Generative information retrieval (GenIR) is an emerging retrieval paradigm where generative models directly produce document identifiers in response to a query, enabling a tight integration of retrieval and generation. While there are promising applications in both academic and industrial settings, several important open challenges remain. These include out-of-distribution performance, low-resource settings, reliability, dynamic settings, and transparency.

Tasks and responsibilities

You will:

• Contribute to research and development of generative information retrieval within the scope of the UNITE project (conduct independent research, develop and implement models, publish research, contribute to tools and frameworks);
• Collaborate and network (collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, build research networks, engage with stakeholders);
• Contribute to funding efforts and education (supervise and mentor students, engage in educational activities, contribute to grant proposals);
• Contribute more broadly to advance our generative information retrieval research (organizing research meetings and workshops, foster a vibrant research community).

We are looking for enthusiastic and curious candidates who meet the following profile:

• A PhD in AI, preferably at the interface of information retrieval and machine learning;
• Research background in generative information retrieval, with publications in the leading venues relevant for the topic;
• Educational experience and ambition: You have experience in the supervision students at the PhD, MSc, and/or BSc level and are motivated to help lead and supervise a team of PhD and MSc students working on generative information retrieval;
• Experimental skills: You have strong programming skills and experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and have run large-scale experiments using large language models and diverse information retrieval settings;
• Teamwork and independence: You have contributed to open science and reproducible research and have demonstrated that you are able to work both independently and as part of a team;
• Communication skills: You have strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of 12 months. The preferred starting date is January 1, 2026. If we assess your performance positive, your contract will be extended with  24 months. Hence, the total duration will be 3 years.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,546 to € 5,538 (scale 10) .This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Researcher 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.