asia. Candidates must hold a PhD in a relevant field, demonstrate a strong publication record, and have expertise in NLP technologies. This role offers an exciting opportunity to make impactful contributions in a rapidly evolving area of research.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Linguistics, AI, or a related field focused on NLP.
• Strong publication record in top-tier NLP conferences and journals.
• Experience conducting research involving Southeast Asian languages.

Responsibilities

• Lead research initiatives in LLMs and NLP.
• Define research direction within the team.
• Mentor AI Researchers and guide experiments.

Skills

NLP research experience

Fluency in Southeast Asian languages

Experience with PyTorch

Knowledge of Hugging Face Transformers

Strong publication track record

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Cloud computing platforms

Job description

AI Singapore (AISG) is a national AI programme launched by the National Research Foundation (NRF) to anchor deep national capabilities in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The programme office is hosted by the Nanyang Technological University and brings together all Singapore-based research institutions and the vibrant ecosystem of AI start-ups and companies developing AI products to perform use-inspired research, grow the knowledge, create the tools, and develop the talent to power Singapore's AI efforts.

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented Research Fellow to join our team and contribute to cutting-edge research in multilingual Large Language Models (LLMs) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), with a specific focus on Southeast Asian languages. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a dynamic and rapidly evolving field, pushing the boundaries of language technology and making a real impact on under-represented languages.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead research initiatives in pre-training, post-training, alignment, or evaluation
• Define research direction and roadmap within the Hub team
• Design and execute experiments; establish rigorous evaluation frameworks
• Mentor AI Researchers; guide experiment design and research methodology; translate research findings into production-ready improvements for SEA-LION models
• Publish papers, present at conferences, and represent AISG in the research community
• Collaborate with Engineering to ensure research outputs are deployable
• May lead smaller research teams or cross-functional initiatives; accountable for research leadership and advancing model capabilities

Job Requirements

• PhD in Computer Science, Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field, with a focus on NLP or machine learning.
• Strong publication track record in top-tier NLP conferences (e.g., ACL, EMNLP, NAACL) and journals (e.g., TACL, JAIR).
• Demonstrated experience in conducting NLP research involving Southeast Asian languages.
• Native fluency in at least one major Southeast Asian language (e.g., Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino/Tagalog). Fluency in multiple Southeast Asian languages is highly preferred.
• Strong hands‑on experience with PyTorch and Hugging Face Transformers library.
• Proven ability to train and fine‑tune large language models using GPUs.
• Strong understanding of machine learning and deep learning concepts.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Comfortable operating in a rapidly evolving field of research.
• Highly motivated and passionate about NLP and multilingual research.
• Excellent team player with strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines.
• Strong publication record and demonstrated research impact.
• Deep expertise in LLM training, alignment, or evaluation.
• Ability to balance research exploration with practical delivery.

Bonus

• Knowledge of computational linguistics and phonetics.
• Experience with cloud‑based computing platforms.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.