PhD position in the field of Reasoning in Machine Learning (Prof. I. Bogunovic, A. Lucchi)

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The research groups of Prof. I. Bogunovic and Prof. A. Lucchi at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Basel are inviting applications for a PhD position focused on the foundations and applications of reasoning in with large language models (LLMs). The successful candidate will investigate both theoretical aspects – such as understanding the mechanisms and limitations of reasoning in modern LLMs – and practical applications, including solving mathematical reasoning problems and tackling the Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus (ARC) challenge among others. The ideal candidate has a strong background in machine learning and an interest in bridging rigorous theoretical insights with challenging real-world tasks. They will also explore reinforcement learning strategies to optimize decision-making policies in complex environments, and develop fine-tuning protocols for large pre-trained models to adapt them to specialized reasoning domains as well as to address a generalization gap in LLM reasoning and their adaptation across reasoning domains. This work will blend cutting-edge experimentation - spanning RL, few-shot learning, meta-learning, etc. - with formal analysis to push the boundaries of what modern AI systems can reliably reason about.

Position available starting around December 2025 (position may begin later as well). The duration of a PhD in Switzerland is 4 years.

Your position

Your tasks include:

• Conduct research in the field of applied mathematics and computer science
• Write research papers, articles, and present results at leading international conferences. We publish in venues such as ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, JMLR, AISTATS, and more
• Interact with national and international teams of mathematicians and computer scientists

Your profile

PhD applicants must possess a Master's degree in mathematics, theoretical physics, or computer science. Candidates should have an exceptional academic record and a robust mathematical foundation. Candidates are also expected to have strong coding and implementation skills, with the ability to run large-scale experiments. While research experience is advantageous for PhD applicants, it is not mandatory.

Excellent communication skills and fluency in English (spoken and written) are required.

We also seek to increase the number of women and other groups in areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourage such groups to apply.

We offer you

The position will be based in Basel, Switzerland. In addition, we also offer the following:

• Close supervision of your research, working with and access to international collaborators
• A diverse range of tasks in a dynamic environment
• The possibility of traveling to international conferences to meet with distinguished scientists
• Excellent salary, benefits, and working conditions

• Short motivation statement (maximum 150 words) explaining your interest in the position and justifying why your background is a good fit for the position
• Curriculum vitae (including a list of publications if applicable)
• Scanned transcripts of bachelor's and master's degree
• Contact info (no direct recommendation letters) for peers who can recommend you
• Your latest thesis (and/or one of your publications if applicable)