PhD Studentship: Towards Trustworthy and Responsible LLMs through Verification and Validation

PhD Supervisor: Yi Dong

Supervisory Team: Dr Yi Dong, Dr Stuart E. Middleton

Project description

The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) is now transforming the landscape of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and multimodal applications as we speak. However, LLMs such as GPT-4 and its applications such as ChatGPT come with health warnings and easy to break guardrails. The need for reliable LLM verification techniques is now critical. This project’s outcomes will play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of LLMs and how to better verify and validate them, researching the necessary tools to ensure their robustness and reliability and creating a pathway to ultimately fostering trust in the AI applications that use them (e.g. chatbots, question answer systems, decision support systems, robotics and automation systems). We're also looking for candidates with expertise beyond NLP and LLMs, including Trustworthy AI, Robotics, Game Theory, Energy Systems, and Control, especially with deep learning experience.

This PhD project aims to delve into the intricacies of deep learning-based systems, focusing on developing comprehensive verification techniques to ascertain their behaviour and output. The project is motivated by the increasing reliance on learning-enabled systems in critical decision-making processes and the need to ensure that these models are not only accurate but also reliable and trustworthy.

References:

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2305.11391.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1145/3570918

https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/481740/

Before you apply

We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisor(s) for this project before you apply.

Enquiries regarding this project can be sent to Dr. Yi Dong (yi.dong@soton.ac.uk)

Prospective candidates are invited to apply soon, as we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Successful candidates would have a strong background in Computer Sciences, Engineering, Maths or Physics and preference would be given to those with good understanding of Deep Learning models. You will join the School of Electronics and Computer Science, ranked 1st in the UK for Electrical and Electronic Engineering within the University of Southampton, ranked top 1% of universities worldwide. We will also support the development of your future career and give you opportunities including teaching assistantships, professional networking via leading organizations such as Alan Turing Institute, £31M RAI UK Hub, and access to Future Worlds to explore commercialization of your research. 

Entry Requirements

A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent).

Closing date: 31 August 2024 for standard admissions, but later applications may be considered depending on the funds remaining in place.

Funding: We expect to have departmental funding for this 3.5 year project, confirmed soon. The funding will cover tuition fees and a stipend at the UKRI rate (ca. £19,108 for 24-25). Other funding opportunities, such as PDS and CSC, are also available (View Website). If you have your own funding to support your PhD studies, I strongly encourage you to highlight this upfront when you first contact me.

How To Apply

Apply online: Search for a Postgraduate Programme of Study (soton.ac.uk). Select programme type (Research), 2024/25, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, next page select “PhD Computer Science (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor Yi Dong

Applications should include:

• Research Proposal
• Curriculum Vitae
• Two reference letters
• Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk

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