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Cardiff University

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PhD in Neurosymbolic Spatial Reasoning and Qualitative Geographic Knowledge Cardiff University in United Kingdom

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Available under Cardiff University and China Scholarship Council (CSC) Research Excellence Scholarships for October 2027 entry. Successful CSC applicants receive funding covering airfares and living costs, and Cardiff University provides a tuition fee waiver. Self-funded applicants and applicants with other funding are also welcome.

Deadline

Nov 3, 2026

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Country

United Kingdom

University

Cardiff University

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Keywords

Computer Science
Information Technology
Mathematics
Geography
Semantic Web
Earth Science
Spatial Reasoning
Question Answering
Large Language Models

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About this position

PhD Opportunity: Neurosymbolic Spatial Reasoning at Cardiff University, School of Computational and Mathematical Sciences.

This PhD explores how large language models can plan over qualitative geographic knowledge and generate verifiable reasoning programs for spatial question answering. The project sits at the intersection of Large Language Models, Neurosymbolic AI, Spatial Reasoning, Knowledge Graphs, Question Answering, and Semantic Web, with a strong emphasis on qualitative spatial relations such as containment, adjacency, proximity, and direction.

You will work with Dr Alia I. Abdelmoty and a research group with a long record in qualitative spatial representation and reasoning, place ontologies, and geographic knowledge graphs. The project aims to design a compact reasoning language, build a symbolic engine to execute and verify programs, and evaluate the system against established geographic QA approaches. It is especially relevant for students interested in combining neural and symbolic methods, machine learning, knowledge graphs, and formal reasoning.

Funding: Cardiff University and China Scholarship Council (CSC) Research Excellence Scholarships are available for October 2027 entry. CSC funding covers airfares and living costs, and Cardiff University provides a tuition fee waiver. Self-funded applicants and applicants with other funding are also welcome.

Eligibility highlights: Applicants should have a strong quantitative background, solid Python programming skills, and familiarity with machine learning. Experience with LLMs, knowledge graphs, semantic web technologies, or symbolic reasoning is an advantage. CSC applicants must meet nationality/age rules and language requirements, and should normally hold a first-class or 2:1 degree or a relevant master's degree.

Deadline: CSC applications are due by 3 November 2026. Applicants should contact Dr Abdelmoty before applying and then submit a PhD application via the Cardiff University research programme page.

Funding details

Available under Cardiff University and China Scholarship Council (CSC) Research Excellence Scholarships for October 2027 entry. Successful CSC applicants receive funding covering airfares and living costs, and Cardiff University provides a tuition fee waiver. Self-funded applicants and applicants with other funding are also welcome.

What's required

Applicants should have a strong background in computer science, artificial intelligence or a related quantitative discipline. Solid programming skills in Python and familiarity with machine learning are expected. Experience with large language models, knowledge graphs, semantic web technologies or symbolic reasoning is an advantage. An interest in combining neural and symbolic methods is essential. For CSC applicants, Chinese nationality without permanent residency in a foreign country, age under 35, and eligibility rules apply. Applicants should hold or be about to obtain a first-class or upper second-class (2:1) bachelor's degree or a master's degree in a relevant discipline. Additional expectations include a UK master's degree at Merit level or above, or equivalent; a Merit mark (60+) for the taught phase of a UK master's; a STEM undergraduate degree for UK conversion CS degrees; or for current undergraduates at a Chinese university, study at a Tier 1 (985/211) university with 85%+ overall. IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each subskill, or an equivalent accepted test, is required for CSC applicants unless exempt by a UK English-taught degree.

How to apply

Email Dr Abdelmoty with your CV, transcripts, and a short note on why the topic appeals to you before applying. Submit a PhD application through the Cardiff University Computer Science and Informatics research programme page, selecting Doctor of Philosophy and Full-Time, and name the project title and Dr Abdelmoty as proposed supervisor. CSC applicants should choose the October 2027 start date and state that they wish to be considered for Cardiff University China Scholarship Council funding.

More information can be found here

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