PhD scholarship in Culture-Aware Evaluation of Large Language Models in Low-Resourced Languages at Centre for Language Technology, The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen

The Centre for Language Technology (cst.ku.dk) at The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics at the University of Copenhagen is inviting applications for a 3-year PhD scholarship starting on 1 September 2025 or soon after. The selected candidate will be co-supervised by both the Centre for Language Technology and the Department of Computer Science and will be physically located in both places during their employment.

The PhD scholarship is funded by the AI initiative ‘Sikker platform til udvikling af transparente danske sprogmodeller’ (‘secure platform for the development of Danish language model’), which is part of the AI Strategy embarked in 2024 by the Ministry of Digital Affairs (www.digmin.dk). The candidate will be affiliated to the project group ‘Danish Foundation Models’, (www.foundationmodels.dk) which is a collaboration between several major universities in Denmark addressing the aforementioned initiative, including Aarhus University, Southern Danish University, the Alexandra Institute and the University of Copenhagen.

The PhD study will be on the culture-aware evaluation of large language models in low-resourced languages, primarily focusing on Danish and the other Nordic languages. The research will assess the models’ ability to process linguistic features unique to target languages, such as morphology, syntax, and semantics, as well as their capability to handle multilingual and code-switching scenarios often observed in Nordic contexts. By developing robust evaluation metrics and frameworks, the study aims to identify biases and limitations in the models while proposing strategies to improve their inclusivity, cultural sensitivity, and overall performance in low-resourced language settings.

Qualification requirements
We invite candidates with a Master’s degree in computational linguistics, language technology, computer science, or similar fields. Experience with Danish or Nordic language resources is an advantage but not a requirement.

Applicants must have a two-year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent and, as a minimum, have submitted a Master’s thesis for which they have received pre-approval at the time of application.

The qualifications of applicants with non-Danish Master’s degrees will be assessed to ascertain whether they correspond to the Danish level. For further information, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Education and Research: ufm.dk/en/education/admission-and-guidance.

Applicants must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level. Furthermore, the applicant must possess any additional language competencies relevant to the proposed project. The department may request that applicants document their English skills and/or any additional language competencies deemed crucial for the proposed project.

PhD Studies
PhD studies consist of research programmes at the highest international level that qualify students for independent research, knowledge dissemination and teaching. The main emphasis is on PhD students organising and conducting their own research project (under supervision). The programme culminates in the submission of a PhD thesis, which the student must defend in public. The programme is prescribed to 180 ECTS credits, corresponding to three years of full-time study.

A PhD degree opens up a range of career opportunities in academia and elsewhere. As well as writing a thesis, PhD students work in active research environments in Denmark and abroad. They contribute to the academic environment, take research training courses, and convey the results of their research in teaching, at academic conferences and to the general public.

Application
All applications must be submitted online, in PDF or Microsoft Word format, via the link “Apply now” at the bottom of this page.

The application must include:

1. Project abstract max.1,200 characters with spaces
2. Personal statement max. one page
   In their personal statements, applicants are encouraged to:
   - outline how the PhD project relates to other research activities at the department, including the availability of supervisors
   - describe as clearly as possible their competencies and personal qualifications relevant to the PhD programme.
3. CV max. one page
4. Documentation (diplomas and transcripts)
   Applicants must upload the following:
   - a copy of their Master’s degree diploma or similar (if this is not available by the application deadline, applicants must document pre-approval of their Master’s thesis)
   - a copy of their Master’s degree transcript
   - a copy of their Bachelor’s degree diploma
   - a copy of their Bachelor’s degree transcript.
   Applicants with a degree from a university where the working language is not English or one of the Scandinavian languages must submit a certified translation of their Master’s diploma and/or diploma transcripts. These documents must be translated into English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish. An official description of the grading scale (and a diploma supplement where relevant) must also be attached.
5. Project description
   Applications must include a detailed project description covering the problem formulation, overall objectives, methodology, design and timetable (max. five pages/12,000 characters, incl. spaces, excl. bibliography).
   Applicants who anticipate incurring extraordinary expenses (related to questionnaires, fieldwork, extended stay(s) abroad, equipment, etc.) must include brief comments about this in their project description. Guidelines and good advice on project descriptions are available here: phd.humanities.ku.dk/how-to-obtain-a-phd-scholarship/admission-requirements.
6. A list of publications, where relevant
7. Other relevant material
   Statements of consent, e.g. regarding access to special archives and approval of studies abroad, may be submitted along with the applications. It is not necessary to include commitments from supervisors.
   Please do not upload or submit recommendations, publications, theses, etc.

If you apply for more than one scholarship at the Faculty of Humanities, please disclose this information in your application as it may help the coordination between the departments.

Assessment criteria
The following criteria are applied when assessing PhD applications:

• The quality, originality, and feasibility of the PhD project
• Research qualifications, as reflected in the attached CV and project description
• Competencies and knowledge of relevant fields of academic research
• Level (grades obtained) of Bachelor and Master’s studies.

We seek to reflect the breadth and diversity of society and encourage applications irrespective of personal background.

The recruitment process
After the deadline for applications, the Head of Department considers advice from the Appointment Committee and then selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether or not they have been shortlisted. After this, the Head of Department sets up an expert Assessment Committee to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Individual applicants will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced. The assessments are expected to be completed mid-May.

Enrolment
It is a prerequisite for employment that successful applicants enrol at the PhD School of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen.

For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: phd.humanities.ku.dk/phd-programme/structure.

For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: phd.ku.dk/english.

Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at approximately DKK 30,800 (EUR 4,100) + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme.

For further information about employment at UCPH, please see: phd.humanities.ku.dk/phd-programme/employment-as-a-phd-student.

According to the agreement, the PhD fellow is required to carry out tasks at the relevant department to an extent corresponding to 840 working hours (6 months).

Contact information
If you have any questions about the content of the call or of the PhD programme, please contact Prof. Bolette S. Pedersen, Leader of Centre for Language Technology at the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, email: [email protected] or PhD coordinator Thomas Olander at the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, email: [email protected].

Questions about the recruitment process can be addressed to HR South and City Campuses, email: [email protected]. Please refer to ID number 211-2093/25-2H #1.

For further information about the application procedure, please refer to the University of Copenhagen’s website: employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process.

The deadline for applications is 6 April 2025 at 23:59 CEST.

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered. However, changes may be made to the submitted application right up until the deadline.