A Postdoctoral Researcher and two Doctoral Researchers in AI and Foundation Models

Position Details

The Department of Computing is looking for one Postdoctoral Researcher and two Doctoral Researchers to join a research group of ELLIS PI, Assistant Professor Shaoxiong Ji. You will be working alongside colleagues from academia, ELLIS Institute Finland community and industry.

The research group fosters a collaborative and innovative environment with ELLIS Institute Finland and TurkuNLP, pushing the boundaries of AI and Foundation Model research with a strong emphasis on real-world impact. Our work bridges technical sophistication with real-world applications, exploring fundamental research questions in natural language processing (NLP) while building large language models (LLMs).

TurkuNLP (https://turkunlp.org) is an internationally recognized multidisciplinary research group specializing in the development of machine learning-based resources, models, and tools for NLP tasks using internet-scale data. In recent years, TurkuNLP has created several openly available Transformer-based language models, such as FinBERT and FinGPT, Finland’s leading BERT and GPT-3 models, and subsequently the Poro and Viking models. TurkuNLP was also selected as a pilot user of Europe’s largest supercomputer, LUMI, and the group has a long tradition of using high-performance computing in NLP.

ELLIS Institute Finland (https://www.ellisinstitute.fi) is a newly established world-class research hub in AI and machine learning. We are developing an ecosystem of top talents, businesses and investments in Finland, with fundamental machine learning research at the core. The Institute is part of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), which aims to build a pan-European institution for machine learning research.

Who we are looking for

We are seeking highly motivated and talented PhD Researchers and Postdoctoral Fellows to join our dynamic team. The successful candidates will contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of LLMs, Multimodal AI, and AI for Health. This position offers a unique opportunity to conduct fundamental and applied research on the next generation of AI systems for addressing critical challenges.

Research Areas of Focus:

The successful candidate will engage in research within one or more of the following areas.

LLM Post-Training Techniques: Investigating and developing advanced techniques for fine-tuning, reasoning, alignment, LLM agents, parameter-efficient fine-tuning, and knowledge injection for pre-trained LLMs to enhance their performance and safety.
Multilingualism in LLMs: Researching methods, e.g., continual pre-training, fine-tuning, and inference, to improve LLM performance for diverse languages, including low-resource languages.
AI for Healthcare: Designing, implementing, and evaluating autonomous LLM-powered agents for tasks such as clinical decision support, medical information retrieval, patient education, virtual assistants, and workflow automation in healthcare. Addressing critical considerations related to fairness, bias, explainability, and privacy of LLMs in healthcare and social good applications.
Multimodality in LLMs: Developing and evaluating multimodal LLMs that can integrate and reason over various data types. In healthcare, they include clinical text, medical images (X-rays, MRIs), and electronic health records (EHRs).

Responsibilities:

Conduct original, high-quality research leading to publications in top-tier AI, NLP, and medical informatics conferences and journals.
Develop and implement novel algorithms and models in the specified research areas.
Contribute to the design and execution of research projects, including data collection, experimentation, and analysis.
Collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams, including clinicians, domain experts, and fellow researchers.
Participate in lab meetings, seminars, and other academic activities.
Contribute to or assist with teaching activities within related programs.

We value collegiality and promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified applicants with different backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

Benefits

We offer

A stimulating and supportive research environment with access to state-of-the-art computational resources (e.g., GPUs, computing clusters).
A dynamic working environment in collaboration with the ELLIS Institute Finland, the TurkuNLP research group, and other international partners.
Opportunities for collaboration with leading researchers in AI, NLP and health domains.
Participation in cutting-edge projects with real-world impact on healthcare.
Competitive salary and benefits package according to Finnish standards.
Opportunities for professional development, conference attendance, and networking.

We offer you responsible and interesting tasks and the opportunity to develop your professional skills in a versatile operating environment. You get a professional and inspiring team to support your work. We take care of your well-being at work and the functionality of your everyday life, e.g. with the help of flexible working hours and our well-being services.

Please read more about University of Turku as an employee from our Come work with us! pages.

The European Commission has awarded the University of Turku the right to use the HR Excellence in Research quality label. The label is a token of the University’s commitment to continuous development of the position and working conditions of researchers according to the guidelines set forth in the European Charter for Researchers.

The university offers good support and orientation for international hires. Please learn more about the Finnish culture and relocation to Finland:

The University of Turku is among the top of the world’s universities in most rankings and among the best universities in the world in certain fields. Our high-quality basic research, a multidisciplinary research profile and close cooperation in research infrastructures creates the basis for international top research. Read more about University of Turku in international university rankings.

The University of Turku has several high-quality research infrastructures required for cutting-edge research. Learn more about the roadmap of research infrastructures and how the research infrastructure and expert teams offer tailored solutions for businesses and organizations.

Practical details

The starting time for the positions would be 1.10.2025, or soon afterwards upon mutual agreement. The position for a postdoctoral researcher is for three years and the positions for doctoral researchers for four years.

The qualification requirements for the positions are set in the University of Turku Rules of Procedure

A person selected for the post of Postdoctoral Researcher is required to have a doctoral degree and the ability to do independent scientific work.

A person selected for the post of Doctoral Researcher is required to have a higher university degree and they are required to have demonstrated ability and motivation to undertake postgraduate studies and the capacity to complete a doctoral degree in accordance with the research plan.

It is noted that before obtaining the study right for a Doctoral Program, the job title will be Project Researcher or Research Assistant and the duration of the contract is 6 months. They are expected to apply for the study right in the next available call to e.g. the Doctoral Programme in Technology. Thus, please check the student information and application criteria https://www.utu.fi/en/research/utugs/dpt/admission (pay attention to mandatory skill level in English). Read more about the University of Turku’s doctoral programmes and how to apply for study rights Join us for your doctoral studies at the University of Turku! | University of Turku

The salaries are determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel. The salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience based on the University salary system and will be about 3800 €/month for a postdoctoral researcher and about 2600 €/month for a doctoral researcher / project researcher at the beginning of the employment.

There is a trial period of six (6) months for both positions.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted by 18 August 2025 (16:00 Helsinki time), using the electronic application form of the University of Turku.

Applications should be submitted in English and they should include:

Letter of motivation
CV
Publication list
Research statement
Degree certificates and academic transcripts
Contact details of at least two referees (or letters of recommendation, if already available)

For additional information, kindly contact ELLIS PI, Assistant Professor Shaoxiong Ji [email protected]. For questions related to the application process, contact HR specialist Nina Reini [email protected] (available after 28 July).

University of Turku reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period, reopen the application process, and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

Department of Computing

The Department of Computing educates professionals for the modern digitalised society. Central themes of teaching and research include Digitalisation, Machine Learning, Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, Cybersecurity and Health Technology.

The Faculty of Technology is the newest faculty of the University of Turku, it was established in the beginning of 2021. The Faculty consists of the Department of Computing, Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. We have more than 2,000 graduate and postgraduate students and circa 400 employees, 50 of whom are professors. Our faculty is an international, multicultural and diverse work community.

The University of Turku is an inspiring and international academic community of 25,000 students and staff in Southwest Finland. We build a sustainable future with multidisciplinary research, education, and collaboration. With us, your work will have a significant impact and relevance in the changing world.

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