I am always looking for highly talented and highly motivated people to join my Optimization and Machine Learning Lab. In particular, I am hiring interns, MS/PhD students, PhD students, postdocs and research scientists in the following broad areas:

mathematical and algorithmic foundations of machine learning
optimization for machine learning
federated learning (I am co-inventor of FL: [2] [3] [4])
large language models (e.g., Pushing the limits of large language model quantization via the linearity theorem, Randomized asymmetric chain of LoRA: The first meaningful theoretical framework for low-rank adaptation, PV-Tuning: Beyond straight-through estimation for extreme LLM compression, )
theory of deep learning

If you are interested in any of these positions, please fill out this unified interfolio application form. However, if you are applying for MS/PhD or PhD, you also need to apply formally via the KAUST application system.

A strong candidate will have outstanding training and track record in mathematics and computer science commensurate with the seniority of the position he/she is applying for.

Applications are reviewed throughout the year as they arrive. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed via Zoom.

What NOT to do

Please do NOT send emails to me asking for the status of your application. All shortlisted candidates will be contacted in due time. If you are not contacted, assume you were not shortlisted. I apologize, but I do not have the capacity to send rejection letters to unsuccessful candidates. This due to the high volume of applications, me being busy, and technical issues with the interfolio system (it does not allow me to send multiple rejection letters at the same time).

Please do NOT ask for a meeting with me to discuss your potential application before you even apply. Due to the large volume of applications, and other duties, I can only talk to a small number of shortlisted candidates. Should you apply and should you get shortlisted, you will be notified. You will then be interviewed, and will also have the chance to ask any questions you want. Asking for a discussion before you even apply is asking for too much -- however much I'd like to accommodate your request, I am simply unable to do so.

Please do NOT ask me for an "acceptance letter". Many potential applicants reach out to me by email before they even apply and ask for an "acceptance letter". They seem to think that acceptance decisions are made by administrators, and that a letter from a professor can increase their chances of acceptance. However, this is not how the admissions system works at KAUST. Acceptance decisions are made at the end of the admissions process, and not before it even begins. Should an application get through the initial stages (e.g., filtering for low GPA, incomplete applications, insufficient English, and so on), and should it then get shortlisted by a professor interested in the candidate, the key step of the admissions process is an interview with a professor, who decides whether to make an offer or not. Subject to capacity constraints (KAUST can only admit a limited number of students each year), and a few administrative steps, a decision to admit by a professor virtually always leads to an official offer being sent to the applicant. In summary, by asking for an "acceptance letter" before you even apply, you are trying to bypass the entire admissions process. This does not make any sense.

Please do NOT ask whether you can list me as a potential MS/PhD or PhD advisor or not when applying for these positions via the official KAUST application system. Of course you can! You do not need my permission; you can list up to three people -- any professor you want to work with. The purpose of this field in the application form is merely to make sure the potential advisors get notified of your application should it get through the initial stages of the review process. I always make sure to read (at least) those applications where I am explicitly listed as someone the applicant might be interested to work with. I often read a few more applications as well. While it is not necessary to list anyone as a potential advisor, it is a good idea to do so.

Interns

Internships are targeted at senior/mature undergraduate or MS students thinking of a future career in research (e.g., considering to apply for a PhD at KAUST or elsewhere). Prior experience in research is welcome, but not necessary. Internships last anywhere between a month and six months, and can be performed on the campus or remotely. Extension might be possible in special cases. The starting date and duration are negotiable. Internships come with a monthly stipend. In case of on-campus internships, we also reimburse your visa fees, book your flight tickets and taxi (between the airport in Jeddah and the campus), offer free on-campus accommodation and provide health insurance.

If I decide to make you an offer, I will tell you which of KAUST's several internship programs you will be formally a part of. They all have different rules and eligibility requirements. However, you need not worry about it. All you need to do is to apply via the interfolio site and wait.

KAUST has several internship programs, including:

VSRP (Visiting Student Research Program)
- 3-6 months stay requirement
- eligible regions/countries: Europe (this includes Turkey and Russia), North America (USA & Canada), Australasia (Australia & NZ), Latin America, South Korea, Japan, Singapore.
- I have 6 VSRP projects open: 1) Efficient quantization of large language models, 2) Fine-tuning of foundation models via low-rank adaptation and beyond, 3) Gradient compression for distributed training of machine learning models, 4) Towards a principled understanding of deep learning, 5) Federated learning, 6) Topics in machine learning and optimization
VS (Visiting Student program)
- 1-6 months stay requirement
- eligible countries: all
SSI (Saudi Summer Internships)
- competitive program with up to 40 spaces each Summer at KAUST
- eligibility: i) in-kingdom Saudi nationals ii) should be university students studying towards an MS degree, or be in their junior or senior year iii) should pursue a degree related to CS/MATH/STAT/EE.

MS/PhD and PhD positions

If you have a BS degree, apply to our combined MS/PhD program. If all goes well, you will get an MS degree in 1.5 years (3 semesters), and will then continue towards your PhD. So, if you start in August in year Y, you will get your MS degree in December in year Y+1, and will continue as a PhD student from January of year Y+2. If you have an MS degree already, apply directly to the PhD program. PhD at KAUST takes a minimum of 2.5 years. We accept students for entry in Fall (August) and Spring (January). However, most students start in the Fall. There are several application rounds throughout the year, and hence you can essentially apply at any time. Apply here.

I can supervise students in all programs in the CEMSE division: AMCS (Applied Mathematics & Computational Science), CS (Computer Science), ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and STAT (Statistics). My current students study in all of these programs except for ECE.

Postdocs and Research Scientists

I always have postdoc and research scientist (RS) positions open for outstanding applicants. Funding of these positions comes from my exiting grants. Alternatively (or at the same time), you can apply for a postdoc position funded by the KAUST Global Fellowship initiative. The typical duration of a postdoc position is 2-3 years. The typical duration of a RS position is 3 years or more (including an effectively permanent position). RS positions are offered at 6 levels of seniority. The three most senior levels are roughly equivalent in status and compensation to Assistant, Associate and Full Professor positions, respectively.