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

We help the world run betterAt SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed. 

What you'll build

In this role, you'll 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.   You'll 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, you'll 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.   You'll deliver a benchmarked pipeline, evaluation framework, and research publications — advancing SAP's 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

You'll join SAP Labs France at Sophia-Antipolis — one of Europe's 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 bestSAP 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 inclusionSAP’s 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.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.

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: #SAPNextGen