The Human-Centered Data Science group led by Prof. Lisa Beinborn at the University of Göttingen is seeking to fill a full-time research position (PhD candidate, all genders welcome) at the earliest possible date, starting September 2025 (position open until filled). The position is funded for a duration of three years (Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L, 100%). The position is based in Göttingen, Germany.

Our interdisciplinary research group, affiliated with the Institute of Computer Science and CIDAS, focuses on cross-lingual, human-centered NLP.
The PhD project – The Unit of Representation in Multilingual Language Modelling (URML) – explores how different ways of breaking language into units – like characters, phonemes, or bytes – affect the performance of multilingual language models. Because most NLP tools are built with English in mind, they often struggle with structurally different languages. This research aims to develop fairer, more adaptable models that work better across a wide range of languages.
It is a DFG-funded collaboration with the University of Leuven (Miryam de Lhoneux).

Responsibilities

• Conducting innovative research in the DFG-funded project
• Active collaboration with project partners at the University of Leuven (Belgium)
• Communication of research results in peerreviewed proceedings and journals and presentation at international research conferences
• Co-supervision of student theses and contributions to the research group’s academic activities
• Participation in interdisciplinary initiatives within the Institute of Computer Science and Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS)

Your Profile

• Strong Master’s degree in computational linguistics, computer science, cognitive science, or a related field
• Proven experience or strong interest in natural language processing
• Solid programming and analytical skills; experience with large-scale experiments on GPUs is a plus
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams
• Strong written and spoken English skills; knowledge of other languages (including German) is beneficial

We explicitly encourage applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The University of Göttingen is committed to fostering gender equality and welcomes applications from qualified women in fields where they are underrepresented. We support a family-friendly working environment and strive to improve the participation of individuals with disabilities. Applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preference if equally qualified.

Have we sparked your interest?
Then please send your application as a single PDF file (max. 500 kB), including

• a motivation letter (1 page)
• your CV
• copies of relevant certificates (including a transcript of records)
• and a page linking to a sample of your work (e.g., thesis, code repository, publication) with a short explanation

via e-mail to: lisa.beinborn@uni-goettingen.de
Deadline: June 6, 2025

Note: By submitting your application, you consent to the processing of your data in accordance with data protection regulations. More information on the legal basis and data usage can be found here: https://uni-goettingen.de/GDPR

Full job description available at: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/644546.html?&details=3091