Postdoctoral Scientist, Stores Foundational AI Full-time

Amazon is looking for talented Postdoctoral Scientists to join our Stores Foundational AI team for a one-year, full-time research position.

The Stores Foundational AI team builds foundation models for multiple Amazon entities, such as ASIN, customer, seller and brand. These foundation models are used in downstream applications by various partner teams in Stores. Our team also invests in building foundational large language models, which can power conversational applications as well as machine learning tasks with scarce data (zero/few-shot learning).

The postdoc is expected to develop machine learning techniques for Large Language Model (LLM) Alignment. Currently, Alignment techniques for LLMs rely primarily on the annotation of preference between alternative responses followed by policy (LLM) optimization either directly (DPO-style) or after learning one or multiple reward functions (PPO-style). However, the data from such annotation is often noisy and confounded by ambiguity, subjectivity, and multi-dimensionality of preference. The goal of the project is to develop 1) high-quality data annotation procedures with clear instructions, 2) preference models which account for noisiness, ambiguity, subjectivity, and multi-dimensionality of preference annotation, and 3) appropriate algorithms for directly optimizing the policy (LLM) or appropriate loss functions for learning rewards using such preference models.

Key job responsibilities
• tWork closely with a senior science advisor, collaborate with other scientists and engineers, and be part of Amazon’s vibrant and diverse global science community.
• tPublish your innovation in top-tier academic venues and hone your presentation skills.
• tBe inspired by challenges and opportunities to invent cutting-edge techniques in your area(s) of expertise.

We are open to hiring candidates to work out of one of the following locations:

Palo Alto, CA, USA | Seattle, WA, USA

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
• tPhD in a relevant field, received within 2 years of starting the program
• Proven publication record in Machine Learning, LLM, Optimization, Reinforcement Learning or other related technical fields

* Experience in data science and quantitative research

* Proficiency in technologies relevant to the subfield

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• tAbility to independently deliver results in a fast-paced environment
• tPublications at top-tier, peer-reviewed conferences and/or journals
• tExceptional verbal and written communication skills
• tExpert knowledge in modeling and performance, operationalization, and scalability of scientific techniques and establishing decision strategies

Required application materials:
• tCV, which lists all peer-reviewed publications and conferences,
• tResearch statement that outlines your research achievements and future research interests, and
• tA journal article or book chapter that demonstrates your domain expertise.

Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us.