Start date: 01 September 2025
Advertised on: 11 October 2024
/ Application deadline: 26 November 2024
The Research Training Group 2853 “Neuroexplicit Models of Language, Vision, and Action” is looking for
Twelve PhD students - Fall 2025
Neuroexplicit models combine neural and human-interpretable (“explicit”) models in order to overcome the limitations that each model class has separately. They include neurosymbolic models, which combine neural and symbolic models, but also e.g. combinations of neural and physics-based models. In the RTG, we will improve the state of the art in natural language processing (“Language”), computer vision (“Vision”), and planning and reinforcement learning (“Action”) through the use of neuroexplicit models and investigate the cross-cutting design principles of effective neuroexplicit models (“Foundations”).
The RTG is scheduled to grow to a total of 24 PhD students and one postdoc by 2025. An excellent and international group of twelve PhD students and one postdoc have already joined the RTG. Through the inclusion of ~20 associated PhD students and postdocs funded from other sources, it will be one of the largest research centers on neuroexplicit or neurosymbolic models in the world.
The RTG brings together researchers at Saarland University, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). All of these institutions are colocated on the same campus in Saarbrücken, Germany.
The positions will be funded for up to four years at the TV-L E13 100% pay scale. The positions are intended to start in September 2025, but could start a little earlier or later depending on the student’s availability. You should have or be about to complete an MSc degree in computer science or a related field and have demonstrated expertise in one of the research areas of the RTG, e.g. through an excellent Master’s thesis or relevant publications.
The RTG is part of the Saarland Informatics Campus, one of the leading centers for research in computer science, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing in Europe. The Saarland Informatics Campus brings together 900 researchers and 2500 students from 81 countries. The CISPA Helmholtz Center, located on the same campus, is home to an additional 350 researchers and on track to grow to 800 by 2026. Researchers at SIC and CISPA are part of the ELLIS network and have been awarded more than 40 ERC grants.
Each PhD student in the RTG will be jointly supervised by two PhD advisors from among the Principal Investigators. Each student will freely define their own research topic; we encourage the choice of topics that cross the traditional boundaries of research fields. Students may be affiliated with Saarland University or with one of the participating institutes.
Please send your application by 26 November 2024 to apply@neuroexplicit.org. Include the reference number W2543. We aim to conduct job interviews in January 2025, ideally in person in Saarbrücken, Germany. Please see the FAQ for details on the selection process and what materials to include in your application.
The legally binding version of this job ad is here.
Start date: 01 January 2025
Advertised on: 11 October 2024
/ Application deadline: 17 November 2024
The Research Training Group 2853 “Neuroexplicit Models of Language, Vision, and Action” is looking for a
Coordinator (E13 75%)
In the RTG 2853, up to 24 PhD students will develop new methods in artificial intelligence for processing natural language, images, and videos and for action planning (e.g. self-driving cars). Unlike purely neural methods such as ChatGPT, the models we develop will combine neural and human-interpretable methods and thus make artificial intelligence more reliable, efficient, and trustworthy.
The RTG is run jointly by Saarland University and four world-class research institutes on campus: the Max Planck Institutes for Informatics and for Software Systems, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security. We are hiring a very international group of excellent PhD students who are growing into a tight-knit community through an intensive qualification program.
The coordinator will be a central hub of all activities in the RTG. They will be responsible for all operational aspects of the RTG and its strategic development, in order to ensure that the PhD students will have the best possible conditions for their research and their personal development. The coordinator will report to the RTG speaker (Prof. Dr. Alexander Koller) and be supported by the RTG secretary and student assistants.
The coordinator will receive a contract until September 2028, the end of the current funding period of the RTG. If the RTG is renewed, the position can be extended for another four years. The position will be paid at the TV-L E13 75% pay scale.
The coordinator’s responsibilities include:
Here’s what we expect from you:
Please send your application by 06 November 2024 to bewerbungen@uni-saarland.de. Include the reference number “N2014”. We aim to conduct job interviews in November and fill the position as quickly as possible.
The legally binding version of this job ad is here.