Postdoctoral Researcher in Reinforcement Learning for Epidemic Mitigation

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.

2 - Position description

The Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Computer Science, research group Federated labs AI and Robotics, is looking for a predoctoral researcher.

More Concretely Your Work Package Contains

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. Methodologically, the work will focus on multi-objective, hierarchical, and explainable reinforcement learning, as well as uncertainty-aware decision-making. The aim of these new algorithms is to develop policies that are robust, interpretable, and relevant for epidemic preparedness and response.

As Postdoctoral Researcher You Will

• Develop and implement reinforcement learning approaches for epidemic mitigation. The main focus in this position is on research;
• 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;
  
  

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

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• 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;
• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here .
  
  

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a contract, for an assignment of 1 FTE, for 12 months (extendable, on condition of the positive evaluation of the research activities), with planned starting date 01/10/2026.

You’ll receive a salary linked to one of the scales set by the government.

At the VU