Postdoctoral Fellow in NLP: Preference Learning for LLMs

About the position

Integreat – the Norwegian Centre for Knowledge-driven Machine Learning at the University of Oslo – invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in preference learning for LLMs. We seek a motivated researcher who values collaboration, inclusivity, and impact, and who will contribute to a supportive, interdisciplinary research environment with a strong focus on mentoring and career development.

Starting date: upon individual appointment and no later than 1 October 2026.

The appointment is a fulltime position at the Department of Informatics and is for a period of three years. Depending on the candidate and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended for either compulsory work consisting of e.g., teaching and supervision duties and research assistance up to four years.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

Place of work is Integreat – Norwegian Centre for Knowledge-driven Machine Learning at Blindern, University of Oslo.

About the project

The intended focus of the position is to advance the research on preference learning for LLMs, including the use of synthetic data, and in particular for data-constrained settings. We welcome applicants with a strong background in NLP and practical experience with LLM development; experience in statistical modelling is an advantage. The project involves close interdisciplinary collaboration between statisticians and NLP researchers at Integreat.

The position is also affiliated with the Language Technology Group (LTG) at the UiO Department of Informatics (IFI). LTG is an international and diverse group, with research targeting a broad range of areas within NLP, including training and benchmarking of large language models (LLMs). The research profile of the group is heavily machine-learning oriented and the group has access to excellent HPC infrastructure. For more information about LTG, please see: http://www.mn.uio.no/ifi/english/research/groups/ltg/

The successful applicant will benefit from close collaboration across disciplines and access to diverse application areas through the joint environment of Integreat and LTG.

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period. Professional development plan for postdoctoral research fellows - The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. 

Integreat provides a researcher training programme, INTREF — the Integreat Young Researchers’ Forum — a fellow driven initiative offering scientific training, transferable skills workshops, mentorship, research visits, and career development support.

What skills are important in this role?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Qualification requirements:

• The candidate must have a PhD degree (or other corresponding education equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree) in Natural Language Processing, or in Computer Science with a clearly NLP-based dissertation.
• The doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated research excellence in NLP, evidenced by publications in top‑tier peer‑reviewed NLP conferences or journals.
• The candidate must demonstrate broad knowledge of core NLP tasks.
• The candidate must have comprehensive knowledge of contemporary neural machine learning techniques and architectures in NLP, both in terms of theoretical understanding and practical experience, including fine-tuning of Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Strong programming skills and implementation experience

Desired qualifications:

• Background in statistics or experience with large-scale ML experimentation (HPC) is beneficial.
• Experience mentoring students, collaborative research, and reproducible ML practices are valued.

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

Personal skills 

We seek motivated candidates who:  

• are open minded and curious
• can work independently and contribute constructively to interdisciplinary teams, including collaborating across disciplines and communicating results to diverse audiences
• demonstrate strong analytical and problem solving abilities
• have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• are positive and resilient, and value inclusive teamwork and collegiality

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications.

We offer

• A unique research environment with multiple opportunities to develop research themes at the forefront of modern science
• A friendly, inclusive, and collaborative international working environment that values diverse perspectives
• Access to a strong network of top-level national and international collaborators
• A reliable and generous pension agreement, along with strong public benefits
• Comprehensive welfare schemes supporting both personal and professional well-being
• Full access to public health services through membership in the National Insurance Scheme
• A vibrant academic environment with an active and supportive research community
• Structured career development programmes at the faculty level and Integreat, and an individual professional development plan throughout the postdoctoral period. Postdoctoral development programmes.
• Mentoring and support structures tailored to early-career researchers
• Flexible working conditions, with understanding for different life situations and family responsibilities
• Research mobility funds supporting short research stays and international collaboration
• Family-friendly surroundings in Oslo and Tromsø, with rich opportunities for culture, nature, and outdoor activities
• A clear institutional commitment to gender equality and diversity, with dedicated initiatives and networks for women in science
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.  
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
• Salary in position as Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range NOK 595 000 - 690 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund

We need different perspectives in our work 

Integreat is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, guided by our INTEGREAT principles (Integrity, Non discrimination, Tact, Environment, Gratitude, Respect, Empathy, Accountability, Transparency). We embed these values in practice through inclusive hiring and structured evaluations, targeted mentoring and career development, and flexible work arrangements and accommodations to ensure everyone can thrive and contribute.

We particularly welcome applications from women and gender minorities who are underrepresented in STEM, as well as applicants with immigrant backgrounds, disabilities, non linear career paths, or career breaks. We will take career interruptions and diverse career trajectories into account during evaluation.

You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues—could you be the next one?

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports.

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.

We hope you will apply for the position with us. 

Application

The application must include:

• Cover letter describing your motivation for applying for the position, summarizing previous research experience, research interests and how own qualifications match the announced position, max. 2 pages
• CV with complete overview of education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity 
• Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
• A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for the position".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews. 

We assess applicants on the basis of qualifications and potential. We will take career breaks and non-linear career paths into account. The evaluation will be structured and applied consistently to all candidates. Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years)

No one can be appointed twice as a Postdoctoral fellow financed with funds from The Research Council of Norway (NFR).

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.