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Postdoc in Artificial Intelligence

  • On-site
    • Nantes, Pays-de-la-Loire, France
  • Data analytics et Intelligence artificielle

Job description

As a leading general engineering school of the IMT-Institut Mines-Télécom, France's leading group of engineering schools, IMT Atlantique's ambition is to accompany transitions, train responsible engineers and place scientific and technical excellence at the service of teaching, research and innovation.

As part of the Mechanically Welded Parts Costing project, which aims to develop and evaluate solutions based on VLM-type AI models to automate the costing process for mechanically welded parts, we are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher in Artificial Intelligence within our Automation, Production Engineering, and Computer Science Department (DAPI).

In collaboration with METAL44 and under the supervision of Samir LOUDNI, you will explore and prepare data from heterogeneous sources. You will identify and evaluate the most suitable Vision-Language Models (5VLM) for automatically extracting technical information from 2D plans (PDF), 3D models (STEP), and text documents (standards, internal scales, etc.). You will use the information extracted from technical drawings and documents to predict manufacturing operations (cutting, bending, welding, etc.) and estimate their cost or duration based on internal historical data. You will evaluate the performance of these models on real industrial cases in order to propose a demonstrator or prototype that can be used in production.

Job description for more information

Job requirements

Minimum education and/or experience required:

  • PhD obtained less than 3 years before date of hire in Computer Science, in one of the following areas: Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or related field.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Strong proficiency in Python and associated libraries (NumPy, Pandas, PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.).

  • Expertise in multimodal AI models (Vision-Language Models), with experience on CLIP, BLIP, Flamingo, or equivalents.

  • Solid experience handling heterogeneous industrial data (2D drawings, 3D models, technical documents).

  • Experience with geometric feature extraction from STEP files (using Python libraries).

  • Skills in predictive modeling (regression, time series, tabular models such as XGBoost, TabNet) for cost or duration estimation.

  • Proficiency in software development practices: testing, versioning (Git), documentation, APIs, rapid prototyping, packaging, and containerization (Docker).

 

Abilities and skills:

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in French and English.

  • Ability to work in a team and communicate technical concepts to non-experts.

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills in an interdisciplinary context.

  • Initiative and ability to work independently.

OTHER INFORMATION

Regular meetings will be scheduled with the partner company to:

  • Validate methodological and technical choices.

  • Present project progress and collect feedback.

  • Test models and prototypes on real industrial cases.

  • Ensure alignment between operational needs and research developments.

APPLICATION DOCUMENT

  • A detailed CV (education, experience in AI and multi modal data processing, tools used, publications, relevant projects, GitHub repository, etc.).

  • A motivation letter explaining your interest and fit for the position.

  • A summary (1–2 pages) of a relevant technical project or achievement (or GitHub link).

  • The names and email addresses of references who may be contacted.

WHY JOIN US

👉 Extensive research experience in the target field

👉 Friendly working environment in a dynamic team

👉 Stimulating innovation ecosystem (startups, students, research, companies)

👉 Collaboration with leading research organizations

👉 Collaboration with industry

 

THE PLUS

  • Partial teleworking possible

  • On-site catering

  • Coverage of public transport

  • Sustainable mobility package (for carpooling or cycling)

  • Family supplement

  • Wide range of social benefits

  • Many vacations


For further information :

Application deadline: 23/11/2025
Start of the contract: February 2026
Recruitment interview: as applications are received


Legal Notice :

  • Type and duration of contract *: Fixed-term (12 months) public-law contract or secondment on a renewable contract for civil servants

  • Location of the position :

    • IMT Atlantique Nantes campus - 4 rue Alfred Kastler – La Chantrerie, 44307 Nantes

  • For internal use :

    • Job-category : II P

    • Category and profession of applicants :

        • II : D, E, F, G, H, I, R

        • III : J1, J2, K, L, M

  • Positions offered for recruitment are open to all, with special arrangements available on request for candidates with disabilities*

  • Position open to civil servants and/or persons on contract

  • All applications may be subject to an administrative enquiry


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