PhD Candidate within Probabilistic Methods for Generative AI

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NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

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About the position

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

The research focus of this position will be in probabilistic methods for Generative AI. We aim to develop generative AI methods that are applicable for data types beyond text and images (e.g., dynamic graphs), and the successful candidate will be given high level of independence when it comes to selecting what research directions within the area that are considered interesting. Possible directions include (but are not limited to):

• Personalized Generative AI, including privacy issues
• How to ensure that Generative AI systems behave ethically, including how to achieve fairness and unbiasedness when appropriate
• Explainability and transparency for Generative AI systems
• Approaches to improve data efficiency, e.g., encoding a priori knowledge into the generative process
• Generative AI for decision support
• Industrial applications of Generative AI

The research of this position will be conducted in collaboration with industry partners in the geographic region. 
Your immediate leader will be the Head of the Norwegian Open AI Lab. 

Duties of the position

• Conducting research within topics described above, in collaboration with the supervisors and other members of the research group.
• Test and evaluate the solution in simulated and real environments.
• Disseminate results through publications and presentations.

The main supervisor will be Prof. Helge Langseth, and the candidate is also expected to work together with other researchers in his group and industrial partners of the Norwegian Open AI Lab.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in algorithms, machine learning, database systems, or data mining, with a research-oriented master’s thesis.
• Very good programming skills using Python and/or Julia.
• Have excellent skills in mathematics and probabilistic AI.
• Good written and oral English language skills.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• Master's students in their final year can apply, but the master's degree must be completed by July 2025.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Computer Science .

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

As a result of the new Act relating to universities and university colleges with associated regulations of 01.08.2024, NTNU has, during a transitional period (for decisions on employment in recruitment positions before 1 August 2025), chosen to use the terms of employment in the old regulations of 31 January 2006 no. 102 on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, scientific assistant and specialist candidate.

Preferred selection criteria

• Good theoretical understanding of Generative AI algorithms like diffusion and flow matching.
• Experience with implementation of probabilistic AI methods; provide link to GitHub/GitLab or similar.  
• To simplify collaboration with local industry partners, it is preferred (but not required) that the successful candidate has good written and oral Norwegian language skills

Personal characteristics

• Acquires new knowledge quickly, and can use existing knowledge in new ways
• Enjoy working in a team-based environment, but also be able to conduct independent activities and thinking
• Be highly motivated to publish in academic conferences and journals within the area of the position

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality. 

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK  536 200,-  per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 3 years. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Computer Science within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance withthe principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English. 

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include: 

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• CV
•  Copy of Master's thesis (PDF). If you have recently submitted your Master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• A research interest description. The applicant should indicate which of the topics of the position that is of main interest, and the research interest description should be in the context of this chosen topic.  It should include a short presentation of the motivation for a PhD study, suitability for the position and the applicant’s view towards research challenges as well as the theoretical and methodological approach to the challenges.  This document should be between 2 and 3 pages long. 
• Publications etc. other relevant research work (if any)
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Helge Langseth, e-mail: helge.langseth@ntnu.no . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR at IDI, e-mail: hr@IDI.ntnu.no . 

Application deadline: 22.04.2025.

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.