Postdoc in AI-Powered Emergency Medical Communication - ITU

The IT University of Copenhagen invites highly motivated individuals to apply for a two year Postdoc position starting in November 2025 or soon thereafter.

We invite applicants who want to contribute to the IT University's vision of creating and sharing knowledge that is profound and leads to ground-breaking information technology and services for the benefit of humanity.

Job description

We are looking to hire a postdoc in data science/natural language processing to contribute to an innovative research project aimed at streamlining citizens’ encounters with emergency medical services using AI technology. The project stands out by using public data for public good with access to one of the largest real-world healthcare dialogue datasets in Europe and by exploring novel approaches to human-AI alignment, where both citizens and AI systems adapt to each other through dynamic interaction.

As part of an interdisciplinary team, you will be a part of the NLPnorth natural language processing group at the IT University of Copenhagen, and work closely with human-computer interaction experts at the University of Copenhagen and the Emergency Medical Services of the Capital Region of Denmark. Your primary role in the project will involve:

• Research on exploiting large language models to facilitate effective communication with citizens in medical emergency scenarios, leading to academic publications in top-tier venues.
• Research on countering and mitigating LLM uncertainty and overconfidence to achieve human-AI alignment in emergency care.
• Deploying and evaluating automatic speech recognition models to transcribe emergency hotline calls in Danish with high accuracy.
• Implementing RAG-based LLM solutions for reliable and factual interaction with citizens in emergency situations.

General information

The IT University of Copenhagen (ITU) is a teaching and research-based university specializing in information technology (IT) and the opportunities it offers. The IT University has more than 160 full-time Faculty members. Research and teaching in information technology span all academic activities which involve computers including computer science, information and media sciences, humanities and social sciences, business impact and the commercialization of IT.

Research at the IT University of Copenhagen

Our research is organized through collaborative research groups, centers, hubs, and labs that encourage cooperation across disciplines. These units explore complex challenges at the intersection of people, technology, and society, contributing both to fundamental insights and practical solutions. At ITU, we see research as a shared endeavor – open, critically engaged, and rooted in dialogue with academic communities, industry, and the public sector. We actively pursue international partnerships and networks, and our interdisciplinary approach ensures that our research not only advances knowledge but also generates impact beyond academia.

Teaching at the IT University of Copenhagen

ITU currently offers four BSc degrees, six MSc degrees and one professional master’s degree, spanning across these disciplines. ITU's education is extremely sought after and produces qualified graduates who are in high demand from the job market.

Working at the IT University

Located in modern architecture, a 6-minute metro ride from the center of Copenhagen, the IT University offers an informal working environment, a varied everyday life, and a highly motivated, innovative, skilled, and diverse international faculty, with PhD degrees from more than 20 different countries. The IT University is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself in actively pursuing an improved gender balance among students and among faculty.

Working in Copenhagen

Copenhagen has a solid educational system, a rich cultural life, universal healthcare, good childcare, and well-functioning infrastructure. Copenhagen is consistently ranked among the world’s most livable cities according to the Economist Global Liveability Index. Living and working in Copenhagen will typically be a great experience for you and your family.

Salary and terms of employment

Appointment and salary will be in accordance with the Ministry of Taxation’s agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and job structure for academic staff at universities.

Qualification Requirements

The following qualifications are required:

• PhD degree in data science, natural language processing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer science or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to train, fine-tune, and evaluate large language models.
• Proficiency in Python programming and machine learning frameworks such as Pytorch.

In addition, the following qualifications are desirable.

• Experience of machine learning for speech and audio data and automatic speech recognition.
• Experience of creating systems for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Experience of automatic approaches to anonymising sensitive data or redaction of personally identifiable information.
• Understanding spoken Danish, as the project involves working with Danish emergency call data.

It is understood that even highly qualified applicants will satisfy these requirements to varying degrees, for example because of differences in countries and research fields. If you are interested in the project but are in doubt about checking these boxes, please contact Associate Professor Christian Hardmeier, william65jessicawallacechrhaemilywilliams@graves.dkjones.dkitu.dknelson.dk, before applying.

Application

The application and all other documents ought to be in English and must include:

• A motivated application (cover letter), including a detailed description of your qualifications and brief statements of research and teaching plans
• A full CV, including name, address, phone number, e-mail, previous and present employment and academic background
• Documentation of academic degrees (copy of degree certificates etc.)
• Relevant scientific publications or/and PhD thesis written by the applicant
• Documentation of pedagogical experience and teaching record within one or more of the teaching areas listed for the position

Applications without the above-mentioned required documents will not be assessed.

The applicant will be accessed according to the Appointment Order from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of 13 March 2012.

The IT University may use shortlisting in connection to the recruitment process. In case of shortlisting, the Chair of the hiring committee selects applicants for assessment in consultation with the hiring committee after the application deadline. All applicants are notified whether their application has been passed for assessment. The shortlisting of candidates for assessment is based on the criteria in the job posting.

Further information

Questions about the positions can be directed to Associate Professor Christian Hardmeier, IT University of Copenhagen, smccoychrhajuliaclarkgailcoffey@flores.dkcobb-gill.dkitu.dk.

Questions related to the application procedure may be directed to HR, hrhenryharrisfkelly@perez.dkitu.dkrussell.dk.

Application procedure

You can only apply for this position through our e-recruitment system. Apply by pressing the button "Apply for position" in the job announcement on our website.

The IT University might upon request in the interview process contact 1-2 references.

Application deadline: 24 September 2025, at 23:59 CEST.

Applications/enclosures received at ITU after the application deadline will not be taken into consideration. If you submit an application, it is your responsibility to ensure that it arrives before the deadline so please allow sufficient time for upload of publications and other documents.

At the IT University of Copenhagen, we have an international environment and view diversity as a valuable resource. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive working environment for all our employees and encourage all qualified applicants, regardless of age, gender, religious affiliation, or ethnic background to apply for the position.