Kristiania University of Applied Sciences offers study programs in management, organization, marketing, communication, computer science, information technology, health sciences, innovation and creative arts. Kristiania University of Applied Sciences is Norway's largest independent comprehensive university college with its 24,000 students and a large education offering in Oslo, Bergen and online. Our mission is to strongly contribute to the country's social and economic development through problem-driven and applied knowledge development and dissemination, in close cooperation with society at large.
PhD fellowship in Applied Information Technology - Generative Multimodal AI with Neuro-symbolic Reasoning
Intro school
The School of Economics, Innovation, and Technology delivers research and study programmes at bachelor and master level. The emphasis for both research and study programmes are on economics, innovation, digitalization and information technology. Information science, information systems and the interaction between technology and human beings are other exciting focus areas.
We also have our own PhD program in Applied Information Technology.
The department is expanding its online offers and offers in further and continuing education in cooperation with working life. The department has well-established research groups and research labs at a high international level.
About the position
Kristiania University of Applied Sciences is offering a fully funded Ph.D. fellowship in Applied Information Technology. The successful applicant will be included in a team of researchers with ambitious plans to further develop research and pedagogical activities related to Applied Information Technology at the university.
The PhD project should aim to investigate methods for building generative multimodal AI systems that leverage neuro-symbolic architectures to answer complex natural language queries. By integrating LLMs with formal logic, knowledge graphs, and multimodal understanding, the research seeks to enable machines to reason explicitly, handle ambiguity, and provide transparent, trustworthy responses. The project will explore hybrid architectures where LLMs collaborate with symbolic reasoning engines (e.g., logic programming, constraint solvers) to answer questions requiring multimodal context, common-sense knowledge, and multi-step inference. Key challenges include bridging the gap between unstructured multimodal inputs (text, images) and structured symbolic reasoning; designing dynamic pipelines that refine and explain answers using logic-guided verification; and, ensuring explainability and robustness in generative outputs.
The PhD candidate will:
design neuro-symbolic frameworks that fuse LLMs with logic-based modules (e.g., answer set programming, theorem provers) for question answering;
create methods to align and reason over heterogeneous data (e.g., using vision-language models with symbolic knowledge bases);
curate or adapt datasets to evaluate complex reasoning tasks (e.g., implicit constraint satisfaction, counterfactual scenarios);
implement mechanisms to trace and justify model decisions using symbolic representations; and,
disseminate results in top-tier AI conferences and journals and collaborate with industry/academic partners.
The candidates must have:
Master’s degree (120 ECTS or equivalent) in computer science, AI, data science, or a related field with a grade B or better on the master’s thesis and for the master’s degree in total. The master’s thesis must be a minimum of 30 ECTS or equivalent.
Relevant 180 ECTS bachelor’s degree
Strong proficiency in programming, such as Python and deep learning libraries (PyTorch/TensorFlow).
Good mathematical background (e.g., linear algebra, discrete mathematics).
At least one of the two: solid technical background in logic, symbolic AI tools (e.g., first-order logic, knowledge graphs) OR solid technical background in machine learning, deep learning (e.g., transformer architectures, multimodal models).
Analytical thinking and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research.
Proficiency in both written and spoken English (interviews, and all communication will be in English)
Ideally, candidates should have:
Familiarity with multimodal AI systems (e.g., CLIP, GPT-4V).
Experience with LLM frameworks (e.g., Hugging Face, LangChain, LLM APIs).
Exposure to logic programming, automated reasoning, or formal methods (e.g., Prolog, Datalog).
Experience in NLP, neuro-symbolic AI, or multimodal learning.
Personal qualities:
Curiosity and a strong motivation to carry out independent research
Good communication and cooperation skills
The ability, desire and capacity to work independently, systematically, and purposefully
Orientation toward the completion of projects and the attainment of goals
Emphasis will be placed on personal suitability for the position.
Benefits:
high salary compared to international standards (532,200 NOK per year)
equipment at your disposal during employment (e.g., high-end laptop, mobile and mobile subscription)
NOK 50,000 per year to support travel to conferences and other running costs
free health insurance, travel insurance, and pension plan
strong labor laws (e.g., fully paid parental and sick leaves, 25 paid days of vacation and paid sick leave)
The application must hold:
Motivation letter for the position
Approved Diplomas and Transcripts (in Scandinavian or English language)
CV
At least two references
Master thesis
Admission to the PhD program is a requirement for taking up a position as a research fellow. The application must be submitted to School of Doctoral Studies within three months of the start date. For more information, see the Regulations relating to conditions of appointment for research fellowships: https://lovdata.no/forskrift/2024-06-28-1392/§3-19
The PhD research fellowship period is 3 years, and the earliest starting date is 01.08.2025.Working place is School of School of Economics, Innovation, and Technology. The school is located in downtown Oslo, with numerous amenities, recreational spaces, and urban fun right next door.
Kristiania University of Applied Sciences welcomes and encourages applications from diverse backgrounds. Women and persons with minority background are particularly encouraged to apply.
If you have any questions regarding the position. Contact person: Ahmet Soylu (ahmet.soylu@kristiania.no).
Application deadline: 15.05.2025
Only applications received through our application portal will be considered.
We use Semac background checks in our recruitment process.
The employment is to be made in accordance with the regulation to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to Kristiania.
