Postdoc/Researcher Position] Expressive Query Languages and Analytics for Graphs

Dear colleagues, We are advertising a postdoctoral / researcher position in the Tyrex team at Inria Grenoble, on expressive query languages and analytics for graphs, at the intersection of database systems, graph analytics, logic, complexity, and AI. The position is initially for 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months. Depending on the candidate’s profile and experience, recruitment may be at postdoctoral, starting researcher, or more advanced researcher level. Please feel free to forward this announcement to potentially interested candidates. Best regards, Pierre ---- Postdoctoral / Researcher Position in Expressive Query Languages and Analytics for Graphs The Tyrex team at Inria Grenoble is inviting applications for a 24-month research position, starting with an initial 12-month contract and renewable for an additional 12 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months. The starting date is flexible, with a preference for November 2026. The position focuses on high-level expressive query languages and analytics for graphs, building on our recent results on algebraic extensions, including mu-RA [SIGMOD’20], RLQ-DAG [VLDB’24], schema-based analysis [SIGMOD’25], and distributed mu-RA [ICDE’25]. We have developed a complete state-of-the-art architecture for evaluating queries over graphs, and we are looking for a motivated researcher to help us push it further. The project sits at the intersection of database systems, graph analytics, artificial intelligence, logic and complexity. It addresses a timely challenge: how to provide powerful, principled, and scalable tools for querying, analyzing, and reasoning over complex graph-structured data. Depending on the candidate’s profile and experience, the position may be recruited as a postdoctoral position, a starting researcher position, or potentially at a more senior level as an advanced researcher position. The salary will be adjusted accordingly, with significantly higher compensation possible for experienced candidates. We are interested in a broad range of profiles. Candidates may come from a more theoretical background, with expertise in areas such as database theory, logic, algebra, complexity, query languages, or foundations of graph algorithms. We are equally interested in more applied profiles, with strong skills in implementation, experimentation, graph processing, or data analytics. Ideally, the candidate will be strong in both theory and practice, and excited by the opportunity to connect deep conceptual ideas with high-performance tools. The successful candidate will contribute to extending an existing state-of-the-art platform for recursive graph query evaluation, with possible directions including: - expressive graph query languages; - complexity and theoretical foundations of query evaluation and optimization; - graph and array analytics, graph data management; - scalable algorithms and system implementation; - experimental evaluation on real-world graph workloads; - connections with AI, knowledge representation, and reasoning. The project offers strong opportunities for publication in top venues in databases, artificial intelligence, and related areas, while also contributing to an ambitious and usable research prototype. The position is hosted by the Tyrex team at Inria Grenoble. The Grenoble ecosystem offers a rich scientific environment, with strong links between Inria, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, and an active international research community. Located in the heart of the French Alps, Grenoble also offers an exceptional living environment, particularly for those who enjoy outdoor activities, mountain sports, cycling, hiking, skiing, and nature. We are looking for someone who enjoys ambitious research, intellectual depth, and building things that work. The position is particularly well suited for a candidate who wants to help shape the next generation of expressive, scalable, and analyzable graph querying and analytics systems. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact us with a CV, a short description of their research and technical interests, and the names of possible references. Contact: pierre.geneves@inria.fr References [SIGMOD'25] Schema-Based Query Optimisation for Graph Databases. Sharma et al. Proc. ACM Manag. Data 3(1): 72:1-72:29 (2025). [ICDE'25] Distributed Evaluation of Graph Queries Using Recursive Relational Algebra. Chlyah et al. ICDE 2025: 2351-2365. [VLDB'24] Efficient Enumeration of Recursive Plans in Transformation-based Query Optimizers. Fejza et al. Proc. VLDB Endow. 17, (2024). [SIGMOD'20] On the Optimization of Recursive Relational Queries: Application to Graph Queries. Jachiet et al. SIGMOD Conference 2020: 681-697.