Three Postdoc Positions on Conversational Agents (NLP/ML) at MBZUAI (UAE)

[Dr. Nils Lukas]

Postdoc Positions on Conversational Agents (NLP/ML) at MBZUAI in the UAE

July/August 2025 

Link to hiring site: https://mbzuai-hiring.github.io/

Overview 

We are seeking passionate postdoctoral researchers with world-class expertise in Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, or related fields who want to push the boundaries of Conversational AI in a real‑world, industry‑backed project.

- Openings: 3 full‑time Postdoctoral Researchers
- Start date: Reviewed on a rolling basis, July 2025
- Duration: 1‑year contract with possibility of extension
- Location: MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi, UAE (benefits such as relocation, health insurance, visa, 14-day hotel stay, and more fully covered) 
- Apply via e‑mail: NLP.Indus...@mbzuai.ac.ae

Job Descriptions

1.) Conversational AI & NLP

Lead the research and development of the core dialogue engine. This involves designing, implementing, and evaluating advanced NLP models to ensure coherent, engaging, and safe user interactions. The role requires a deep understanding of large language models (LLMs), dialogue systems, context management, and techniques to mitigate risks like hallucination and manipulation. 

2.) Personalization & Recommendation

Focus on finding optimal offers based on user behaviour. This involves leveraging user interaction history, building user profiles, integrating external knowledge sources, and working with techniques like knowledge graphs, Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG), grounding information for accuracy, and exploring the use of causal reasoning to offer timely and relevant suggestions that enhance user value and align with business objectives.

3.) Affective & Persuasive AI
The Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Persuasive Language Generation will lead the development of advanced dialogue systems, focusing on methods to seamlessly integrate recommendations into conversations that are sensitive to the user’s captured intent and do not degrade conversational quality. The role involves eliciting user intent, adapting to user styles, and setting up an infrastructure to collect data to continually improve the quality of persuasive language generated by the agent.

Thanks for your attention!