Postdoctoral position in Machine Learning for the Humanities at the Faculty

at  KU HUM Fakultetet

The Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites applications for a postdoctoral position in Machine Learning with a focus on Large Language Models and Generative AI applications in the Humanities, available from 1 April 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The position is a fixed term position for 2 years .

INTRODUCTION

Rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) start having an impact in the Humanities. Large Language Models (LLMs) and other Generative AI techniques hold the promise of allowing for scaling up the processing and access to digital cultural heritage. A wide array of previously unthinkable applications are now within reach. We are looking for a talented and ambitious postdoctoral researcher, with or without previous experience in the role, who can combine independent research with team collaboration. You will have the opportunity to research, develop and validate impactful AI applications at the forefront of Humanities research, and publish in top venues as part of a growing and dynamic group.
The University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Humanities is launching an ambitious new agenda focused on Digital and Computational Humanities. A new Center for supporting research in Digital and Computational Humanities is being opened as part of this initiative, staffed with senior software and machine learning engineers, and data scientists. The Centre has the goal of fostering and supporting computational research across all the Faculty of Humanities.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
More information on careers at UCPH and the requirement for the different academic positions is available on: Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk) .
For more about Postdoc positions and qualification requirements, please see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk).

We are looking for a candidate with:

• a completed (by the start of the appointment) PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, Digital and Computational Humanities, or related fields ;
• a demonstrable experience in the development of research software or AI applications;
• strong Python skills;
• an interest in cultural heritage or any domain in the Humanities;
• a strong academic performance in university-level courses in the relevant subjects, and excellent research skills demonstrated by an outstanding doctoral thesis;
• a strong cooperative attitude and interest in working collaboratively with other researchers and external stakeholders;
• a professional command of English and good presentation skills.

Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience of research management. In addition, the applicant’s research potential will be assessed in relation to the overall job content described above.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Postdoc will join Professor Colavizza at the Department of Communication and be seconded at the Center. The Postdoc is to lead in the research, development, and evaluation of novel AI applications in support of Humanities research. The focus will be on applications developed using the latest Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI techniques. The specific topic is left open to match the interests of the researcher. Topics of interest include:

• Pushing the boundary in the automatic text recognition of printed and handwritten primary sources using LLMs.
• Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) applications, for example to support sifting and better understanding scholarly literature, and for reliably querying large collections of primary sources.
• Agent orchestration systems to query cultural heritage collections across the endpoints of different organizations and their collections.
• Automatic metadata generation for the fast indexation of cultural heritage artefacts, primary and secondary sources.
• Developing benchmarks and probing what LLMs know about Humanities knowledge and cultural heritage.

Every application poses distinct challenges and open research questions. Therefore, a significant component of research and development is expected. Furthermore, emphasis is put on the evaluation of results (e.g., by developing novel benchmarks) and the open-source publication of the outcomes. The candidates are encouraged to state their preferred topics and/or propose their own topics of interest.

YOUR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

You are expected to:

• conduct independent research on any of the above topics, drawing on approaches from Machine Learning/AI, Digital/Computational Humanities, and relevant Humanities disciplines;
• publish and present research results in leading international conferences and journals;
• participate in the Center’s relevant activities and other relevant networks.

This position is fully focused on research, there will be no teaching obligations.