Emory University is a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future. We welcome candidates who can contribute to the excellence of our academic community.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Programmer and Researcher Postdoctoral Fellow position in the Language Biomarker Lab (Phil Wolff, PI).

Position Summary:

This postdoctoral position supports the design and execution of research investigating language indicators of psychosis across phylogenetically diverse languages. This work is part of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® in Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ)—the largest schizophrenia research initiative funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (fNIH), and numerous industry partners.

The AMP SCZ project involves collaboration across 42 international sites and includes a clinical trial conducted at 15 U.S. locations. At the Emory University site—Language Biomarker Lab—research focuses on aligning spoken language with facial expressions and vocal characteristics to enable multimodal analysis. This alignment supports the integration of clinical interview data (including open-ended interviews and audio diaries) with other biomarkers such as MRI, EEG, and genetic data, with the aim of enhancing early detection of psychosis and evaluating the efficacy of two candidate medications.

The postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for developing experimental paradigms to detect atypical language patterns in clinical populations. The lab is equipped with a dedicated GPU cluster (including A100 and H100 GPUs) for training and fine-tuning large language models. The postdoc will collaborate closely with the Principal Investigator to prepare and publish scientific manuscripts and may also manage specific equipment and maintain the lab’s audio/video data pipelines.

Appointment Details:

• This is a one-year position with the possibility of renewal for up to five years.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A doctoral degree in a relevant field.
• Excellent scientific writing and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues both at Emory and collaborating institutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Informatics, or Linguistics.
• Experience with natural language processing (NLP) and generative language models.

NOTE: Position tasks are generally required to be performed in-person at an Emory University location.  Remote work from home day options may be granted at department discretion. Emory reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employee.

Emory is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action (for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities). Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone: 404-727-9867 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD).

Emory University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Department of Accessibility Services at 404-727-9877 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD). Please note that one week's advance notice is preferred.