Academic Connect3 PhD positions in the AI-Steel project
Faculty of Science
Master's
38 hours
14019
€2.901 - €3.707
Closes on
2-9-2025
All about this vacancy
This is what you are going to do
As part of this project, the PhD candidates will develop modelling and experimental approaches for production of sustainable steel materials in collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
You will/tasks:
PhD1:
Understand the problem of designing materials and the role prior experimental data play.
Understand the challenges of working with legacy data and devise a research plan of how these challenges affect ML models.
Develop models for relevant knowledge-intensive tasks (e.g. information extraction, summarization, reasoning, generation) on legacy data.
Develop appropriate benchmarks and evaluation metrics to assess the developed models.
Write a thesis consisting of four published articles in the fields of Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning.
Work closely with the other PhDs and researchers on the project towards reaching the overall research goal.
Contribute to educational activities (e.g. provide lectures, assist teachers, supervise theses).
PhD2:
Work with partners to understand existing models for forward simulation, as well as characteristics and requirements in the design of new steel grades.
Develop methods for “inverse” design based on forward models, as well as more recent hybrid models.
Work closely with the other PhDs and researchers, specifically by models developed by PhD1 into methods for inverse design.
Contribute to educational activities (e.g. serving as a teaching assistant, and supervising theses).
PhD3:
Planning of the work in consultation with supervisor and consortium partners.
Conduct experiments in the lab for the materials production, characterization and application in collaboration with other consortium partners.
Reporting the progress and the results to the supervisor, funding agency, consortium and dissemination of the results in peer-reviewed journals and conferences etc.
Contribute to educational activities (supervising the students and teaching duties as stipulated by the group/institute).
This is what we ask of you
PhD1: A MSc degree in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science or Computer Science; good engineering skills; affinity with AI. Experience in NLP/IR is a plus. Experience in conducting research is also a plus.
PhD2: A MSc degree in artificial intelligence, computer science, physics, chemistry, or related fields. Affinity with ML and AI methods is essential and experience with computational methods in the physical sciences is a plus. Experience conducting research (e.g. as part of an MS thesis) is also a plus.
PhD3: A recent Master’s degree in Materials Science/Engineering, chemical engineering, applied chemistry, mechanical engineering or related field. Practical experience in materials synthesis and characterization.
For all positions:
Good communication skills in oral and written English.
Takes initiative and has good time management skills.
Interest in collaborating with students and colleagues within and outside the institute.
Willingness to approach the problem creatively and critically.
Willingness to meet the dead-lines.
Experience in participating a research project is desirable.
Interest in sustainability, passion for research and motivation to help the society through your research.
Knowledge of computational chemistry is desirable.
Experience in analytical techniques is desirable.
This is what we offer you
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and ranges between € 2,901 (1st year) to € 3,707 (last year), scale P. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Promovendus is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The
Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities
is applicable.
Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:
232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
partly paid parental leave;
the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look
here.
Your place at the UvA
This is where you will work
PhD 1 will mainly work with Prof. Dr.
Evangelos Kanoulas
at the
Institute of Informatics
(IvI), which is one of the eight institutes of the University of Amsterdam (UvA)-Faculty of Science. The Informatics Institute is a leading center for AI, data science, and systems research, known for its interdisciplinary and impactful work. The
Information Retrieval Lab
excels in neural, generative, agenentic and conversational retrieval with strong ties to industry and a focus on real-world applications in search and recommendation.
PhD 2 will mainly work with Dr.
Jan-Willem van de Meent
at the
Institute of Informatics
(IvI) and with Dr.
Corentin Coulais
at the
Institute of Physics
(IoP).
PhD 3 will mainly work with Dr.
Shiju Raveendran
at the
Catalysis Engineering Group
in the
Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences
(HIMS). Catalysis Engineering group aims to develop sustainable chemical processes/products by combining the knowledge from the fields of Materials Science, Chemical Science and Reaction Engineering. We currently work on a number of societally relevant and industrially important topics such as chemical recycling of waste, CO2 conversion, sustainable fuels, renewable H2 etc.
The Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) is one of eight institutes of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) Faculty of Science. HIMS performs internationally recognized chemistry and molecular research, curiosity driven as well as application driven. This is done in close cooperation with the chemical, flavor & food, medical and high-tech industries. Research is organized into four themes:
Analytical Chemistry
,
Computational Chemistry
,
Synthesis & Catalysis
and
Molecular Photonics
.
The
Faculty of Science
has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.
More about the UvA
The University of Amsterdam is ambitious, creative and committed. An inspiration to students since 1632, a vanguard player in international science and a partner in innovation.
The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest range of courses on offer. An intellectual hub with 42,000 students, 6,000 staff and 3,000 PhD students. Connected by a culture of curiosity.
Important to know
Your application & contact
If you recognize yourself in the profile and are interested in the position, we look forward to receiving your motivation letter and CV. You can respond via the red button. Please note that you need to have a Master diploma in order to start with your PhD trajectory.
Please include the following documents in your application (as PDF files):
A motivation letter (max. 2 pages A4) and for which PhD position you apply for
Your CV, including a list of publications
Contact details of at least one academic reference
We will review applications on a rolling basis and continue recruiting until the positions are filled. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the internal candidate.
For questions about the position, please contact:
Dr. Shiju Raveendran
Associate Professor/ Group leader
If you receive an error message while applying from abroad, please try again later or contact us for assistance.
Diversity, equity & inclusion
As an employer, the UvA maintains an equal opportunities policy. We value diversity and are fully committed to being a place where everyone feels at home. We nurture inquisitive minds and perseverance and allow room for persistent questioning. With us, curiosity and creativity are the prevailing culture.
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