Senior Researcher

Senior Researcher (Post-Doc) Assistant Professorship Physical AI Human-Centered Robotics

Category: Academic Staff & Researchers

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located.

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again.

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School, Department Communication Sciences, research group Studies in Media, Innovation and Technology, is looking for a postdoctoral researcher.

More concretely your work package contains:

We’re looking for a highly motivated and accomplished Senior Researcher (Post-Doc) to join SMIT and lead cutting-edge research in the field of Physical AI, with a specific focus on human-centered robotics and multi agent, human-machine interaction. This is a unique career opportunity combining a 100% project funded research position with a 10% part-time assistant professorship at VUB, and ample opportunities for setting up collaboration within imec and industry.

The position is funded for a minimum of three years and is designed to support the successful candidate in building an academic career, growing a research portfolio, and as such, contributing to SMIT's strategic research agenda in Physical AI and responsible digital innovation.

The Senior Researcher will work in close collaboration with colleagues at SMIT and the VUB, but also with imec, leveraging imec's world-class semi-conductor, AI and data research infrastructure, local and international industry and develop research partnerships.

Research Focus

Physical AI — the integration of artificial intelligence into physical systems such as robots, autonomous devices, and cyber-physical environments — is rapidly transforming industries, workplaces, and everyday life. This position sits at the intersection of AI, robotics, and human-machine interaction, with a strong emphasis on quantitative and data-driven research methodologies.

As the Senior Researcher, you will investigate how people interact with, respond to, and co-exist with intelligent physical systems, multi agent systems addressing questions of usability, trust, ethics, inclusion, and societal (socio-economic) impact. Research will have both fundamental and applied dimensions, connecting to themes such as:

• Business models and valorization pathways for Physical AI technologies;
• EU policy frameworks and innovation ecosystems for AI and robotics;
• Sustainability and circular innovation in robotics ecosystems;
• Human-robot interaction (HRI) and sociotechnical systems design;
• Behavioral data analysis, sensor data, and multimodal quantitative methods.

Your key responsibilities :

• Design and lead original, internationally competitive research in Physical AI and human-centered robotics, using rigorous quantitative and data-driven methodologies;
• Publish in high-impact international journals and present at leading academic conferences;
• Contribute to and lead applications for EU-funded research projects (ERC, Horizon Europe, EIC, etc.) and other competitive research funding;
• Supervise PhD students and junior researchers within SMIT, build your own team Teach and co-teach courses as part of the 10% professorship at VUB (in English, International Master);
• Actively collaborate with colleagues at imec and within the broader SMIT and VUB network (Brubotics, VUB AI Lab, ETRO, Data Analytics Lab);
• Engage with industry partners, policymakers, and civil society stakeholders on Physical AI topics;
• Contribute to the strategic development of SMIT's research agenda and DGC’s and EDDI's positioning in the European research landscape;
• Represent VUB and SMIT at international conferences, workshops, and EU project meetings.

For this function, ourBrussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene)will serve as your home base.