PhD on Open-Source Large Language Models

Job title:

PhD on Open-Source Large Language Models

Company:

Eindhoven University of Technology

Job description

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow.With over 110 (assistant, associate and full) professors, almost 300 PhD and EngD students, about 1500 Bachelor students and 1000 Master students, the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (M&CS) is the largest department of the TU/e. By performing top-level fundamental and applied research, and maintaining strong ties with industry, M&CS aims to contribute to science and innovation in and beyond the region.Short introductionJoin a groundbreaking project to develop next-generation, open-source multi-modal foundation models. Collaborate with top research labs and experts to create transparent, efficient, high-performing models with novel capabilities that democratize access to AI. Apply now!Job DescriptionWe are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join our research team in an ambitious 4-year project on next-generation multimodal, open-source foundation models. You’ll be part of an excellent team of scientists, covering the full spectrum from model development to evaluation and real-world use cases.SnapshotArtificial Intelligence is reshaping our world. Now you get to shape AI. This large and ambitious project aims to develop a groundbreaking family of advanced, multilingual, open source foundation models based on solid research on model architecture, data quality, scaling, generalizability, finetuning, and safety. It combines the unique expertise of leading AI companies and top academic labs to create models with stronger generalization and finetuning capabilities, as well as enhanced transparency and safety. This will be an inclusive, community-driven project designed to and foster a new wave of innovation and scientific advancement.The teamThe Automated Machine Learning team at TU Eindhoven focusses on cutting-edge research to advance the capabilities of machine learning models, while also democratizing AI and leveraging it to help humanity. We are a team of scientists and engineers who aim to deeply understand, explain, and build AI systems that learn continually and automatically assemble themselves to learn faster and better. In addition to producing highly-cited research published at top academic venues, we build models and systems that are widely used by people every day. Learn more about us here: . This work is part of a large and talented team with world-class labs and experts across Europe, supported by well-known companies with advanced knowledge of LLM development.The roleWe are looking for an exceptional researcher with a real passion for AI, with a deep understanding of the latest developments and eager to explore new avenues of research. In this role, you will design and build cutting-edge methods that will establish a family of multilingual large language models, with a special emphasis on distributed training and in-depth evaluation. We appreciate a strong empirical and theoretical understanding of deep learning and generative AI.Key Research Areas:

• Large Language model training across multiple languages, at large scale.
• Model evaluation, especially for new capabilities, generalization performance and model safety.
• Evaluation of case studies in real-world applications, also in industry settings.
• Establishing and supporting an open-source ecosystem for LLM research and development.

This research will be performed under the supervision of professor , in collaboration with several key European research labs and industrial partners.Job Requirements

• A master’s degree (or an equivalent university degree) in Computer Science or a related field.
• A research-oriented attitude.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and interested in collaborating with industrial partners.
• Experience in programming and empirical analysis in Deep Learning (e.g. in Python, PyTorch).
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level).

Conditions of EmploymentA meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment.
• Salary in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 2,901 max. € 3,707).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs on general skills, didactics and topics related to research and valorization.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children’s day care and sports facilities.
• Partially paid parental leave and an allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A

is available for international candidates, as are a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) and a compensation for moving expenses.InformationDo you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Joaquin Vanschoren, Associate Professor, .Visit our website for more information about the or the . You can also contact Anna Vettoruzzo, Postdoctoral researcher, .Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit ourApplicationWe invite you to submit a complete application using the apply-button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.Type of employment: temporary position | Contract type: full time | Number of positions: 1 | Full-time equivalent: 1.0 FTE | City: Eindhoven | County: Noord-Brabant | Country: Netherlands | Reference number: 2025/229 | Published: 2025-05-28 | Last application date: 2025-06-28

Expected salary

€2901 – 3707 per month

Location

Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant

Job date

Fri, 30 May 2025 07:10:49 GMT

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