Tong Group

Join the lab

We are actively recruiting PhD students, postdocs, visiting researchers, and interns. We work at the intersection of machine learning and the life sciences — generative modeling, flow matching, optimal transport, and protein design.

Open positions

PhD Student

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Join the group as a PhD student working on generative modeling, flow matching, and optimal transport applied to problems in biology and chemistry.

What we're looking for

  • Strong background in machine learning, mathematics, or a related quantitative field
  • Interest in applying ML to the life sciences — prior biology experience is welcome but not required
  • Alignment with one or more of our research areas (generative modeling, flow models, optimal transport, protein design, single-cell biology)

What we offer

  • Fully funded position for the duration of the PhD
  • Competitive salary and benefits through Aithyra / Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation funding
  • Access to substantial GPU compute and collaborative research infrastructure
  • Co-supervision opportunities with international collaborators (e.g. Mila, Bronstein group)

We welcome PhD applicants who are excited about developing new machine learning methods at the intersection of ML and the life sciences. PhD students in the group lead projects end-to-end — from problem formulation and method development to publication — while collaborating closely with labmates and external partners.

We accept PhD students through the Aithyra PhD program. See the FAQ for details, and contact Alex during the application cycle.

The current PhD call is now closed. The next call opens in October 2026 for PhD students starting Spring 2027.

Not currently accepting applications.

Postdoctoral Researcher

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Join the group as a postdoc to lead independent research projects in generative modeling, flow matching, optimal transport, or protein design.

What we're looking for

  • PhD (completed or near completion) in machine learning, computer science, physics, applied math, or a related field
  • A strong publication record in generative modeling, probabilistic ML, optimal transport, or adjacent areas
  • Ability to mentor junior students and contribute to collaborative projects

What we offer

  • Competitive postdoctoral salary with benefits
  • Flexible research direction within the group's themes
  • Access to GPU compute and cross-disciplinary collaborators at Aithyra
  • Support for developing an independent research profile and future research roles

Postdocs in the group drive their own research agenda in collaboration with the PI. We encourage postdocs to take intellectual ownership of a direction, co-mentor students, and build toward their next independent position. We are particularly interested in candidates working on flow matching and related generative methods, stochastic interpolants, optimal transport, or ML for protein and molecular design.

Apply by email

Visiting Researcher

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Spend time in the group as a visiting researcher or sabbatical visitor to collaborate on shared interests.

What we're looking for

  • Current affiliation at another research institution, university, or industry lab
  • Research interests that overlap with the group's themes
  • Proposed collaboration or project that benefits from an in-person visit

What we offer

  • Desk and access to Aithyra research infrastructure
  • Collaboration with group members and the broader Aithyra community
  • Inclusion in group activities, reading groups, and seminars
  • Help with visa invitation letters and relocation logistics
  • Funding available from Aithyra for strong visiting researchers

We regularly host visiting researchers — from PhD students spending a semester to faculty on sabbatical. Visits are most productive when there is a clear, shared research question. If you have an existing collaboration with the group or a concrete proposal, please reach out with a short description of the planned work and preferred dates. Funding is available from Aithyra for strong candidates.

Apply by email

Research Intern

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Join the group for a short-term research internship, typically 3–6 months, to work on a defined project.

What we're looking for

  • Current undergraduate, master's, or early PhD student
  • Strong programming skills (Python; PyTorch or JAX)
  • Coursework or project experience in machine learning
  • A specific interest or project idea aligned with the group's research

What we offer

  • Mentorship from a group member on a well-defined research project
  • Hands-on experience with state-of-the-art generative modeling research
  • Access to compute and the Aithyra research environment
  • Opportunity to contribute to publications where appropriate

Internships are project-based and run for 3–6 months, typically in-person in Vienna. Successful internships often lead to co-authored publications and, for stronger applicants, to a longer-term position in the group. When reaching out, please include your CV, a brief statement of what you’d like to work on, and relevant code or projects you have built.

Apply by email

How to apply

  1. 1

    Explore our research

    Read the Research and Publications pages to find an area you'd be excited to work on. A specific overlap makes a much stronger application than a generic interest in ML.

  2. 2

    Prepare your materials

    A short research statement (why this group, what you'd work on), your CV, and the names of 1–2 references. For PhD/postdoc applications, a 1–2 page research statement is ideal.

  3. 3

    Email Alex

    Send a concise, specific email to the address below. Generic mass-emailed applications and LLM-generated applications are easy to spot — tell us in your own words what you want to work on and why.

  4. 4

    We'll follow up

    If there's a fit, we'll set up a conversation. For PhD positions, we'll also discuss which Vienna-area doctoral program fits best and the relevant deadlines.

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Email Alex

Why join the lab

Mentorship & track record

Alex trained at Yale (Smita Krishnaswamy), Mila (Yoshua Bengio), and Duke before founding the group at Aithyra. The group is small enough that you work directly with the PI, with a track record of students producing widely-cited work in flow matching and generative modeling.

A leading research environment

Aithyra is a new institute at the intersection of machine learning and life sciences, led by Michael Bronstein and funded by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation. You join a growing community of ML and biology researchers under one roof.

International collaborators

We collaborate actively with groups at Mila, Oxford, and beyond. Students and postdocs routinely co-author with international partners and present at top venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, COLM).

Compute & latest AI tools

Funded positions come with dedicated GPU compute and a conference travel budget. You get access to the latest AI tools and models, so you can run experiments at scale, stay at the frontier, and present your work where it matters.

Life in Vienna

Vienna regularly ranks as the world's most livable city: excellent transit, affordable housing by major-city standards, and a rich cultural scene. English is the working language of the institute.

Diverse backgrounds welcome

We actively welcome people from outside the usual CS/math path — wet-lab biologists, chemists, bioinformaticians, engineers, designers, and anyone with a different perspective. Some of our best work comes from the collision of distinct backgrounds, and we'll help you build whatever foundations you're missing.

Open science culture

We release code and preprints openly. See the lab on GitHub for our libraries on flow matching and related methods — you'll be contributing to tools used across the community.

Frequently asked questions

Eligibility

Do I need a biology or chemistry background to join?
No. Many of our strongest contributors come from machine learning, physics, or applied math backgrounds with no prior biology experience. What matters is curiosity about the application domain and willingness to engage with the scientific problems. We will help you get up to speed on the biological and chemical context — and conversely, if you come from biology or chemistry with limited ML experience, we'll help you build the computational foundations you need.
Do I need a computer science or math background to join?
No. While many of our researchers come from computer science, math, or physics, we are actively interested in working with people who bring other skillsets — for example, wet-lab biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, scientific computing, engineering, or design. Different perspectives make the group stronger, and many of our most impactful projects come from the collision of distinct backgrounds. If you are excited about the research and bring something different to the table, we want to hear from you.

Application Process

How do I apply for a PhD position?
PhD students in the group are admitted through the **Aithyra PhD program**, a partnered Vienna-area doctoral program. Please reach out by email first — include your CV, a short research statement, transcripts, and the names of 1–2 references. We can then discuss the program details and the relevant deadlines, which usually fall between November and January for a start the following autumn.
What should I include in my application email?
A strong initial email is short and specific. Please include: (1) a one-paragraph statement of why you are interested in the group and which of our research areas you'd like to work on; (2) your CV; (3) for PhD and postdoc applicants, a 1–2 page research statement; (4) the names and contact details of 1–2 references; and (5) if relevant, links to code or papers you have authored. Generic emails sent to many labs are easy to spot and rarely successful — please tell us specifically what you want to work on and why.

Logistics

Can I do a remote visit or internship?
We strongly prefer in-person visits and internships, as the day-to-day collaboration is a core part of how the group works. That said, we occasionally host remote collaborators when there is a concrete shared project and a clear reason an in-person visit is not possible. If you are interested in a remote arrangement, please explain the situation in your initial email and propose a clear project.
What programming stack and tools does the group use?
We primarily work in Python. Our research code is built on PyTorch, with some projects using JAX. We use standard open-source ML tooling (Hugging Face, Hydra, Weights & Biases, etc.) and maintain our own libraries for flow matching and related methods on the lab GitHub. Familiarity with these is helpful but not required — what we look for is solid Python and the ability to pick up new tools quickly.
What is it like to live in Vienna?
Vienna consistently ranks among the world's most livable cities, with excellent public transit, affordable housing by major-city standards, and a rich cultural and scientific environment. Aithyra is part of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and located in a new purpose-built institute. English is the working language of the institute; you do not need to speak German to work here, though many people pick it up. We can help with relocation logistics, including finding housing and navigating registration.
Do you help with visas?
Yes. For PhD students and postdocs, Aithyra and ÖAW provide administrative support for the Austrian work/residence permit process, including the necessary paperwork. The institute has experience hosting international researchers and will guide you through the steps. For visiting researchers, we provide official invitation letters that support your visa application. Please flag your nationality and current location in your initial email so we can advise on the specific process.

Funding

Is funding guaranteed for the full PhD?
Yes. PhD positions in the group are fully funded for the expected duration of the PhD (typically 3–4 years) through Aithyra, which is funded by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation. You do not need to secure your own funding to join as a PhD student. Postdoc positions are similarly fully funded. Visiting researchers may be funded by Aithyra for strong candidates, and we can also assist with invitation letters for those with their own sabbatical support.

Still have questions?

Email Alex directly — we read every message.

atong@aithyra.at