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Postdoctoral Researcher in ML / NLP Opportunity at Microsoft Research Africa: Large Language Models (LLMs) for African Low-Resource Languages 

About the job

• The Microsoft Research Lab – Africa is a research institute located in Nairobi, Kenya. Our mission is to understand, build and deploy innovative cloud and AI technologies which not only address core opportunities in Africa and help to solve local challenges at scale, but which will create a more productive future globally.
• We are currently seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher to join our team, with a specialized focus on Large Language Models (LLMs) and image generation models. This role offers a unique opportunity to advance Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies tailored for the cultural and linguistic diversity of Africa. If you have experience in NLP for African language, generative model evaluation or designing culturally inclusive generative AI this might be the position for you.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research in ML, NLP, and LLMs to improve AI technologies for African cultures and languages.
• Establish new ways of benchmarking multi-modal output and methods for iteratively improving that output.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team, integrating insights from different research specialties including human-computer interaction into your research
• Analyze, validate, and document research findings and methodologies.
• Publish research findings in leading AI journals and conferences.
• Mentor students, interns, and junior researchers in related fields.

Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. candidate in the field of Computational Linguistics, Computer Science, Data Science, AI, or a related field.
• Passionate about building equitable AI solutions for Africa.
• Proficiency in NLP and AI, with specific interest in LLMs and their applications.
• Demonstrated experience with Python, NLP frameworks and related libraries.
• Solid background in Data Science and Machine Learning techniques.
• Ability to work with complex datasets and computational models.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.

Preferred/Additional Qualifications:

• Desirable: Experience in writing papers for academic journals and conferences, such as EMNLP, NAACL, ACL.

Microsoft Research Africa – Design Intern

About the job

• The Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi Lab is looking for Product Design Intern to join the lab for 4 months and work on Project Gecko. Project Gecko aims to support small holder farmers in Kenya and India with localized farming advisory through multi-modal and multi-lingual Generative AI to increase their yield and productivity. In this role, you will collaborate with experienced product designers, engineers, HCI and ML researchers, as well as other stakeholders to understand the social and communal practices in farming, the cultural and linguistic aspects, and how best to integrate Generative AI into the experiences of farmers given these facets.

Responsibilities

• Take part in user research and usability testing to inform product development
• Contribute to the planning and execution of co-design and ideation workshops
• Translate research findings into concept maps, flows, and diagrams that inform design decisions
• Design wireframes, mockups, and prototypes that showcase the product interaction
• Communicate design ideas and findings to farmers, researchers, product managers, engineers and other key stakeholders
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure design solutions align with the needs of small-holder farmers
• Contribute to cutting edge research on Generative AI in Africa

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Masters in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, OR have practical design experience that demonstrates equivalent skills
• Strong portfolio showcasing passion for design, keen eye for detail, and creative problem-solving skills
• Excellent critical thinking and communication skills
• Proficiency in design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Miro, Sketch or similar
• Proficiency in English and Kiswahili
• Ability to work independently, and manage time effectively

Method of Application

Use the link(s) below to apply on company website.

• Postdoctoral Researcher in ML / NLP Opportunity at Microsoft Research Africa: Large Language Models (LLMs) for African Low-Resource Languages
• Microsoft Research Africa – Design Intern