Research Grant - ARIES Project (PhD Position)

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

A call for applications is open for 1 Research Grant within the scope of the ARIES project, reference M2030-FEDER-03053400, funded by IDR – Instituto de Desenvolvimento Regional, under the following conditions:

I. Scientific Area: Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or “related fields”, with strong specialization in Artificial Intelligence.

II. Admission Requirements:

a) General Requirements:

1. Enrollment in a doctoral program or a non-degree course. The non-degree course must be developed in association or cooperation between the higher education institution and one or more R&D units.
2. Holding a Master's degree in an area relevant to the project.
3. Good knowledge of the English language.

b) Preferred Requirements:

1. High motivation and proactivity;
2. Ease of interpersonal relationships and teamwork;
3. Initiative and problem-solving skills;
4. Good writing skills and creativity;
5. Adaptability and resilience;
6. Responsibility, autonomy, and persistence;
7. Advanced proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch.

c) Preferred competencies:

1. Experience in developing and training large-scale language models (LLMs);
2. Previous experience in developing chatbots or virtual assistants;
3. Knowledge of natural language processing, including techniques such as fine-tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and prompt engineering;
4. Experience working in high-performance computing (HPC) environments and using GPUs;
5. Knowledge of data privacy and security, especially in the handling of sensitive information.

III. Work plan:

1. Review the literature on best practices for efficient and secure LLM training in high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructures;
2. Research, compile, and structure the knowledge base for the chatbot, focusing on regional regulations and local administrative procedures, creating a training corpus with Madeira terminology;
3. Utilize any available local infrastructure (server with GPUs) to perform the fine-tuning and optimization cycle of the language model, specializing it for the context of regional public administration;
4. Develop and apply evaluation metrics to ensure the accuracy and suitability of the trained model;
5. Integrate the specialized LLM into a functional chatbot prototype, developing an interactive (web) interface;
6. Implement and execute a test plan, including automated and usability tests, to validate the correctness of the responses, the performance, and the security of the application;
7. Analyze the results obtained and write scientific articles for publication in conferences and indexed journals of international importance;
8. Contribute to the general dissemination of the project and use the research developed as a basis for the elaboration of a doctoral thesis.

Objectives:

1. To develop a dataset (corpus), focused on the domains of public administration in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, to serve as a basis for training language models.
2. To adapt and optimize a language model that has an understanding of the terminology, regulations, and procedures of the region, ensuring accurate and reliable responses.
3. To implement a secure and efficient chatbot prototype that, using the specialized LLM, functions as a proof of concept for the modernization of public services and the improvement of interaction with citizens.
4. To produce original and publishable research on the methodologies and challenges of applying LLMs in governmental and regional contexts, contributing to the advancement of the field and to their doctoral thesis.

IV. Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of the Scientific Research Fellow in its current wording; Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology I.P.; Research Grant Regulations of the University of Madeira.

V. Workplace: The work will be carried out at the Faculty of Exact Sciences and Engineering of the University of Madeira, under the scientific guidance of Fábio Mendonça and Morgado Dias.

VI. Duration of the grant(s): The grant will last for 6 months, and may be renewed for equal periods, until the end of the project in 2029.

VII. Amount of the monthly maintenance allowance: The grant amount corresponds to €1,359.64, according to the table of values for grants awarded directly by FCT, I.P. in Portugal (http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores).

VIII. Funding: The grant awarded under this competition will be funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Madeira Regional Program 2021-2027 (Madeira 2030), by Portugal 2030 and by the European Union. Operation Code: M2030-FEDER-03053400.

IX. Selection Methods: The selection methods to be used will be the following: curriculum evaluation and interview, with a weighting of 50% and 50% respectively.

X. Composition of the Selection Jury:

• President of the Jury: Prof. Dr. Fernando Manuel Rosmaninho Morgado Ferrão Dias
• Member: Prof. Dr. Fábio Rúben Silva Mendonça
• Member: Prof. Dr. Diogo Nuno Teixeira Freitas
• Alternate Member: Prof. Dr. Décio Damasceno Mendonça Alves

XI. Method of publication/notification of results: The admission lists, as well as the results of each selection method and final ranking lists, will be published on the website of the Human Resources Unit – Scholarship Holder Center of the University of Madeira, http://urh.uma.pt/, with the candidate being notified by email.

XII. Application deadline and method of submitting applications:

1. Applications may be submitted within 15 working days following the publication of the Notice;
2. Applications must be formalized by sending an application letter accompanied by the following documents:
   • Letter of motivation;
   • Updated Curriculum Vitae;
   • Copy of academic qualifications certificate;
   • Proof of enrollment in a doctoral program or non-degree course.
3. Applications must be submitted in person between 9:00 am and 12:30 pm and between 2:00 pm and 5:30 pm at the Human Resources Unit – Scholarship Holder's Office of the University of Madeira, located at Colégio dos Jesuítas, Rua dos Ferreiros, 9000-081 Funchal, or by mail to the same office and address, or by email to nucleo.bolseiro@mail.uma.pt addressed to the Jury President, with the scholarship reference in the subject line.

Where to apply

E-mail: nucleo.bolseiro@mail.uma.pt

Requirements

• Research Field: Other
• Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Internal Application form(s) needed: Edital_Bolsa_Aries-PADM.pdf (English, 338.16 KB - PDF) — Download

Additional Information

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Universidade da Madeira
• Country: Portugal

Contact

• State/Province: Madeira
• City: Funchal
• Website: https://www.uma.pt/sobre/servicos-administrativos/unidade-de-recursos-humanos-urh/bolsas/
• Street: Colégio dos Jesuítas, Rua dos Ferreiros
• Postal Code: 9000-082
• E-Mail: nucleo.bolseiro@mail.uma.pt