Postdoc in NLP and Research Knowledge Graphs (KTS-86) GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Germany

GESIS – Leibniz-Institute for the Social Sciences is offering a Postdoctoral Researcher position in the Department Knowledge Technologies for the Social Sciences (KTS), Team Information and Data Retrieval, located in Cologne with work location information also referencing Mannheim. The role begins on 1 December 2026 and is a full-time, temporary postdoctoral appointment at Salary group 13 TV-L, limited until 31 December 2028 subject to approval.

The position sits at the intersection of information retrieval, natural language processing, semantic technologies, and human information interaction. It is embedded in the NFDI4DS project, where the team develops infrastructures to support the responsible use of AI in research. The project includes work on fair benchmarking protocols, transparent evaluation and documentation of AI models and LLMs, and the curation of open, reusable AI-based methods together with training materials and events.

The postdoctoral researcher will lead dedicated work packages and coordinate a team of researchers in collaboration with project partners, including the supervision of PhD students. Core research tasks include scholarly information extraction and the development of methods for building Research Knowledge Graphs such as the GESIS KG. The role also includes developing, integrating, and evaluating services, models, and systems using established benchmarks, as well as advancing the NFDI4DS Academy through community engagement, content acquisition, and integration with third-party infrastructures.

Applicants are expected to hold a completed academic degree at Master’s level or equivalent and a completed PhD in computer science, data science, or a related field. The ideal candidate will bring experience in project management, strong mentoring and communication skills, proven NLP and knowledge graph research experience in the context of scholarly information extraction, and strong software development skills with Python, AI tooling, NLP technologies, and database technologies. Very good English skills are required; good German is desirable.

GESIS describes itself as an internationally active research institute funded by federal and state governments and a member of the Leibniz Association. The institute highlights an international work environment, access to unique datasets, career opportunities in software development and data engineering, flexible working arrangements, support for work-life balance, health management, pension support, and further training opportunities.

Applications should be submitted through the online application portal by 2 November 2026, 23:59 Europe/Berlin, using reference number KTS-86. For further information on the tasks, applicants may contact Dr. Philipp Mayr; application process questions can be directed to Christine Laßmann.