The Natural Language Learning & Generation (NLLG) Group (Prof. Dr. Steffen Eger; https://nl2g.github.io/) at the Department of Computer Science and AI at UTN is currently offering an opening for a fully funded postdoctoral or doctoral research opportunity (100% position – TVL E13 - up to 3 years) on the topic:
LLM-based Analysis of Social Biases over Time and Languages
We are seeking a highly motivated and talented individual to join our dynamic and international research team and contribute to cutting-edge research in the interdisciplinary field of Social Bias Analysis and Understanding (over time and across different languages) using Natural Language Processing techniques (particularly, Large Language Models). The focus of the research will be on, firstly, processing of data (especially political debates and social media) over time (1950s-2020s) and across different languages (German, English, Italian, Czech). Secondly, we will develop manual and automatic, LLM-based annotation schemes in order to infer fine-grained social biases, e.g., relating to gender and migration status in the data. Thirdly, we will explore how biases have evolved in the four languages mentioned and over time. The project is part of the “HistoBias” DFG research grant and will involve two further PhD/postdoctoral students supervised by Prof. Simone Ponzetto (University of Mannheim) and Prof. Daniela Grunow (Goethe University Frankfurt), respectively.
Your tasks:
- Research at the NLLG Lab at UTN
- Collaboration with other researchers
- Publication of your research results at top-quality conferences and journals
Your profile:
- An outstanding Master or Doctoral degree in Natural Language Processing, Computational Linguistics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Quantitative Social Science or a related field.
- A strong background and genuine interest in NLP, machine learning and interdisciplinary research, involving NLP and the social sciences.
- Proficiency in Python and familiarity with machine learning frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow and good handling of LLMs.
- Strong mathematical, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
- Effective communication and presentation abilities in English are also a decisive advantage. An extra advantage are good language skills in German, Italian and Czech.
Questions?
For the position supervised by Prof. Eger, please direct all inquiries regarding scientific content to steffen.eger@utn.de. For general questions, contact stars@utn.de.
For the position supervised by Prof. Ponzetto, please direct all inquiries regarding scientific content to ponzetto@uni-mannheim.de.
Interested?
If your profile matches the requirements, please apply and upload the following documents:
- A personal statement that explains why you are suitable for this research area and why you want to pursue a doctorate at UTN (one page)
- A complete, chronological, tabular curriculum vitae (CV) in English
- Certificates of your university degrees (M.Sc. degree and B.Sc. degree) or other equivalent qualification
- Transcript of records, diploma supplements, or overview of courses from your university degrees (M.Sc. degree and B.Sc. degree)
- Master and/or dissertation thesis
Please submit your application via this portal as well as jobs@informatik.uni-mannheim.de (one PDF with the above mentioned documents) with the corresponding reference number.
A selected number of candidates will be invited for an interview and a small coding/discussion project.
You can apply until 25.06.2025.
Please note: If your degrees (M.Sc. and B.Sc.) were obtained abroad, you must always submit the original version along with a translation into English or German by a certified translator, bearing an official seal, as a single combined document. Documents originally issued in English do not require a translation.
Please note: Travel expenses and any other costs related to the application process cannot be reimbursed.