PhD Student Agentic AI Knowledge Graphs, LLMs & Autonomous Query Reasoning FM

We help the world run better
At SAP we keep it simple: you bring your best to us and well bring out the best in you. Were builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce and we need your unique talents to help shape whats next. The work is challenging but it matters. Youll find a place where you can be yourself prioritize your wellbeing and truly belong. Whats in it for you Constant learning skill growth great benefits and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

What youll build

In this role youll design and implement a next-generation agentic AI system that integrates Knowledge Graphs (KG) Large Language Models (LLMs) and autonomous agents to power sophisticated SAP service and support capabilities.

Youll construct a rich multi-source knowledge graph grounded in RDF standards and a formally defined ontology by ingesting and connecting heterogeneous SAP data: SAP Notes Help Documentation System Alerts Application Components and SimCat taxonomies as well as structured product and software lifecycle metadata from the PPMS ontology (ProductLine Product ProductVersion SoftwareComponent SupportPackage and related entities). This semantically structured graph forms the backbone of an intelligent support system.

Building on the KG youll develop LLM-powered agents capable of reasoning over interconnected knowledge and translating complex natural language queries into SPARQL enabling precise explainable retrieval over the enterprise knowledge graph. Your research bridges formal knowledge representation with the generative and reasoning power of modern LLMs.

Youll deliver a benchmarked pipeline evaluation framework and research publications advancing SAPs vision of enterprise-grade agentic AI for service and support.

What you bring

- MSc or engineering degree in Computer Science Data Science or a related field (top academic performers preferred)
- Strong background in NLP and machine learning including transformer architectures and LLMs
- Proficiency in Python and key libraries: Hugging Face Transformers spaCy PyTorch/TensorFlow
- Familiarity with knowledge graphs RDF SPARQL and graph databases (Neo4j Apache Jena semantic web standards)
- Ability to design experiments conduct literature reviews and evaluate results rigorously
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English (French is a plus)
- Curiosity-driven collaborative mindset with enthusiasm for applied research in enterprise AI

Where you belong

Youll join SAP Labs France at Sophia-Antipolis one of Europes premier scientific parks near Nice embedded in a research team collaborating with INRIA CNRS as well as universities and engineering schools (Polytech Nice Eurecom etc.) provide an ideal working environment. This role offers academic freedom with enterprise-scale impact.

Duration: 3 years

Type of contract: CIFRE

Remuneration according to the conditions fixed by the French Minister of Higher Education and Research

Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database analytics intelligent technologies and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide we are purpose-driven and future-focused with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries people or platforms we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP you can bring out your best.

We win with inclusion
SAPs culture of inclusion focus on health and well-being and flexible working models help ensure that everyone regardless of background feels included and can run at their best. At SAP we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

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For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age race religion national origin ethnicity gender (including pregnancy childbirth et al) sexual orientation gender identity or expression protected veteran status or disability in compliance with applicable federal state and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 452538 Work Area: Software-Design and Development Expected Travel: 0 - 10% Career Status: Student Employment Type: Limited Full Time Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid #SAPNextGen