PhD Candidate: Semantics, Pragmatics and Large Language Models
You cannot apply for this job anymore (deadline was 3 Mar ’24)
Academic fields
Language and culture
Job types
PhD; Research, development, innovation; Education
Education level
University graduate
Weekly hours
40 hours per week
Salary indication
€2770—€3539 per month
Are you interested in understanding the linguistic abilities and limitations of recent chatbots? Do you hold a Master's degree in Philosophy, Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, or a closely related discipline, or are you close to obtaining such a degree? Are you a creative and independent thinker who is passionate about language and science? If so, we encourage you to apply as a PhD candidate!
Recent years have seen remarkable progress in the fluency of chatbots (e.g. Chat GPT), spurred on by the development of large language models. In this PhD project, you will systematically investigate the linguistic abilities and limitations of these large language models. In particular, you will study to what extent recent chatbots understand linguistic meaning and language use. You will explain your findings on the basis of a thorough understanding of the technical architecture of large language models, and connect to recent theories of semantics and pragmatics. The ultimate goal of your project is to provide a fundamental understanding of the prospects of computerised communication.
You will participate in relevant conferences, workshops and seminars, and communicate your findings through publications in proceedings and peer-reviewed journals. Besides your research, you will have a standard 10% teaching load to help you develop your teaching skills and further qualify for a career as an independent academic researcher. You will also have the opportunity to further develop your skill set by attending courses that are relevant for your project and general development.
Fixed-term contract: You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract) or 3.5 years (5 year contract).
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