Researcher (PhD candidate), all genders welcome

Researcher (PhD candidate), all genders welcome

The Human-Centered Data Science group led by Prof. Lisa Beinborn at the University of Göttingen (Public Law Foundation) invites applications for an open position.

The Human-Centered Data Science group is affiliated with the Institute of Computer Science and the Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS) at the University of Göttingen. Our research is inter-disciplinary at its core, and we cooperate closely with colleagues from other faculties (e.g., psychology, linguistics). We take a human-centered perspective on natural language processing and focus on cross-lingual and cognitively-inspired research questions.

Project

KIND‑LM: Cognitively‑inspired interaction dynamics for sample‑efficient language modelling.

Computational models of language can generate remarkably fluent text, but their impressive performance comes at the cost of training on trillions of tokens with unsustainable computational resources. When trained under resource constraints, such models fall short of robust linguistic generalization and often fail to adapt to unseen contexts. Human learners, by contrast, acquire language from vastly smaller input and can flexibly adapt to new communicative situations from an early age. A central difference lies in the learning signal: while human acquisition is embedded in rich social interactions, language models are typically optimised for the narrow task of next‑word prediction. This project develops a cognitively grounded approach for interactive language modelling that integrates feedback mechanisms inspired by child–caregiver communication. We propose a training set‑up in which a child model improves its linguistic competence through interaction with a more powerful parent model. Unlike existing teacher–student approaches, which assume unilateral feedback, we focus on the temporal and linguistic interaction dynamics and on the interaction initiative. We will build on our winning submission to the new interaction track of the BabyLM Challenge, which used a reinforcement loop and showed that even simplified feedback strategies can enhance functional linguistic competence without sacrificing formal accuracy. We propose to better align computational modelling with psycholinguistic evidence and systematically test cognitively more plausible interaction strategies. We will draw on mechanistic interpretability methods to better understand how interaction dynamics influence the representational structure of the model and how they can improve its ability to generalise to the long tail of the vocabulary distribution.

The project is a collaboration between Lisa Beinborn (Professor of Human‑Centered Data Science) and Nivedita Mani (Professor of Psychology of Language). It advances research on cognitively‑inspired sample‑efficient modelling and contributes to the Priority Programme LaSTing (“Robust Assessment & Safe Applicability of Language Modelling: Foundations for a New Field of Language Science & Technology”).

Profile

• In this position, you have the chance to pursue a PhD degree.
• You are expected to conduct innovative research in the context of the project.
• Collaborate with the project partners and contribute to meetings of the priority programme.
• Communicate research results in peer‑reviewed proceedings and journals, and present them at international research conferences.
• Take an active role in the co‑supervision of student theses related to the project.
• Engage in the activities and events of the research group.

Ideal candidate

• Has obtained a very good master’s degree in computer science, cognitive science, computational linguistics, machine learning, or a related discipline.
• Has gained experience with natural language processing research and demonstrates a strong interest in the psycholinguistic aspects of the project outlined above.
• Can independently acquire and process new knowledge.
• Is a team player with good communication skills and an interdisciplinary mindset.
• Has obtained strong analytical and programming skills and is committed to further developing them (experience with large‑scale experiments on GPUs is beneficial).
• Shows very good command of written and spoken English (knowledge of German and other languages is beneficial).

The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family‑friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal qualifications, applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preference. A disability or equality is to be included in the application in order to protect the interests of the applicant.

• Letter of motivation: one page, including a clear indication of why this particular position is interesting for you and what makes you a qualified candidate (no generic AI slop)
• Detailed CV
• Certificates (including a transcript of grades)
• A page containing a link to an example of your work (your most recent thesis, a publication, a code repository) and a short explanation of how this work represents your profile. If the document is not publicly available, please attach it to the pdf.

Please note: With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data‑protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in