ICTP Postdoctoral Fellowship on Neural Networks

ICTP's Quantitative Life Sciences section is seeking applications from outstanding scientists of any nationality with a strong research record for a postdoctoral position starting during spring 2026.

The position is linked to the European Research Council project on the Computational Hardness Of RepresentAtion Learning (CHORAL), with ICTP scientist  Jean Barbier as principal investigator.

The application deadline is 31 January 2026; more details about the post, and how to apply, can be found here.

The QLS section provides a unique international research environment for postdoctoral fellows with about 15 group members, an intense programme of workshops and conferences, close collaborations with local institutions (SISSA, Univ. Trieste) and internationally renowned ones (ENS Paris, EPFL, IPhT, ISTA, etc). The QLS section has expertise in a broad range of fields including statistical physics of information processing, information theory, high-dimensional statistics, statistical learning and inference, reinforcement learning, stochastic processes and thermodynamics, theoretical ecology etc. Postdoctoral fellows are encouraged, and supported, to participate in activities in developing countries in order to promote the ICTP mission.

The selected postdoctoral researcher is expected to carry out active, independent and multidisciplinary research in the broad area of the theory of neural networks: statistical mechanics, random matrix theory, information-theoretic and algorithmic aspects. The appointment will be made for two years, with the possibility of renewal for up to one additional year.

Candidates should have a background in some of the following disciplines:

• Statistical mechanics, disordered systems and spin glasses
• Random matrix theory
• High-dimensional statistics
• Information theory, statistical inference
• Theory of machine learning, gradient-based dynamics
• Theory of message passing algorithms

Experience in the numerical implementation of machine learning algorithms in addition to the analytic skills is a plus.

The net monthly salary ranges between 2100–2,700 EUR depending on seniority. Benefits include a private health insurance, a pension contribution, special allowances for family members, competitive travel funds as well as computer equipment.