PhD position: Combining Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs

The Learning and Reasoning Group (L&R, https://lr.cs.vu.nl/) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers a for a fully-funded, four year PhD position in the the MSCA European Doctoral Network LEMUR (LEarning with MUltiple Representations) under the supervision of Prof. Frank van Harmelen and Dr. Jan-Christoph Kalo.

The Large Language Models (LLMs) that have emerged in recent years have shown impressive performance in a variety of tasks, but they also fail in many, and often unpredictable ways. The hypothesis underlying this PhD position is that LLMs and Knowledge Graphs have complementary strengths and weaknesses. The goal of this project is to design a set of empirically well-grounded methods for combining LLMs and KGs, in both directions: the use of LLMs to complement the incomplete knowledge in KGs, and the use of KGs to improve the unsound answers that are often produced by LLMs. Furthermore, KGs and LLMs may create a mutually beneficial construction cycle: using KGs to specialize pre-trained LLMs to a specific domain, and using LLMs to increase the coverage of KGs.

Your duties

• Research on natural language processing and knowledge graphs.
• Development of methods that combine LLMs and KGs.
• Publishing your results towards obtaining a PhD degree.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts €2,541 (PhD) per month during the first year and increases to €3,247 (PhD) per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile (promovendus) is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The preferred starting date is 1 July 2023 or earlier.

The appointment will initially be for 18 months. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a 2,5 years. (total duration 4 years)

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment,
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus,
• good paid parental leave scheme,
• contribution to commuting expenses,
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor - from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

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