Fully Funded PhD & Postdoctoral Positions in Rational Machine Learning – CISPA, Germany

Summary

The Rational Intelligence Lab (RI Lab) at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, Saarbrücken, Germany, is inviting applications for multiple fully funded PhD and postdoctoral positions in Rational Machine Learning. Research opportunities cover rational and reliable AI, metacognitive AI, epistemic machine learning, uncertainty quantification, causality, incentive-aware learning, human-AI collaboration, and related areas.

The positions are full-time employment positions with competitive salaries under the German E13 TVöD-Bund pay scale, along with extensive employee benefits. The working language is English, and knowledge of German is not required.

Designation

• PhD Researcher / Doctoral Researcher
• Postdoctoral Researcher

Research Area

• Rational Machine Learning
• Machine Learning & Economic Theory
• Metacognitive AI
• Mathematical Machine Learning
• Artificial Intelligence Safety and Trustworthiness
• Uncertainty Quantification
• Probability and Statistics
• Causal Machine Learning
• Incentive-Aware Machine Learning
• Distributed & Collaborative Learning
• Human-AI Collaboration
• Learning from Preference and Choice Data
• Learning in Games
• Epistemic Machine Learning
• Kernel Methods
• Foundation Models and AI Agents

Location

Saarbrücken, Germany
CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
Saarbrücken is located in the tri-border region of Germany, France, and Luxembourg.

Available Positions

Eligibility / Qualification

For PhD Positions:

• Strong Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field.
• Strong foundation in machine learning and probabilistic modelling.
• Good programming skills for the metacognitive AI PhD position.
• Strong background or interest in mathematical machine learning, probability/statistics, kernel methods, uncertainty quantification, or related areas for relevant projects.
• Applicants should demonstrate strong research potential and interest in theoretical and/or applied AI research.

For Postdoctoral Positions:

• A completed PhD in a relevant field.
• Strong expertise in mathematical machine learning, probability/statistics, uncertainty quantification, or related areas for the Metacognitive AI project.
• Relevant research experience aligned with the proposed research topic.

International applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. English is the working language, and German is not required.

Scholarship / Funding Description

Although described as PhD and postdoctoral positions, these are full-time salaried research positions rather than traditional scholarships.

Researchers will be employed and paid according to the E13 scale of the German federal collective salary agreement (TVöD-Bund).

Salary: Approximately €4,000–€6,000 gross per month, depending on relevant experience and based on a 39-hour working week.

Additional benefits include:

• Approximately 6 weeks of paid annual leave
• Annual special payment according to the collective agreement
• Paid sick leave
• Maternity and parental leave
• Pension scheme
• Possibility of working from home within Germany
• German language courses
• Funding for research equipment
• Financial support for attending international conferences
• Opportunities for collaboration with CISPA research groups and international research partners
• Opportunity for a six-month research visit to Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore for the Epistemic Machine Learning with Kernels PhD project

Research Opportunities

1. Rational Machine Learning – Open Topic

Three PhD/postdoctoral positions are available. Candidates can develop research topics jointly with the research group based on their interests and expertise.

Possible topics include:

• Out-of-distribution generalization
• Causality
• Incentive-aware machine learning
• Distributed and collaborative learning
• Imprecise probabilistic machine learning
• Human-AI collaboration
• Learning from preferences and choice data
• Learning in games

2. Metacognitive AI

One PhD and one postdoctoral position are available.

The project aims to develop AI systems with improved metacognitive capabilities, particularly for enhancing their trustworthiness, safety, efficiency, uncertainty assessment, calibration, abstention, and safe decision-making.

3. Epistemic Machine Learning with Kernels

One PhD position focuses on combining Hilbert space embeddings of distributions with imprecise probabilities to develop new approaches for representing and quantifying epistemic uncertainty.

The project includes research on:

• Hilbert-space representations of credal sets
• Empirical estimation
• Statistical inference
• Uncertainty quantification
• Kernel credal representations

How to Apply

Applicants should submit their complete application by email to:

ri-recruitment@cispa.de

The application should include:

1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
3. Academic transcripts
4. Personal or research statement

PhD applicants may also apply through the ELLIS PhD Program and select Krikamol Muandet as their preferred main supervisor.

Last Date for Apply

Open until filled

Applications are accepted until the positions are filled, so interested candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Research Institution: CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, Saarbrücken, Germany
Research Group: Rational Intelligence Lab (RI Lab)
Application Email: ri-recruitment@cispa.de

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