Three PhD Student Positions in Generative Information Retrieval

Are you interested in cutting-edge research at the intersection of large language models, deep learning, and information retrieval? The Information Retrieval Lab (IRLab) at the University of Amsterdam is looking for PhD candidates to join our research team and contribute to the development of next-generation retrieval systems based on generative models.

Join us!
We are seeking highly motivated PhD candidates to work on topics in Generative Information Retrieval (GenIR), a new and rapidly evolving retrieval paradigm where generative models are used to directly generate document identifiers given a user query. This paradigm departs from traditional multi-stage retrieval pipelines and instead integrates the indexing and retrieval process into a single, end-to-end generative model. As such, GenIR models are able to more deeply interact with the underlying corpus, enabling enhanced reasoning, adaptability, and performance in real-world scenarios.
These positions are embedded within the Information Retrieval Lab (IRLab), under the supervision of Maarten de Rijke. They are part of a broader research effort to establish a principled foundation for GenIR and are funded by the European Research Council under grant agreement no. 101201510 (UNITE).

What are you going to do?
Generative information retrieval (GenIR) is an emerging retrieval paradigm where generative models directly produce document identifiers in response to a query, enabling a tight integration of retrieval and generation. While there are promising applications in both academic and industrial settings, several important open challenges remain. These include out-of-distribution performance, low-resource settings, reliability, dynamic settings, and transparency.

Tasks and responsibilities
You will:

• Conduct research within the scope of the PhD project;
• Complete and defend a PhD thesis within the official appointment duration (four years);
• Publish your research in international conferences and journals;
• Present your work to both scientific and non-scientific audiences;
• Be an active member of the research group and participate in internal and external research activities;
• Contribute to teaching activities, such as mentoring students and giving guest lectures.

What we ask of you
We are looking for enthusiastic and curious candidates who meet the following profile:

• Educational background: You hold (or are close to obtaining) a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a closely related discipline;
• Interests: You should have a strong interest in deep learning and information retrieval. (This point is about your motivation, not about the courses you have taken.)
• Programming skills: You have strong programming skills and experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow);
• Teamwork and independence: You are motivated to contribute to open science and reproducible research. And you are able to work both independently and as part of a team;
• Communication skills: You have strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

Prior experience with large language models, generative methods, and/or retrieval tasks is advantageous but not required.

What we offer
We offer a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months, and after satisfactory evaluation, it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is in early to mid-2026. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance at courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching and tutoring undergraduates and master's students.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,059 to € 3,881 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD Candidate is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

In addition to the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park, we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on full-time) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff, time management, handling stress, and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks of birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility of setting up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two-thirds of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

If you are curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

Where you will work
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

The research of the Information Retrieval Lab Amsterdam (IRLab) focuses on information retrieval: technology to connect people to information. We work on search engines, on recommender systems, and on conversational assistants. There is a heavy emphasis on data-driven methods, for understanding content, for analyzing and predicting user behavior, and for make sense of context. We combine fundamental, experimental, and applied research, and we do so by using a broad range of data: text, images, structured information. We are involved in many projects with other groups, both within and outside academia. Our research is funded by NWO, KNAW, the EU and through a range of public-private partnerships. We are strong believers of pursuing great science with great societal impact, and value an entrepreneurial spirit.

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below. We accept applications until and including 31 October 2025. Applications should include the following information (all files besides your CV should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• a letter of motivation;
• a list of publications;
• the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure.
(for details: national knowlenational knowledge security guidelinesdge security guidelines)

Please use the CV field to upload your resume as a separate pdf document. Use the Cover Letter field to upload the other requested documents, including the motivation letter, as one single pdf file. Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.

Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• Prof. dr. Maarten de Rijke
• m.derijke@uva.nl