Hem

We are looking for up to two PhD students in
Generative AI and Machine Learning

We are looking for up to two PhD students working on generative AI/machine learning, with applications towards materials science. Generative machine learning models have emerged as a prominent approach to AI, with impressive performance in many application domains. The most well-known examples are modern AI Assistants and image generation tools, which are typically based on large language and vision-language models. However, the same technology has also shown great promise in the natural sciences, including materials discovery. Here, generative models are trained on large databases of materials to learn to generate novel, hypothetical materials with desirable properties. This development has a huge potential for societal impact, with applications in renewable energy, energy storage, electronics, medicine, sustainable manufacturing, etc.

The main focus for the advertised positions is novel machine learning method development. Your research will be in the area of generative models, geometric machine learning, dynamical systems, and/or multi-modal learning. You will also be part of a larger cross-disciplinary research initiative (see below) involving both computer and material scientists. This means that we will have the possibility of seing how the machine learning models that we develop, though collaborations, can be taken all the way to the materials discovery lab. From the materials science perspective, our primary focus will be on ultra-thin, so-called, 2-dimensional materials. This class of materials has unique properties which make them promising candidates for next-generation electronic devices, energy storage systems, sensors, and catalysts. However, they also pose unique challenges from a machine learning perspective, calling for novel machine learning research that will push the boundaries beyond the current state-of-the-art.

Working at LiU

Linköping University is one of the leading AI institutions in Sweden. We have strong links to prominent national research initiatives, such as WASP and ELLIIT and you will have access to state-of-the-art computing infrastructure for machine learning, e.g. through Berzelius. Linköping University will also host a European AI Factory, as one of the seven sites across Europe selected in the first batch.

The PhD positions are fully funded. Successful candidates will be employed by Linköping University and enjoy all the benefits that comes with employment (pension, insurances, minimum 28 days of paid leave, etc.).

For candidates who consider an entrepreneurial career after graduation, it’s worth mentioning that researchers and academic staff at Swedish universities retain the rights to their own research results, even when these are patentable. This system is known as the “teachers’ exemption” (Lärarundantaget) and differs from the system at universities in other countries. LiU provides support for researchers as inventors, with a unit at the university that helps researchers to patent ideas, and may even fund the patent application, while the patent is still owned by the researcher.

Linköping is a small city a bit south of Stockholm (1:45 h train ride to the capital) with a large student community, close access to nature, recent winner of the European Commission’s European Capital of Innovation Awards (as the first Swedish city to win this award), the most bike-friendly municipality in Sweden, etc. In other words, a great place to start your academic journey!

About the project

The positions are part of a joint initiative between the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) and the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE), referred to as a WASP-WISE NEST. A NEST, which stands for Novelty, Excellence, Synergy, and Teams, is a high-profile research project, addressing a strategic high-priority research challenge with international impact and visibility. The project is led by Professors Johanna Rosén, Michael Felsberg, Fredrik Heintz, Fredrik Lindsten and Per Persson at Linköping University. In addition to the principal investigators, the project involves several affiliated researchers, and five newly recruited PhD students. The purpose of this recruitment is to fill two of those positions, formally associated with the Department of Computer and Information Science.

One position will be based at the Division of Statistics and Machine Learning (STIMA). At STIMA we conduct research and education in both statistics and machine learning, at the undergraduate, advanced and PhD levels. We regularly publish solid contributions at the best machine learning conferences. STIMA is characterized by a modern view of the statistical subject, where probabilistic models are combined with computational algorithms to solve challenging complex problems, as well as a statistical view of machine learning which clearly integrates the two subject areas within the division.

One position will be based at the Division of Artificial Intelligence and Integrated Computer Systems (AIICS), which is highly regarded internationally for its research in many areas of artificial intelligence with a history dating back to the 70s. The Reasoning and Learning Lab mainly conducts research in the areas of machine learning, machine reasoning and their intersection with applications in, for example, material science, autonomous systems, multi agent systems, and industrial use cases.

As a PhD students in this project you will become part of the graduate school within WASP, which is dedicated to providing the skills needed to analyze, develop, and contribute to the interdisciplinary area of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and software. Through an ambitious program with research visits, partner universities, and visiting lecturers, the graduate school actively supports forming a strong multi-disciplinary and international professional network between PhD-students, researchers and industry.

Contact

Application

Application deadline: May 26, 2025
Please apply here: https://liu.se/en/work-at-liu/vacancies/26718