Stipendiat i pålitelig generativ KI med kunnskapsverifisering

About the position

The Department of Computer Science at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design (TKD) has a vacant PhD Fellowship position in Trustworthy Generative AI with Knowledge Verification.The current workplace for the position is at the Pilestredet campus in Oslo. In connection with the establishment of the new campus in Lillestrøm, a change of workplace may become relevant at a later stage.

Your main duties and areas of responsibility

This project pioneers a Neuro-Symbolic AI framework addressing the critical "hallucination" barrier in Generative AI (GenAI). Currently, GenAI models act as probabilistic black boxes, often producing plausible but factually incorrect information without source attribution. This poses unacceptable risks particularly in high-stakes domains, e.g., education, traffic safety, and renewable energy.

To address this, the project develops a generalisable neuro-symbolic verification framework, aiming at systematically transforming GenAI into auditable, verifiable, and socially responsible systems for High-Risk and Data-Scarce Domains. The project investigates hybrid frameworks where GenAI functions as semantic interpreters, while symbolic logic modules, reasoning over structured graphs or rules, act as a factual verifier.

The PhD fellow will perform the following tasks: Framework Design & Implementation, Reasoning Algorithms Development, and Validation with use cases. The primary use case leverages an AI-enhanced web platform for North Sámi language learning. The PhD research will develop a modular verification engine integrated into the platform, to ensure AI-generated content is linguistically correct and culturally appropriate. Two additional use cases can be chosen to test the generalisability of the proposed framework: autonomous driving and information modelling for sustainability.

The PhD project is expected to involve academic collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, Germany).

The position is advertised as a 3-year position with 100% research, or a 4-year position with 75% research and 25% other career-advancing work. The goal must be to complete the PhD program/degree within the decided time frame. The decision on a 3- or 4-year position will be discussed as part of the interviews in the hiring process.

As a PhD Fellow at OsloMet, you have the opportunity to apply for funding for extended research stays abroad.

Qualification requirements

• Master's degree in computer science, mathematics, engineering, or equivalent related disciplines.The degree must normally contain120 credits (ECTS). Applicants whose master’s degree contain less than 120 ECTS credits must, by the application deadline, provide documentation that the degree qualifies for admission to doctoral studies in the country where the master’s degree was obtained.
• An academic profile aligned with the needs of the research group and the department.
• For appointment to the position, the following grade requirements normally apply:
• Minimum average grade B on subjects included in the master's degree.
• Minimum grade B on the master's thesis.
• Minimum average grade C on the subjects included in the bachelor's degree. If you have an integrated master's degree, the grades from the first three standard years of the degree will be assessed.
• Exceptions to the grade requirements are provided on the doctoral programme’s website (Engineering Science - OsloMet).
• Written and oral proficiency in English (Language requirements for employees at OsloMet)

Admission to the PhD programme in Engineering Science (Engineering Science - OsloMet) at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design is a prerequisite for employment in the position. An application for admission to the PhD programme must be submitted within three months of the start date.

General criteria for appointment to teaching and research positions are set out in the Regulations relating to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges.

It will be an advantage if you have

• Documented strong competence in programming, for example in Python.
• Strong analytical skills and mathematical background, with a keen interest in applying formal logic to generative models.
• Familiarity with knowledge representation (e.g., knowledge graphs or semantic technologies), experience with formal reasoning is an advantage.

Personal qualities

• Self-motivated and goal-oriented
• Strong motivation to pursue and complete a doctoral degree
• Strong ability to follow through on tasks and projects
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to think innovatively and contribute to development

Emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

It is important to OsloMet to reflect the population of our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavors to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to make adaptations to the workplace where required. You are also welcome to apply for a position with us if you have had periods where you have not been in employment, education or training.

We offer

• exciting job tasks at Norway’s third largest university
• participation in research groups and a creative and inspiring academic community
• opportunities for academic development
• goodwelfare schemes and a wide range of sports and cultural offers
• loan and pension arrangements with the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• a workplace in the center of Oslo

The salary for the position is in accordance withthe Basic Collective Agreement for state employees and OsloMetspay policy forPhD Candidatein code 1017, corresponding to 550 800NOK per year. From the salary, 2% will be deducted in pension contributions for the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK).

Application process

If you wish to apply for the position, you must do so through our recruitment system.

Please upload the following documents together by the application deadline:

• application letter describing your motivation for the position
• CV, reference letters, and all pages of certificates/diplomas for bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Foreign education should be pre-approved, and, if so, a letter of approval must be attached. Information is available via the following link: Recognition of foreign education - to work in Norway | HK-dir
• master’sthesis
• scientific works or a link to the full article,if relevant
• a list of publications and presentations at international seminars/conferences, if relevant
• preferably two references with contact information

We only consider applications submittedthrough our electronic recruitment system, and all documents must be uploaded for your application to be considered. The documents must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Translations must be authorized, and you will be asked to present originals if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet verifies documents to give candidates a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For relevant positions, OsloMet conducts background checks of applicants in cooperation with an external provider, in order to verify information contained in available documents. Background checks are always carried out with the candidate’s consent, and employment in these positions is conditional upon an approved background check. Relevant applicants will receive further information about this.

If you would like more information about the position, feel free to contact:

• Associate Professor Baifan Zhou, email: baifan.zhou@oslomet.no
• Head of Group Ellen Sethov, email: ellens@oslomet.no
• For administrative inquiries, please contact hrtkd@oslomet.no

Information for you as an applicant

OsloMet holds the EU certification HR Center of Excellence for Charter & Code supporting researchers in career development, mobility and employee rights.

OsloMet has signed The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). DORA recognizes the need to improve the ways in which the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who are seen to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter law will not be considered for the position.

About us

Oslo Metropolitan University is Norway's third largest university with 23,000 students and over 2,600 employees. We have campuses in central Oslo and at Romerike. OsloMet educates students and conducts research that contributes to the sustainability of the Norwegian welfare state and the metropolitan region.

For over 200 years, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University has contributed to building knowledge and competence for the Norwegian welfare society. Today, OsloMet is a modern and urban university known for its large and robust academic environments in teacher education, health and social sciences, social research, design, and technology.