Overview
Postdoc Research Scientist – Model Distillation (R3) at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS). The mission of BSC is to research, develop and manage information technologies to facilitate scientific progress. BSC combines HPC service provision and R&D in computer and computational science.
MaPPLexiC is a European Research Council project focused on uncovering and articulating rules behind how words combine to form collocations, interpreting neural collocation recognition and classification models. We seek a researcher with extensive expertise in Machine Learning and computational linguistics to distill interpretable models from neural networks, combining engineering with cutting-edge research at the intersection of AI, linguistics, and cognitive science.
Key Duties
* Lead the research and development activities of the project in distilling interpretable models from neural collocation recognition/classification models
* Explore state-of-the-art teacher–student model ideas and their applicability to MaPPLexiC
* Collaborate with interpretability specialists to design and implement novel model distillation methods
* Improve the performance of existing neural collocation recognition and classification models
* Mentor junior researchers and engineers in model distillation
* Collaborate with the corpus annotation team
* Work closely with the MaPPLexiC PI, Prof. Leo Wanner
Qualifications
* Education: PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, or Computational Linguistics
* Essential Knowledge and Experience:
o Extensive expertise in model distillation methods
o Strong publication record in top-tier ML and/or computational linguistics venues
o Strong programming skills in Python and deep learning frameworks
o Experience with deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, Jax, Keras, etc.)
o Mentoring ability for junior researchers
o Ability to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
* Additional Knowledge and Experience:
o Expertise in Computational Cognitive Science (advantage)
* Competences:
o Fluency in English (spoken and written)
o Competence in another project language (Czech, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Russian, or Spanish) is an advantage
Conditions
* Location: The position is located at BSC within the Life Sciences Department
* Contract: Full-time (37.5h/week) with a stimulating environment, flexible hours, extensive training, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, and relocation support
* Duration: Open-ended contract tied to project and budget duration
* Holidays: 23 paid vacation days plus 24th and 31st December per the collective agreement
* Salary: Competitive and aligned with qualifications and Barcelona cost of living
* Starting date: as soon as possible
Application Procedure
All applications must be submitted via the BSC website and include:
* A full CV in English including contact details
* A cover letter in English stating interest, specific areas/topics, and two references
Note: The recruitment process is conducted as a competitive examination system with components including curriculum analysis and interview. The recruitment panel will include gender-balanced representation. Open channels for feedback will be provided to applicants. Barcelona Supercomputing Center is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and follows Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment (OTM-R) principles.
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