19 Mar 2026
Former Oxford e-Research Centre DPhil students appointed to academic roles
Valentin Hofmann and Paul Röttger were supervised as students by Professor of Language Modelling Janet B. Pierrehumbert
Two former Oxford e-Research Centre Doctoral students have been recently been appointed to academic roles.
2024 DPhil student Valentin Hofmann has started an assistant professorship at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU Munich). Valentin specialises in machine learning and large language models
2023 DPhil student Paul Röttger is now a Departmental Lecturer at the University of Oxford's Oxford Internet Institute. Paul specialises in Large language models, societal impacts of Artificial intelligence, AI alignment and AI safety.
Both Valentin and Paul were supervised as students by Professor of Language Modelling Janet B. Pierrehumbert
The term 'DPhil' stands for Doctor of Philosophy, and is also refered to as 'doctorate' or 'PhD'. This is an advanced research degree awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral examination called the viva voce. The thesis must be a significant and substantial piece of research, make an original contribution to its field, and be presented in a lucid and scholarly manner. In the viva, the candidate is required to defend their thesis and to demonstrate a good general knowledge of their field of study.
The DPhil in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford offers advanced study in areas like biomedical, energy, materials, civil, and information engineering, with interdisciplinary projects and strong industry collaboration.
A DPhil is the highest level of a degree that a student can achieve.
Congratulations to Paul and Valentin from all at Oxford e-Research Centre and the Department of Engineering Science.
