Researcher

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

Offer Description

Background of the recruitment and description of the project

We are seeking researchers to work on foundational technologies for new language generation AI, such as diffusion language models and flow-based models, within the NEDO project "Project to Develop a Multimodal Foundation Model for AI Robots and Physical AI."

This project is a large-scale initiative aimed at establishing the foundational technologies of next-generation language generation models. The successful candidate will work in the following environment:

• Dedicated access to a substantial allocation of GPUs on ABCI (AI Bridging Cloud Infrastructure, AIST). Training runs using several tens of nodes, each equipped with eight H200 GPUs, are feasible, providing an environment where pre-training, distillation, and evaluation of large-scale models can actually be carried out.
• Research is conducted on the premise of submitting and presenting papers at top international conferences, with support for conference travel expenses.
• Opportunities for joint research with the institutions and companies participating in the project.

In this call, we are recruiting both researchers specializing in model analysis and training algorithms, and researchers specializing in large-scale training/inference systems and performance optimization. Strength in either direction is sufficient to apply.

Please note that this is a fully funded position dedicated to this NEDO project, and the appointee is expected to devote their working time to the project.

https://www.toyota-ti.ac.jp/Lab/kde/en/

Work content and job description

Research on foundational technologies for large-scale diffusion language models and flow models (pre-training, distillation, acceleration, and optimization), targeting publications at top international conferences. Candidates can focus on either of the following tracks (handling both is not required). Specific research topics will be decided based on your interests and strengths.

A. Model Analysis & Training Algorithms

Analysis of generation processes/internal mechanisms and model improvements based on these insights.

Application of related techniques (parallel/non-autoregressive decoding, RL/post-training, inference-time scaling, sampling schedules, data synthesis, evaluation/benchmarks, distillation, architecture improvement, etc.).

Bringing expertise from diffusion/flow models in non-language domains (vision, speech, video) into language generation is also welcome (hands-on large-scale training experience is not required; theoretical/analysis-driven approaches are valid).

B. Training/Inference Systems & Performance Optimization

Optimization and implementation of large-scale parallel GPU training (data/tensor/pipeline parallelism, communication optimization) and inference acceleration (KV caching, quantization, custom kernels, pipeline construction). Open-source release of code is actively encouraged alongside paper publishing.

* Assigned department
Existing departments

Work location

Address
468-8511 Aichi Toyota Technological Institute Hisakata 2-12-1, Tempaku-ku, Nagoya

Number of hired

Number of hired: 4 person(s)
Number of hired description: A few positions (up to 4)
Job content supplemental explanation: Hiring date, Starting date: As soon as possible

Research environment

• The project has a dedicated allocation of GPUs on ABCI (AI Bridging Cloud Infrastructure, AIST). Training runs using several tens of nodes, each equipped with eight H200 GPUs, are feasible, providing an environment where pre-training, distillation, and evaluation of large-scale models can actually be carried out.
• Research is conducted as a team of faculty members, doctoral students, and researchers, with opportunities for joint research with participating institutions and companies.

Publication

• Research is conducted on the premise of submission to and presentation at top international conferences in NLP, machine learning, and ML systems (ACL/EMNLP/COLM/NeurIPS/ICLR/MLSys, etc.). Travel expenses for conference attendance are supported.
• Publishing results as peer-reviewed papers is the basis of our research activity; in addition, within the constraints of the project, we actively release models and code.
• Because you will be working hands-on with substantial compute, the environment allows you to engage with both model research and systems research.

Career development

• We support building connections with collaborators and the international research community during the appointment, with both academic and industry career paths in mind after the term.

Informal inquiries before applying

• We welcome informal online meetings at any stage while you are considering applying. We can explain the research topics, research environment, and compensation, so that you can confirm the fit before preparing a full application. Please feel free to contact us with your CV (any format).

Additional Information

Benefits

[Compensation]
Annual salary: 6 million yen - 7 million yen
Wages description: Annual salary (gross, before tax): 6,048,000 to 6,648,000 yen (first year, excluding bonus, including the meal allowance)
Monthly salary: 500,000 to 550,000 yen
Bonus: From the second year onward, up to 500,000 yen per year depending on performance (annual salary of up to 7,148,000 yen from the second year)
*The monthly salary is determined within the range of 500,000 to 550,000 yen according to research experience and achievements. Applicants who have just obtained their doctoral degree can also expect at least 500,000 yen per month.
*The annual salary above includes the meal allowance (4,000 yen per month). It does not include commuting expenses or the housing subsidy / reimbursement of actual commuting expenses.
*No bonus is paid in the first year. From the second year onward, a performance-based bonus of up to 500,000 yen per year is added, bringing the annual salary up to 7,148,000 yen.
*Compensation may be reviewed at the time of contract renewal, based on research achievements.
Working hours: 08:30-17:30
Holidays: 3 Saturdays/month, Sundays, Summer and Winter vacation as determined by TTI
Overtime and other explanations: Break time: 1 hour
Weekday working hours: 8 hours, Saturday (once a month) working hours: 4 hours
Employment type: Contract employee
Employment type description: Full time
Contract period: Nontenured
Contract period description: 1 year (Renewable by 1 year, up to 3 years)
Probationary period: Probationary period absent

[Various systems]
Transportation expenses: Housing subsidy or actual commuting expenses provided, depending on conditions
Others: Meal allowance of 4,000 yen per month; Staff dormitory available

[Insurance]
Employees' Health Insurance: Private School Mutual Aid
Employees' Pension Insurance: Private School Mutual Aid
Worker's accident insurance: available
Employment insurance: available

[Measures for preventing passive smoking at the workplace]
No smoking on the campus. Smoking area is located outside the campus.

[Supplementary explanation of compensation]
[Working style]
Given the nature of a research position, flexible working arrangements according to the progress of research are possible. We will explain the practical details during an informal meeting or the selection process.

[Living environment and relocation support]
- The institute is located in Nagoya, and a staff dormitory is available. A housing subsidy or reimbursement of actual commuting expenses is provided.
- For those relocating from abroad, part of the relocation expenses is covered. The institute and the laboratory also assist with visa procedures, finding housing, and administrative procedures.
- Day-to-day research activities can be conducted entirely in English; Japanese language ability is not a requirement. Discussions and presentations in the laboratory are routinely held in English.

Additional comments

• In order to secure diverse human resources and enhance the institute's strength and organizational power, we will ensure equal opportunities for participation by foreigners and women in all research fields. In addition, we have established an action plan based on the Law for the Promotion of Women's Advancement and have set a target to increase the ratio of female full-time faculty members and various researchers. We have also created an environment where faculty members can work for a longtime, such as by taking childcare leave.
• If you have been subjected to disciplinary action in the past due to sexual harassment or any other form of sexual violence, Please be sure to include the details of the disciplinary action and the specific reasons for it in your resume or other documents. False statements may result in cancellation of employment or disciplinary action.
• During the screening round, we will verify whether you fall under a specific category as defined by the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Upon hiring, you will be required to submit a "Declaration Regarding Specific Category Applicability." Please be aware that if you fall under a specific category, you will be subject to "deemed export" control, which may impose restrictions on your educational and research activities at this institute.

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Toyota Technological Institute
• Country: Japan
• City: Aichi

Contact

City: Aichi