The main review of applications starts March 1, 2023. Applications received after that date are unlikely to be considered.
Prof. Sam Bowman is planning to hire at least one postdoctoral research associate or research scientist to start between March and September 2023.
Your role in this position will be to lead or oversee collaborative research projects that are compatible with the goals of the Alignment Research Group. This will generally involve work on scalable oversight and related problems surrounding the reliable, safe, responsible use of future broadly-capable AI systems, with a focus on work with language models. You will have the flexibility to develop your own research agenda in this area with the help of more junior student and staff researchers.
Required Qualifications:
- Four years of impactful, publicly-disseminated research on some relevant subject.
- Demonstrated experience mentoring junior researchers.
- Demonstrated familiarity with experimental NLP research and AI alignment research.
Preferred Qualifications:
- A PhD in a related field. Candidates without PhDs will be considered only if they have clearly reached a comparable level of experience and recognition through non-academic positions.
- Research experience in AI ethics, AI policy, responsible AI, or human–computer interaction.
In addition to the Alignment Research Group, the researcher will be a member of three units within NYU:
- NYU Center for Data Science: a PhD-granting academic center focused on applied machine learning research.
- The CILVR lab: an eighteen-PI machine learning research group, founded by Yann LeCun and Rob Fergus.
- The Machine Learning for Language Group: a five-PI NLP research group.
Collectively, these units offer access to an onslaught of excellent visiting speakers from around the world, plenty of computing resources (30+ high-end GPUs on a good day, plus access to additional cloud resources), and a desk in a recently-renovated landmark building (60 Fifth Ave). Our location in Greenwich Village is somehow both quiet and also within a few minutes’ walk of twenty subway lines, as well as just about everything one could possibly want to do in a city.
The term of the appointment will be one year, but can be renewed subject to satisfactory progress. The position will pay at least $90,000 a year, variable based on relevant experience.
We are accepting applications now and will continue until the position is filled. So, apply now! To apply, use the departmental application form here – https://apply.interfolio.com/99859 – to submit a very short description of your plans and interests, a CV, and contact information for two references. You do not need to submit a separate cover letter and research statement if you do not already have both prepared—it is acceptable to upload the same document for both of these. Because this application form is shared with other research groups at NYU Data Science, you’ll need to mention ‘Sam Bowman’ prominently in your application.
New York University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. I expect that a qualified researcher would be eligible for US visa sponsorship (typically J-1). I explicitly welcome applications from members of groups that are underrepresented in the relevant fields!
Logistical note: Sadly, NYU’s application tracking system makes it extremely difficult to send updates to applicants. I’ll try to reach out within three weeks of your application if you’re under consideration, and I’ll close the position when we’re no longer considering applications.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
For people in the EU, click here for information on your privacy rights under GDPR: www.nyu.edu/it/gdpr.
NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.
Sustainability Statement
NYU aims to be among the greenest urban campuses in the country and carbon neutral by 2040. Learn more at https://nyu.edu/sustainability.