PhD Candidate in Machine Learning for Official Statistics

About the SnT

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character.

The  Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust ( SnT ) at the University of Luxembourg is a leading international research and innovation centre in secure, reliable and trustworthy ICT systems and services.

We play an instrumental role in Europe by fueling innovation through research partnerships with industry, boosting R&D investments leading to economic growth, and attracting highly qualified talent. We look for researchers from diverse academic backgrounds to contribute to our projects in areas such as : Network Security, Information Assurance, Model-driven Security, Cloud Computing, Cryptography, Satellite Systems, Vehicular Networks, and ICT Services & Applications.

Your role

As the successful candidate, you will primarily contribute to a partnership project with STATEC, the National Statistics Institute in Luxembourg. The successful candidate will join the Security, Reasoning and Validation (Serval) research group and work on a research project related to the application of machine learning for official statistics. The subject of the thesis will be "Exploring Large Language Models for Data-to-Text Problems" and involves the study of technical methods and approaches for adapting large language models to tasks mixing text and structured data, such as statistical report generation and semantic search across historical statistics publications. Successful PhD candidates will extensively explore and analyse the suitability and potential benefits of LLMs (and other machine learning models) in these tasks. These investigations include the feasibility, practicality and success evaluation of prototype implementations. More generally, the PhD thesis is part of a large initiative at Serval and SnT, which aims to support the reliable deployment of machine learning systems by providing industry actors with practical tools.

The team you will be working with :

• Dr. Maxime Cordy (supervisor)

The position holder will be required to perform the following tasks / will do research on the following topics :

PhD Student Role : Under the direction of their supervisor, the candidate will carry out research activities and write a thesis with the main goal of obtain a PhD in the area of machine learning. This includes conducting literature surveys and establishing state-of-the-art; developing necessary experimental and simulation facilities where required; planning, executing, and analyzing experiments and simulations; conducting joint and independent research activities; contributing to project deliverables, milestones, demonstrations, and meetings; disseminating results at international scientific conferences / workshops and peer reviewed scientific publications.

For further information, please contact Dr. Maxime Cordy

Your profile

Language Skills : Fluent written and verbal communication skills in English are required. French is a plus

We offer

How to apply

Applications should include :

Early application is highly encouraged, as the applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply ONLINE formally through the HR system. Applications by Email will not be considered.

The University of Luxembourg is committed to achieving gender parity among its staff. Should candidates present equivalent profiles, preference will be given to female candidates in all departments where gender parity is not yet achieved.

The University of Luxembourg embraces inclusion and diversity as key values. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

General information :

The yearly gross salary for every PhD at the UL is EUR 41976 (full time).