Fully-funded PhD in Natural Language Processing, Speech LLMs & Multimodal Language Processing Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany

The Artificial Intelligence for Language Technologies (AI4LT) group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is inviting applications for a fully-funded PhD position in Natural Language Processing (NLP), with a focus on large language models (LLMs), speech LLMs, and multimodal language processing. This opportunity is part of an EU-funded collaborative project aimed at advancing human communication through cutting-edge AI technologies. The research will cover areas such as large language models, multimodal models with a focus on speech language models, multilingual models, LLM agents, and LLM-based reasoning. The successful candidate will have the chance to collaborate with leading academic and industry teams in speech processing.

The AI4LT group, based at KIT's Institute of Anthropomatics and Robotics, is renowned for its work in developing AI-driven language technologies that facilitate natural human-machine communication and break down communication barriers. The group has a strong record in state-of-the-art speech models and translation systems, including the KIT Lecture Translator, and maintains robust industry partnerships in NLP.

Applicants should have or be nearing completion of a master's degree in computer science or a related technical field, possess strong programming skills, and ideally have experience in deep learning. High proficiency in English is required. The position offers a flexible start date in 2026, access to advanced computing resources, opportunities for international conference travel, and a supportive, diverse research environment. Compensation is competitive (TV-L E13), with additional benefits such as a pension plan and public transport allowance.

Applications, including a cover letter and CV with contact information for two references, should be sent by March 15, 2026, to Prof. Dr. Jan Niehues at [email protected]. The group encourages applications from women and individuals with disabilities.