PostDoc Researcher (NLP and Large Language Models):

A Funded Project on the Interplay of Artificial Intelligence and Islamic Studies in Arabic 

Background 

The Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) is an academic center based in the College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, with an international orientation and an ambitious research agenda. One of CILE’s key instruments to achieve its Vision and Mission is producing original, high-quality, impactful, and interdisciplinary research in the emerging field of Islamic Ethics, including research engaging with fields like Arts, Economics, Education, Environment, Food, Gender, Media, Biomedical Sciences, Migration & Human Rights, Politics and Psychology. In this regard, CILE has established the peer-reviewed and Scopus-indexed Journal of Islamic Ethics and the book-series Studies in Islamic Ethics, both published by Brill.  

CILE (in collaboration with the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University and the University of Bradford) has won an Academic Research Grant (ARG), funded by the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), for a novel project titled “Transforming Islamic Studies in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Developing AI-Empowered “IslamGPT 1.0” for Arabic Sources.”  

This project aims to develop IslamGPT 1.0, the first AI-empowered large language model (LLM) specifically designed for Arabic sources in Islamic Studies. IslamGPT 1.0 is a significant stride toward harnessing the transformative potential of AI-empowered conversation agents to serve Islamic Studies. This project will enhance accuracy and efficiency in addressing unresolved inquiries across the broad discipline of Islamic Studies. 

PostDoc Researcher 

The prospective holder of this position will work in Doha on a full-time basis and undertake research in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing, and record the outcome of experiments, with a particular focus on processing and analyzing large Arabic datasets for the development of bespoke LLM technology. The successful candidate will take responsibility for delivering high-quality research and development of new research opportunities, extending the project to novel research areas. 

Qualifications & Required Skills  

We are actively seeking a highly skilled and motivated researcher to join our team, focusing on the research and development of AI-driven Large Language Models in Islamic studies in Arabic. The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications: 

• A Ph.D. in Computer Science or an equivalent degree in a related field by the time of appointment. 

• Substantial expertise in modern Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, particularly with transformer-based models. 

• In-depth understanding of natural language generation evaluation is expected. 

• A proficient command of the Arabic language is a prerequisite. 

• Candidates with a background in Islamic studies will be given preference. 

• Preferred experience with deploying large language models on cloud infrastructures, such as Google Cloud, AWS, or Azure. 

Contract Details 

• Location: Doha, Qatar (Hamad Bin Khalifa University) 

• Type: Fixed Term Full-time  

• Duration:  Up to 3 years 

Deadline 

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted to arrange an interview. 

Submission Instructions 

Candidates are required to submit the following documents as .pdf attachments to submit@cilecenter.org (Please note that only submissions sent via this link will be considered)

• Updated CV 

• Cover letter 

• Short research statement (maximum 1 page) 

• Any other relevant documents demonstrating the applicant's skills related to the advertised job.