Postdoc in Mechanistic Understanding of AI Reasoning at University of Copenhagen

We are seeking to recruit a postdoctoral researcher to work on understanding the mechanisms of AI reasoning. Their core duty will be to advance our understanding of how LLMs acquire, integrate and reason over evolving, pluralistic knowledge using mechanistic interpretability methods. This can involve the development of novel conceptual frameworks, methods, or empirical studies. The postdoc’s duties will also to a small degree include teaching or supervision.

The position is offered in the context of the context of an ERC Starting Grant held by Isabelle Augenstein on ‘Explainable and Robust Automatic Fact Checking (ExplainYourself)’, as well the Pioneer Centre for AI.

The position will be offered from 1 February 2027 or as close to this date as possible, for a period of two years, with the possibility of extension contingent on funding availability.

Who are we looking for?
Applicants should hold a PhD degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related field, and have good written and oral English skills. The assessment of qualifications will also be made based on previous scientific publications and relevant work experience. The ideal candidate would have an educational background, prior research or work experience on Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and/or Explainable AI.  
 

Our group and research -- and what do we offer?
The successful candidate will join the CopeNLU group at the University of Copenhagen. CopeNLU is a vibrant and collaborative research group led by Isabelle Augenstein and Pepa Atanasova with a focus on fair and accountable NLP. We are interested in core methodology research on interpretability, explainability and bias detection; as well as applications to tasks such as fact checking and cross-cultural learning. With a strong focus on both foundational and applied research, we provide a platform for exploring cutting-edge topics in NLP, while also emphasising the importance of transparent and responsible AI development.

We are affiliated with the Pioneer Centre for AI at the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen, located in central Copenhagen. The Pioneer Centre focuses on fundamental AI research, and within an interdisciplinary framework, develops platforms, methods, and practices that address society’s greatest challenges. It consists of seven AI research themes, with one being Speech and Language. The Natural Language Processing research environment at the University of Copenhagen is internationally leading, as e.g. evidenced by it being ranked second in Europe according to CSRankings.