myScience
Lausanne
10 hours ago
Postdoc position on AI alignment and safe AI available at EPFL DLAB
- 17 February 2026
- 100%
- Lausanne
Job summary
Join EPFL DLAB as a Postdoc in AI alignment and safe AI! Enjoy a dynamic research environment with great benefits.
Tasks
- Lead innovative research on AI alignment and safety.
- Collaborate on the Swiss AI Initiative and contribute to Apertus.
- Engage with PhD candidates in a vibrant academic community.
Skills
- PhD in AI or NLP with a strong publication record required.
- Proficient in programming and machine learning frameworks.
- Experience in natural language processing and data generation.
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About the job
Postdoc position on AI alignment and safe AI available at EPFL DLAB
Workplace Lausanne - Lake Geneva region - Switzerland CategoryComputer Science | Research Management
Position Senior Scientist / Postdoc
Published 16 February 2026 EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,500 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 18,500 people, including over 14,000 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at EPFL, to be hosted by the Data Science & AI Lab , headed by Prof. Robert West.
We seek a candidate who will lead ground-breaking research projects with the goal of building safe AI that truly cares about human interests.
Instead of viewing alignment as mere postprocessing of pretrained models ("lipstick-on-a-pig alignment"), you will contribute to our agenda of "raising" models that will be continuously aligned throughout the training process, starting from token 1 in pretraining (see here for a high-level vision). To this end, you will combine synthetic data generation, mechanistic interpretability, LLM pre- and posttraining, and model evaluation in novel ways.
You will work in a stimulating, open, and international research environment consisting of many highly talented and motivated students, embedded in a strong network of academic and industrial collaborators.
Other benefits include a competitive salary (starting at around CHF 88,000 p.a.), an extremely well funded national research system, an office next to a stunning lake and even more stunning mountains, and generous travel support.
Involvement in teaching is possible but not required. Project work with MS and PhD candidates is expected.
EPFL ranks among the world’s top universities in the field of computer science. It is located in Lausanne, Switzerland, a beautiful and vibrant city in an Alpine setting on the shores of scenic Lake Geneva, in the very heart of Europe. English is the main language spoken at EPFL, and Lausanne is highly international, such that no French language skills are required.
And in one PDF:
For any further information, please contact: [XXX]
Contract Start Date : 04/01/2026
Activity Rate Min : 100,00
Activity Rate Max : 100,00
Contract Type: CDD
Duration: 1 year
Reference: 2077
Mission
Research topics:- Alignment
- Large language models
- Natural language processing
- Mechanistic interpretability
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at EPFL, to be hosted by the Data Science & AI Lab , headed by Prof. Robert West.
We seek a candidate who will lead ground-breaking research projects with the goal of building safe AI that truly cares about human interests.
Instead of viewing alignment as mere postprocessing of pretrained models ("lipstick-on-a-pig alignment"), you will contribute to our agenda of "raising" models that will be continuously aligned throughout the training process, starting from token 1 in pretraining (see here for a high-level vision). To this end, you will combine synthetic data generation, mechanistic interpretability, LLM pre- and posttraining, and model evaluation in novel ways.
Main duties and responsibilities
You will contribute to the Swiss AI Initiative , in particular by incorporating your research results into Apertus , SwissAI’s open, transparent, multilingual language model.You will work in a stimulating, open, and international research environment consisting of many highly talented and motivated students, embedded in a strong network of academic and industrial collaborators.
Other benefits include a competitive salary (starting at around CHF 88,000 p.a.), an extremely well funded national research system, an office next to a stunning lake and even more stunning mountains, and generous travel support.
Involvement in teaching is possible but not required. Project work with MS and PhD candidates is expected.
Profile
Candidates should have completed, or be near completion of, a PhD with a strong international publication record in AI or NLP. Strong programming skills and experience with machine learning frameworks are required.We offer
- A stimulating and international working environment
- Competitive salary and excellent working conditions - more information can be found on our website (https://www.epfl.ch/campus/services/human-resources/en/basic-starting-salary-of-doctoral-assistants-and-postdocs/'))
- Opportunity to perform state-of-the-art research in one of the most dynamic scientific institutions in Europe.
- Opportunity to interact with internationally renowned experts, and with a strong team of postdoctoral researchers and PhD candidates
EPFL ranks among the world’s top universities in the field of computer science. It is located in Lausanne, Switzerland, a beautiful and vibrant city in an Alpine setting on the shores of scenic Lake Geneva, in the very heart of Europe. English is the main language spoken at EPFL, and Lausanne is highly international, such that no French language skills are required.
Informations
Only applications submitted through the online platform are considered. You are asked to supply:- A brief cover letter (pdf, up to 2 pages).
And in one PDF:
- A CV with a publication list.
- A research statement (pdf, up to 3 pages).
- Contact details for 3 referees.
For any further information, please contact: [XXX]
Contract Start Date : 04/01/2026
Activity Rate Min : 100,00
Activity Rate Max : 100,00
Contract Type: CDD
Duration: 1 year
Reference: 2077
In your application, please refer to myScience.ch and referenceJobID69264.
