Senior ML Researcher (Spectrum)

About the Position

Many solutions promise to solve the problem of finding specific answers in software engineering, but they often fall short. Spectrum, a project within JetBrains' startup incubator, aims to revolutionize the semantic layer space for software-building organizations by collecting data from an organization's code, documentation, and issues, and organizing knowledge in a unified ontology. We are looking for a Senior ML Researcher to develop the core methods that make Spectrum possible – novel approaches to temporal ontology extraction, contradiction detection, and semantic alignment across heterogeneous software artifacts.

Responsibilities

• Developing methods for LLM-based ontology construction from code, documentation, and issue trackers, including contradiction detection and reasoning over the resulting knowledge graph.
• Creating datasets, metrics, and benchmarks that drive measurable improvements across the system.
• Prototyping and validating research ideas, then collaborating with ML and software engineers to bring them to production.
• Collaborating with JetBrains Research and external academic advisors to shape our research agenda.
• Publishing research findings at top venues and representing Spectrum in the research community.

Requirements

• A PhD (or equivalent research experience) in NLP, knowledge graphs, ontology learning, information extraction, or a closely related field.
• A strong publication record in at least one of the following areas: knowledge graph construction, ontology learning, information extraction, or NLP.
• Experience applying LLMs to structured knowledge extraction tasks.
• Experience designing and running rigorous experiments, including hypothesis formulation, ablation studies, and statistical evaluation.
• Strong Python and PyTorch skills, with the ability to implement research ideas from scratch.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proficiency in English, both written and verbal.

Nice to Have

• Experience with ontology engineering, semantic web technologies (OWL, RDF, SPARQL), or ontology alignment.
• A background in code analysis, developer tools, or software engineering research.
• Experience with knowledge graph embedding methods or graph neural networks.
• Experience in early-stage startups – you enjoy the zero-to-one phase.
• Actively contributed to relevant open-source projects.

We Offer

• A competitive salary and JetBrains benefits.
• A generous runway and corporate resources with startup autonomy.
• Full support for publishing ML research and attending industry conferences.
• Collaboration with JetBrains Research and external academic advisors in the knowledge graph and ontology learning community.
• A motivated team that moves fast, with short feedback loops, rapid prototyping, and lots of ownership.
• A rare applied research role where your methods ship in a real product used by software teams.

About the Company

JetBrains is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We offer a strong base salary, flexible work locations, remote work options, extra time off, medical insurance allowance, learning and development opportunities, mental health support, sports benefits, and internal events.

Locations

• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Belgrade, Serbia
• Berlin, Germany
• Limassol, Cyprus
• Madrid, Spain

Some benefits may vary depending on location.

We are an equal opportunity employer

We know great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere. That’s why we do our best to create an open and inclusive workplace – one that welcomes everyone regardless of their background, identity, religion, age, accessibility needs, or orientation.

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