Limited employment up to 6 months (f/m/d) - Neuro-Symbolic AI: The Next Frontier (6 Months)

Job Description

We help the world run better

At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

What you'll build

As a Research Fellow in the Global Content Group (GCG) Engineering team, you will:

• Research and prototype neuro-symbolic AI approaches that combine the reasoning power of structured knowledge graphs with the generalization capabilities of large language and foundation models
• Develop methods to inject ontology-level knowledge — concepts, relationships, and constraints — directly into foundation models, enabling them to generate accurate, schema-aware SPARQL queries from natural language
• Design and evaluate knowledge-grounded question answering (Q&A) systems that go beyond retrieval-augmented generation, leveraging formal ontologies to improve precision, explainability, and faithfulness of model outputs
• Benchmark your approaches against existing text-to-SPARQL and semantic Q&A baselines on enterprise knowledge graphs
• Collaborate with a global team of software engineers, data scientists, and researchers on cutting-edge challenges at the intersection of symbolic AI and modern deep learning
• Document and present your research findings, contributing to publications and internal knowledge-sharing

What you bring

• PhD candidate (mid-to-late stage) or postdoctoral researcher in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, or a related field
• Strong background in neuro-symbolic AI, knowledge representation, or semantic web technologies (RDF, OWL, SPARQL)
• Hands-on experience with large language models or foundation models — fine-tuning, prompt engineering, or knowledge injection techniques
• Familiarity with text-to-SPARQL, semantic parsing, or knowledge graph question answering (KGQA)
• Solid programming skills in Python; experience with ML frameworks (PyTorch, Hugging Face) and knowledge graph tooling is a plus
• Research track record in neuro-symbolic systems, NLP, or knowledge graphs — with publications
• Ability to drive independent research and translate findings into working prototypes
• Good communication skills in English (written and spoken); German is a plus
• Available for a 6-month research fellowship (full-time or part-time)

Where you belong

We sit at the frontier of enterprise AI — combining structured ontological knowledge with the expressive power of foundation models to build Q&A systems that are both intelligent and trustworthy. Join a passionate team of engineers and researchers pushing the boundaries of neuro-symbolic AI at scale.

Your set of application documents should contain a cover letter, a resume in table form, school leaving certificates, certificate of enrollment, current university transcript of records, copies of any academic degrees already earned, and if available, references from former employers (including internships). Please also describe your experience and skills in foreign languages and computer programs / programming languages.

This is a SAP global, strategic, paid, limited placement that provides candidates with opportunities to find purpose in their careers.

#SAPNextGen

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Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.

We win with inclusion
SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 447175 | Work Area: Administration | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Graduate | Employment Type: Limited Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid