The Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University’s Technical Faculty of IT and Design is offering four fully funded PhD positions in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Large Language Model (LLM) Security. These positions are based at the Copenhagen campus, located in Sydhavnen, and are part of the rapidly expanding NLP research group led by Professor Johannes Bjerva. The group is internationally recognized for its work in multilingual NLP, LLM security, linguistically informed AI, and trustworthy language technologies, and is supported by major national and international research grants.

PhD students will join a collaborative, ambitious, and diverse research community with access to state-of-the-art computational resources. The group is scaling up in 2026, with new postdocs joining to work closely with incoming PhD students. The research environment is dynamic, inclusive, and supportive, emphasizing psychological safety, diversity, and open scientific exchange. Regular seminars, social events, and cross-group activities foster a vibrant academic culture.

Research topics for these positions include, but are not limited to: detection and mitigation of backdoors, data poisoning, and adversarial inputs in LLMs; detection of LLM-generated text, especially in compromised models; linguistically motivated methods for analyzing and securing LLM behavior; analysis of vulnerabilities in low-resource language settings; and formal semantic or symbolic methods for monitoring and improving LLM robustness. The projects are funded by the DFF: Sapere Aude project (“Building TRUST in Text: Linguistically Motivated Language Model Detection”) and the NNF: Ascending Data Science Investigator project (“LM2-SEC: Linguistically Motivated Language Model Security”).

Applicants must hold a relevant MSc degree (such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or Computational Linguistics) and demonstrate strong skills in machine learning, deep learning, and modern NLP methods including transformer models. Excellent English communication skills are required, and prior experience in NLP, LLM architectures, security, privacy, safety, or robustness is preferred. Successful candidates will be enrolled at the Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design and must comply with Danish ministerial regulations for PhD progress assessment.

Aalborg University is highly ranked globally for engineering and impact, and the Department of Computer Science is renowned for its research, education, and collaboration. The Copenhagen section is expanding rapidly, offering a friendly and supportive atmosphere for early-career researchers. The NLP group collaborates broadly across Europe and worldwide, providing opportunities for international research stays and knowledge exchange.

To apply, candidates must submit an application letter, CV, diplomas, project description, and other relevant documents via Aalborg University’s recruitment system. The application should clearly state motivations and qualifications related to the position. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2026. For further information, contact Professor Johannes Bjerva or AAU PhD Annemarie Davidsen.

These positions offer a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in NLP and AI security, within a world-class academic environment at Aalborg University Copenhagen.