PhD studentship in Personalised Knowledge Grounding for AI Systems

One fully funded, full-time PhD position to work with Jeff Dalton in the Institute for Language, Cognition and Computation at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh and Euan Wielewski, Head of Applied AI, NatWest Group.

This project aims to research novel methods and approaches to enable companies in regulated industries to adopt large language model-based AI systems (LLMs).

Through chatbots and other content-generation applications, NWG seeks to improve customer service, marketing personalisation, and operational efficiency. However, as a large financial institution, NWG has to deploy robust, trustworthy AI systems that comply with regulations. Such systems must be aligned to consistently adhere to the bank's style guidelines, tone of voice, and business rules without generating biased or illegal content. Additionally, large models pose technical challenges around transparency, explainability, and bias mitigation to ensure fair recommendations and communications that adhere to regulations like the FCA’s Consumer Duty rules.

• A good Bachelors degree (2.1 or above or international equivalent) and/or Masters degree in a relevant subject (physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science, or related subject)
• Proficiency in English (both oral and written)
• Strong foundation in natural language processing and deep learning, with a particular emphasis on large language models, transformer architectures, and their training methodologies
• Proficiency in Python and PyTorch, with experience in developing and training deep learning models, and familiarity with distributed computing environments
• Knowledge of financial services and techniques for ensuring AI model complaince with regulatory frameworks is highly desirable

The funded studentship starting in the academic year 2024/25 covers:

• Full time PhD tuition fees for a student with a Home fee status (£4,786 per annum)
• A tax-free stipend of GBP £19,237 per year for 3.5 years
• Additional programme costs of £1000 per year

Applicants should apply via the University’s admissions portal (EUCLID) and apply for the following programme: https://postgraduate.degrees.ed.ac.uk/?r=site/view&edition=2024&id=491 with a start date of 06-01-25.

Applicants should state “Personalised Knowledge Grounding for AI Systems” and the research supervisor (Jeff Dalton) in their application and Research Proposal document.

Complete applications submitted by 15-12-2024 will receive full consideration; after that date applications will be considered until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is 06-01-25.

Applicants must submit:

• All degree transcripts and certificates (and certified translations if applicable)
• Evidence of English Language capability (where applicable)
• A short research proposal (max 2 pages)
• A full CV and cover letter describing your background, suitability for the PhD, and research interests (max 2 pages)
• Two references (note that it the applicant’s responsibility to ensure reference letters are received before the deadline)

Only complete applications (i.e., those that are not missing the above documentation) will progress forward to Academic Selectors for further consideration.

To be onboarded to NatWest Group’s cloud computing environment, the successful candidate will need to undergo background checks.

The Institute for Language, Cognition, and Computation is located at the School of Informatics of the University of Edinburgh, which provides a vibrant research environment and hosts several research institutes relevant to the research that the PhD student will be conducting.

The School of Informatics is one of the largest in Europe and currently the top Informatics institute in the UK for research power, with 40% of its research outputs considered world-leading (top grade), and almost 50% considered top grade for societal impact. The University of Edinburgh is constantly ranked among the world’s top universities and is a highly international environment with several centres of excellence.

NatWest Group is one of the UK’s largest banking and financial services, serving over 19 million customers across multiple brands, including NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Coutts.

The Applied AI team in NatWest Group is a cross-functional team of software engineers, machine learning engineers, and researchers that develop and deploy AI solutions in the bank.