Job Advertisement: Doctoral Student for the TOPML Project, “Towards a robot scientist for behavioral measurement”, E13 (75 %)
Summary
The TOPML Project (https://en.topml.uni-mainz.de/) is a 6-year research project funded by Carl Zeiss Foundation at the Institute of Computer Science of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). TOPML stands for Trading Off non-functional Properties of Machine Learning: broadly, the project deals with the interactions and dependencies of different desirable properties of Machine Learning. The research topics which investigated include transparency and fairness of data and algorithms, as well as data protection requirements and efficient use of resources such as electricity. A strong focus is given to their competing needs. As an example, how decentralized can data be stored and processed to protect privacy? To what extent does decentralization affect the transparency of algorithms and data? What impact does this have on energy consumption? These various trade-offs will be identified and characterized to create workable trade-offs. Ethical and legal aspects are also considered.
The project is a cooperation between the Institute of Computer Science and various Institutes of both JGU and Hochschule Mainz.
Why Join TOPML
- TOPML researchers have published in top-ranked conferences and journals, even at an early stage in their career.
- You would join an interdisciplinary network of experienced and early-stage researchers with a clear focus on themes of responsible development of AI methods and applications.
- TOPML has a dedicated budget to outreach and networking, and can support your endeavors in further establishing your network.
The Project
The primary goal of this project is to develop a robot scientist that integrates machine learning techniques with established social science constructs to investigate the structure of human behavioral heterogeneity. It aims to assess data complementarity of digital footprints, experimental and survey data, build the first robot scientist for behavioral measurement, and study the trade-offs involved with respect to transparency, resource efficiency, and privacy.
The Position
We are looking for a person interested in pursuing a PhD in Computer Science and particularly at the intersection of machine learning and behavioral sciences and experimental methods. The position is funded 75 % at the EG 13 level for a duration of 3 years.
The supervising team will be Prof. Stefan Kramer from the Institute of Computer Science and Prof. Florian Hett from the Digital Economics group at the Faculty of Law, Business and Economics at JGU. Prof. Kevin Bauer from Goethe University Frankfurt and Hessian.AI is another collaborator of the project. The position is hosted by the group of Prof. Florian Hett.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Kramer is full professor of data mining at the Institute of Computer Science of JGU Mainz and was appointed AI Pilot of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate by prime minister Alexander Schweitzer in 2024. He is the spokesperson for the TOPML project.
Requirements & Application Procedure
The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in Computer Science, AI or another quantitative discipline, with prior experience in academic research during their undergraduate studies (e.g. will have pursued an experimental Bachelor and Master’s thesis). Solid skills in math and programming are required. Prior experience with behavioral sciences and experimental methods is desirable. Interdisciplinary curiosity is a prerequisite.
To apply, prepare the following:
- An up to date curriculum vitae (3 pages max.),
- A transcript of records of your grades at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level,
- A motivation letter (2 pages max.) detailing your prior experience with research and your interest in pursuing this specific project,
- The contact of two (2) academic or industrial referees, to be included in the document above
- Your Master’s thesis
Please submit this information, in one PDF file, via email topml-management@uni-mainz.de. (Only applications in one PDF file will be read.) Please use the subject line “Doctoral Student TOPML Project Application”. The deadline for submissions is December 10, 2025 at 23:59 GMT+1, Berlin time.
Contact
Questions about the position and the application procedure can be directed to Prof. Florian Hett via email: florian.hett [aat] uni [daash] mainz [punkt] de.