Postdoctoral Researcher in Reinforcement Learning for Epidemic Mitigation

Postdoctoral Researcher in Reinforcement Learning for Epidemic Mitigation

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to work on reinforcement learning methods for public health decision-making in the context of epidemic emergencies, with potential impact on public health policy and society.

The position focuses on developing and evaluating learning-based approaches for controlling infectious disease spread under realistic epidemiological, operational, and societal constraints.

The postdoc will work at the interface of reinforcement learning and computational epidemiology, focusing on the development of new reinforcement learning algorithms. The project will consider different types of epidemic models, including spatial and individual-based models. The work will focus on multi-objective, hierarchical, and explainable reinforcement learning, as well as uncertainty-aware decision-making, aiming to develop policies that are robust, interpretable, and relevant for epidemic preparedness and response.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement reinforcement learning approaches for epidemic mitigation.
• Work with epidemic simulation models and formulate control problems as sequential decision‑making tasks.
• Contribute to scientific publications, software, and reproducible research workflows.
• Present findings at project meetings, conferences, and workshops.

Qualifications

• You hold a PhD in machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer science, applied mathematics, or a related field.
• You have experience with reinforcement learning, sequential decision‑making, or closely related machine learning methods.
• You possess strong programming skills, preferably in Python; experience with JAX is a plus.
• You have experience with simulation‑based or quantitative research.
• You have the ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• You have strong written and oral communication skills in English.
• Non‑EEA nationals must have the ability to obtain a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements.

Offer

You’ll be offered a contract, for one full‑time equivalent (1FTE), for a term of 12 months (extendable, conditional on positive evaluation of research activities), with a planned starting date of 01/10/2026. You’ll receive a salary linked to one of the scales set by the government.

Benefits

• Extensive home‑working options with a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month.
• Open and informal working environment with attention to work‑life balance and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a full‑time contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days.
• Cost‑free hospitalisation insurance.
• Full reimbursement of your home‑to‑work commute with public transport according to VUB policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike.
• A wide selection of meals in campus restaurants at attractive prices.
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work and Ecocheques.
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps.
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through VUB learning platforms and training courses.
• Great colleagues with a healthy drive.

Contact

For questions about the job content, contact Pieter Libinat at pieter.libin@vub.be or on 0473844993.