Project staff member (PhD Position) or Assistant Professor (postdoctoral Project Staff Member)

  • Vienna University of Economics and Business
  • Research, development, teaching
  • Part time
  • published till: 2024-12-11
Do you want to participate in Austria's largest joint project on the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and contribute to WU Vienna’s vision of boosting AI? Do you want to understand how things are connected and make a fundamental impact? We are seeking highly motivated and talented individuals to join the Institute for Retailing and Data Science (Prof. Nils Wlömert) and the Institute for Statistics and Mathematics (Prof. Kurt Hornik) at one of Europe’s largest and most modern business and economics universities on a campus where quality of work is also quality of life. We are looking for support at the

Institute for Retailing & Data Science
Part-time, 30 hours/week
Starting January 01, 2025, and ending after 4 years (PhD position) or 2.5 years (Assistant Professor position)
 
We are seeking highly motivated and talented individuals to join our dynamic research team for combining symbolic and sub-symbolic AI. The successful candidates will conduct research at WU in collaboration with our partner institutes at Johannes Kepler University Linz, AAU Klagenfurt, ISTA, TU Graz, and TU Vienna.
 
The vision of Bilateral AI is to educate a new generation of top-quality AI scientists with a holistic view of symbolic and sub-symbolic AI methods. Training and mentoring young researchers is a central activity combining groundbreaking research work with an education program. The training will be distributed over the six participating institutions.
 
We are currently inviting applications for either a Project Staff Member (PhD position) position (4 years) or an Assistant Professor (Postdoctoral Project Staff Member) position (2.5 years). 
 
The successful candidate will work under the main supervision of Prof. Nils Wlömert (Institute for Retailing and Data Science) and Prof. Kurt Hornik (Institute for Statistics and Mathematics). The Institute for Retailing and Data Science applies AI and data-driven techniques to solve real-world business problems, particularly in retailing and consumer behavior. The Institute for Statistics and Mathematics focuses on advancing methods in statistics, data science, and AI, particularly in areas that emphasize rigorous, quantitative approaches. Together, these institutes foster a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment with access to strong research infrastructure and unique data, enabling innovative research at the intersection of theory and application in Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, the PhD is expected to collaborate on a broader level under the co-supervision of another key researcher from the BILAI network (https://www.bilateral-ai.net/consortium/).

What to expect

Research area:
The research for this position focuses on integrating symbolic and sub-symbolic AI methods to enhance interpretability and decision-making in AI systems. Potential topics include: 
  • Combining dense vector representations with knowledge graphs for applications such as recommender systems, retail management, and fraud detection, enhancing transparency through structured, symbolic relationships between entities.
  • Applying causal inference with contextual embeddings to assess the impact of marketing actions, providing rule-based, interpretable insights into customer behavior and strategy effectiveness.
  • Creating explainable AI methods to align targeting policies with GDPR regulations, making AI-driven decisions more transparent and understandable for consumers.
  • Developing brand-specific representations in shared embedding spaces to adapt AI-generated content across modalities, ensuring coherence with brand identity in marketing strategies.
Candidates applying for the PhD position will be trained within the Bilateral AI Doctoral School (https://www.bilateral-ai.net). Joint seminars, scientific workshops, and compulsory courses outside the PhD students’ research fields will also be designed to encourage interdisciplinarity. Apart from that, students will be involved in grant applications, conference organization, Bachelor and Master student supervisions, and teaching. Each student will be supervised by two experienced and internationally renowned professors with different research fields (symbolic / sub-symbolic AI). The training will also provide a career development program, advice and support for students with innovative business ideas, and workshops for presentation and soft skills.
 
For candidates applying to the Assistant Professor position, this role offers the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research at the intersection of symbolic and sub-symbolic AI. The successful candidate will work independently while also collaborating closely with senior faculty members and researchers across the Bilateral AI program. You will have the chance to supervise PhD students and take an active role in organizing scientific events. Additionally, this position includes opportunities to develop and teach courses, participate in interdisciplinary seminars, and gain leadership experience in research management. We offer a stimulating environment that fosters both academic excellence and professional development, with ample resources and support to pursue innovative research ideas.

What you have to offer

We invite applications from candidates with a strong background in computer science, information systems, business informatics, economics, statistics, management, or related fields with a quantitative focus. The ideal candidate should have expertise in areas such as:
  • Machine learning and data science
  • Embedding techniques and neural networks
  • Quantitative marketing, econometrics, or applied statistics
  • Causal inference and explainable AI
  • Recommender systems or other relevant areas of marketing analytics
  • Knowledge representation and reasoning
  • Graph theory, knowledge graphs, or decision support systems
  • Multimodal content generation
Applicants are expected to have strong programming skills, particularly in Python, R, SQL, Java, or C++, and proficiency with semi-structured data formats (e.g., JSON) and domain-specific query languages (e.g., graph query language).
 
PhD Position Requirements:
 
Candidates applying for the PhD position must hold a master’s degree that qualifies them to enroll in a PhD program, in one of the relevant subjects (see above). They should have solid practical and theoretical foundations in at least one of these areas. Strong academic performance, programming expertise, and proficiency in English are required. PhD students will be actively involved in joint seminars, workshops, teaching, and interdisciplinary projects across the participating institutions.
 
Assistant Professor Position Requirements:
 
Candidates applying for the Assistant Professor position must have a completed PhD in one of the relevant fields. They should have demonstrated the ability to conduct high-quality research, publish in leading academic journals and conferences, and have expertise in at least one of the areas mentioned above. In addition to research, applicants are expected to have experience in teaching and supervising students, and a strong track record of interdisciplinary collaboration. Experience with industry partnerships, grant writing, or leading research projects is desirable. Fluency in English is required.
 
Do you want to join the Institute for Statistics and Mathematics and the Institute for Retailing and Data Science, as well as become part of the BILAI network? Then please submit your application. The following documents must be submitted (in English) by the call deadline:
 
PhD Applicants:
1.    Letter of motivation (detailing previous research achievements, research goals, career plans);
2.    A complete CV, including a list of previous scientific expertise, awards, grants, stays abroad, attended lectures, attended summer schools, attended workshops, skills, and publications (if applicable);
3.    Abstract in English of the applicant’s MSc thesis, BSc thesis, or of a research project;
4.    A complete list of completed studies and transcripts of all grades;
5.    Two academic recommendation letters;
6.    Proof of proficiency in English (usually TOEFL/IELTS/CAE).
 
Assistant Professor (post-doc) Applicants:
1.    A scientific CV, including academic degrees, previous employment (if any), list of publications, lectures, awards, and distinctions. Career breaks (e.g., unemployment, parental/health leave) should also be included to ensure fair assessment based on effective “academic age.”;
2.    A submitted doctoral thesis or a pre-final draft version. If the PhD is not yet completed, an accompanying statement from the thesis main supervisor confirming the feasibility of finishing the PhD by the end of 2024 is required;
3.    A transcript of your ongoing or completed Doctoral Study;
4.    A research statement outlining the planned research, goals, and significance, detailing the connection between symbolic and sub-symbolic aspects. The statement should refer to specific Research Modules of the BILAI project (https://www.bilateral-ai.net/research-modules/), particularly focusing on RM5 and RM8, and should include a rough timeline and key milestones.
5.    Selected supervisors from the BILAI consortium, indicating the main supervisors (Prof. Nils Wlömert and Prof. Kurt Hornik for this specific position) and possible secondary supervisors from the list of BILAI's Key Researchers (https://www.bilateral-ai.net/consortium/).
6.    A career motivation statement discussing mid-term career objectives, the motivation for the research project, justification of the choice of host institutions, and foreseen impact on the candidate’s future career.
7.    A statement of teaching experience and interests (if applicable), potentially including teaching evaluations.
8.    Three academic recommendation letters;
 
By submitting your application, you agree with your application being shared also with members of the BILAI admission committee from other partner universities in the BILAI network.
 
Join us in shaping the future of AI! We are excited to receive your application and welcome you to a vibrant, collaborative research community dedicated to advancing AI knowledge. We are looking forward to hearing from you! If you have any questions regarding the position or application documents prior to application, don’t hesitate to contact me for further information nils.wloemert@wu.ac.at with the subject: "[BILAI position]"

What we offer you

  • Inspiring campus life with over 2,400 employees in research, teaching, and administration and approximately 21,500 students
  • A modern campus with spectacular architecture in the heart of Vienna
  • Excellent accessibility by public transportation
  • Meaningful work in an open-minded, inclusive, and family-friendly environment
  • Flexible working hours
  • A wide range of benefits, from an in-house medical officer to athletic activities and a meal allowance to a variety of employee discounts
Curious? Visit our website and find out more at www.wu.ac.at/benefits

The minimum monthly gross salary amounts to €2,684.10 for the PhD position (14 times per year). This salary may be adjusted based on job-related prior work experience. The minimum monthly gross salary amounts to 3,564.23 for the Assistant Professor position (14 times per year). This salary may be adjusted based on equivalent prior work experience (post doc). In addition, we offer a wide range of attractive social benefits.

Do you want to join the WU team?
Then please submit your application by December 11, 2024 (ID 2256).
We are looking forward to hearing from you!