3-Year PhD Position in Computational Models of Semantic Memory

Apply for a 3-year PhD position at University of Lille, funded by Inria, to research computational models of semantic memory.

A 3-year PhD position is available at the University of Lille, funded by Inria, focusing on computational models of semantic memory. The project aims to understand the semantic capacities of large language models by comparing them to human cognition.

The research will involve two main axes: contrastive evaluation and integrative modeling. The first axis will design robust probing and prompting techniques to analyze how different families of large language models encode and organize semantic knowledge.

• Contrastive evaluation will assess whether models exhibit properties of human semantic memory such as taxonomic and prototypical organization.
• Integrative modeling will develop large language models with inductive biases inspired by human cognitive development.

Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in Computational Linguistics, Natural Language Processing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or Cognitive Science. Strong programming skills in Python and a solid foundation in empirical research methods are highly desirable.

To apply, send a cover letter, CV, and contact information for at least 2 referees to pascal.denis@inria.fr and angele.brunelliere@univ-lille.fr.

Tags: PhD position, Computational Models, Semantic Memory, NLP, Cognitive Science