Job Information

Organisation/Company
The Cyprus Institute

Research Field
Computational Science

Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions
PhD Positions

Country
Cyprus

Application Deadline
07 April 2025 (or until the positions are filled)

Type of Contract
Temporary

Job Status
Full-time

Hours Per Week
40

Duration
36 months

Offer Starting Date
October 2025 (potentially flexible)

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
Horizon Europe – MSCA

Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number
101168816

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No

Offer Description

The Cyprus Institute (CyI) in Nicosia, Cyprus, offers a PhD position for a Doctoral Candidate (DC) in the framework of the MSCA Doctoral Network FINALITY (saFe learnINg for LArge scaLe InTerconnected sYstems).

DC13 PhD project: “Incremental Learning from Streams of Unlabeled Data”

Advisor: Prof. Constantine Dovrolis (The Cyprus Institute, and Georgia Institute of Technology)

Incremental learning from unlabeled data streams poses a unique challenge in machine learning. Adapting to non-IID non-stationary data without revisiting past samples (no replay) requires continuous learning while preserving previous knowledge. Detecting novelty amidst outliers is crucial for dynamically creating new features. This research project will aim to advance novelty detection methods, offer a more robust theoretical analysis of online learning, and apply these methods in the incremental training of foundation models for language and vision. Objectives: 1) Develop an adaptive architecture that can learn from a non-stationary stream of unlabeled data, without forgetting, and with the ability to reliably identify novel features when they appear. 2) Design architectures for incremental stream learning that can replace transformers in sequence learning tasks.  3) Apply this architecture in the context of a real-world application related to foundation models and in multimodal Large Language Models (LLMs) in particular.

Secondments: This project will include secondments with Professor George Iosifidis at the Delft University of Technology (TUD), and with Professor Vincenzo Mancuso at IMDEA Networks in Spain. Willingness to travel and spend time abroad is essential.

Context: The FINALITY DN advances the theoretical computer science curriculum focusing on the mastery of prompt and safe learning techniques for interconnected systems. The 15 FINALITY trainees will develop and integrate innovative methodological tools specialized for AI-based resource allocation, particularly in the context of large-scale critical infrastructures for communication and computing. They will develop and validate AI methods that are safe by respecting system boundaries and are prompt in adapting to the environmental changes. Throughout their research training, the FINALITY candidates will prioritize the principles of fairness and computational parsimony of AI methods.

The Cyprus Institute

The Cyprus Institute (CyI) is a no-profit research and educational institution with a strong scientific and technological orientation, emphasizing international collaborations, cross-disciplinary research, innovation, and post-graduate education. CyI, through its established research centres, addresses challenging issues that are important at both the regional and international levels. Many of its research activities are being carried out in partnership with leading institutions in respective thematic areas. The Cyprus Institute actuates its educational mission through its Graduate School. It is a fully accredited, degree-granting institution of higher education offering exclusively postgraduate programs. It maintains a small number of students that are fully integrated into the research activities of the institute. This provides the students with the opportunity to acquire hands-on training in the use of the latest methods and techniques, have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure, and conduct research with internationally recognized research teams.

The selected candidate will be working at the Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center (CaSToRC) of The Cyprus Institute. CaSToRC acts as the National HPC Competence Center for Cyprus. It pioneers in the introduction, development and employment of intense computational methods and data to advance scientific and technological disciplines. CaSToRC aspires to cultivate the use of High Performance Computing (HPC), Simulation, Machine Learning and Data Science in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean and to serve the needs for computational and data intensive applications for academia, government and industry. In addition to offering training and user support, it pursues its own research areas, which currently focus on scientific computing and Chemical Dynamics and Kinetic Modelling, Climate Modelling, Computational Engineering, Quantum Computing, Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear and Particle Physics.

Requirements

Research Field
Computer Science
 
Education Level
MS degree or equivalent 

Skills/Qualifications

Educational Qualifications:

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or Electrical and Computer Engineering.
• The ideal candidate should combine creativity, analytical thinking, mathematical background, experimental skills in machine learning, and interdisciplinary research interests.

Strong background in:

• Machine learning and other areas of Artificial Intelligence.
• Computer programming and experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch.
• Analytical and mathematical tools such as probability, linear algebra, graph theory, algorithms, computational complexity.

Interdisciplinary Research:

• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary research environment, bridging the fields of computer science, mathematics, engineering, and neuroscience.

Communication Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present research findings effectively.

Collaboration and Teamwork:

• Ability to collaborate with research groups during secondments to external institutions.

Adaptability:

• Willingness to acquire and propose new methodologies and techniques, especially during secondments to industry and different academic partners.

Motivation and Initiative:

• Intrinsic motivation to contribute to the objectives of the FINALITY project and the ability to take initiative in research activities.

Ability to Contribute to Project Goals:

• Enthusiasm for contributing to the overall goals of the FINALITY project.
• This project is carried out in strong collaboration with international groups, and visits to their laboratories are expected during the project. A willingness to travel and spend working time outside Cyprus is therefore essential.

Languages
English

Level
Excellent

Additional Information

Benefits

Recruited researchers will be part of the FINALITY doctoral programme. FINALITY offers a thorough scientific education in the frame of a doctoral training programme and the possibility to participate in specific international training courses, workshops and conferences. The team of doctoral candidates will participate in a European research project with high international visibility. They will have the possibility to perform research visits to internationally renowned research labs in Europe under a prestigious MSCA Fellowship. 

Practical benefits include:

• Competitive Salary: Gross annual salary of €33,640 (living allowance and mobility allowance), subject to tax and social security deductions.
• Social Security & Pension: Full coverage under Cyprus’ social security and pension schemes.
• Other Allowances: Family allowance, long-term leave allowance, and special needs allowance will be available if needed.
• Professional Development: Access to high-quality training, networking opportunities, and career development support.

Specific Requirements

Candidates must fulfil the mandatory MSCA Doctoral Networks Eligibility Criteria:

• Mobility rule: Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (e.g., work, study) in the country of the host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date (i.e., start of employment).
• PhD rule: Applicants must be doctoral candidates, i.e., must not already be in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.

Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply.

Rights and Responsibilities of Researchers Participating in Marie Skłodwska-Curie Actions

The European Charter for Researchers is a set of general principles and requirements which specify the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of both researchers and the employers and/or funders of researchers. The aim of the Charter is to ensure that the nature of the relationship between researchers and employers or funders is conducive to successful performance in generating, transferring, sharing and disseminating knowledge and technological development and to the career development of the researchers.

It is obligatory for applicants to read and understand the detailed information regarding the rights and responsibilities of researchers engaged in an MSCA Doctoral Network.

The European Charter for researchers can be accessed at: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/hrexcellenceaward/european-charter-researchers

Application and Selection

The principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers will be adopted, promoting open, merit-based and transparent recruitment and attractive working and employment conditions.

Application advisory phase

A pre-selection of the candidates will be made as a first step prior to the formal recruitment process. Candidates should submit a CV, Statement of Intent, transcripts for both undergraduate and graduate studies, and two recommendation letters in a single pdf document to the main supervisor Prof. Constantine Dovrolis (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Ineligible and incomplete applications will not be considered.

The pre-selected candidates will be invited to an online interview with the main supervisor and at least one additional member of the DC supervisory team and in coordination with the FINALITY Supervisory Board.

A reserve list of candidates may be kept for up to 6 Months

Applicants should be reminded that this pre-selection does not exempt them from meeting any specific criteria or requirements set by The Cyprus Institute.

Formal recruitment phase

The most highly ranked applicant will be advised to apply to this position through the formal application process of The Cyprus Institute.

Applicants should refer to additional information about admission requirements which can be found on the CYI website under the relevant PhD program admissions section.

Applications should be sent through the online application system of The Cyprus Institute Graduate School. When applying through the online application, in Step 2 of the application under the section: “Specific PhD Project” and they should enter the project reference code: GS-COS-FINALITY- DC13-25-2 in order to be considered for the position.

Contact information

For further information please contact Professor Constantine Dovrolis (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)