Positions at the DAPLab

Postdoc Research Position

DAPlab – Columbia University
Location: New York, NY
Supervisors: Columbia DAPLab Faculty (including Prof. Zhou Yu and Prof. Eugene Wu)

The Data, Agents, and Processes Lab (DAPLab) at Columbia University is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher to advance the next generation of AI agents that operate within organizations—systems that perceive, reason, and act in dynamic, interactive environments.

This position offers an exciting opportunity to work at the intersection of machine learning and systems research, under the broad supervision of DAPLab faculty. Our goal is to develop intelligent, user-aligned agents by bridging large-scale data processing, systems development, interaction design, and learning-based adaptation.

🔍 Research Focus

We are particularly interested in candidates who can contribute to projects across:

  • AI agent infrastructure: building scalable, efficient systems to support and leverage agent training, inference, and workflows
  • User modeling and simulation for agent personalization and evaluation
  • Reinforcement learning and LLM fine-tuning for dynamic adaptation
  • Human-AI interaction and usability in real-world decision-making
  • Agent orchestration, including tool use, memory, and feedback loops

This role is ideal for researchers excited about combining ML algorithms, systems design, and human-centered AI to develop generalizable and trustworthy agents.

✅ Qualifications

  • PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, HCI, Systems, NLP, or a related field
  • Strong publication record in top-tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, UIST, ICLR, ACL, VLDB, SIGMOD, MLSys, SOSP, OSDI)
  • Experience with building AI systems (e.g., agents, RL environments, orchestration frameworks)
  • Familiarity with large language models (LLMs), reinforcement learning, or data-centric systems

🌟 What We Offer

  • A collaborative, high-impact research environment at Columbia’s Engineering School
  • Mentorship from faculty with deep expertise in ML, HCI, NLP, and Systems
  • Opportunities to publish, prototype, and deploy real-world AI systems
  • Competitive salary, benefits, and potential industry collaborations

📬 How to Apply

Please send the following materials to both contacts below:

  • Your CV
  • A brief statement of research interest
  • Up to 2 representative publications or system demos

📧 Prof. Zhou Yu – zy2461@columbia.edu
📧 Prof. Eugene Wu – ew2493@columbia.edu

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submissions encouraged.