Student Research Worker

About This Role

This position supports an IRB-approved research project focused on developing speech-based artificial intelligence and large language model methods for early detection of cognitive impairment within the SpeechCARE Lab at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Responsibilities

• Participate in regular research meetings (typically twice per week with the PI and team)
• Work with audio and transcript data in secure environments
• Use natural language processing, large language models, and speech analysis to conduct research on building algorithms for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease based on audio-recorded patient–clinician data
• Contribute to prompt design, LLM fine-tuning, and model evaluation
• Assist with documentation, analysis, and reproducible research code

Requirements

• Strong Python programming skills
• Strong background in NLP, with completion of relevant graduate-level coursework
• Experience working with transformer-based models
• Familiarity with prompt writing, LLM fine-tuning concepts, and GPT-style APIs

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree

Nice to Have

• Experience with PyTorch and/or Hugging Face
• Familiarity with speech analysis or audio processing
• Prior experience in biomedical, clinical, or health-related AI research

Skills

* Required skills