PhD Position on Neuro-symbolic AI in Hybrid Intelligence

A fully funded four-year Ph.D. position is available at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on developing neuro-symbolic intelligent systems in the context of the Hybrid Intelligence Centre (https://www.hybrid-intelligence-centre.nl).

Hybrid Intelligence systems - where humans and AI collaborate to achieve shared goals - must satisfy properties such as explainability, safety, efficient adaptability, and effective collaboration. Neuro-symbolic systems are a promising way to realise these properties, since humans use symbolic language (concepts in natural language, graphs) to communicate while machine learning systems use subsymbolic components to operate. The main research question of the project is therefore:

How can neuro-symbolic systems be configured to support hybrid intelligence with guaranteed properties?

Requirements:

Candidates are expected to have an MSc degree (by Sept ‘25) in one of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Logic, Mathematics, or related fields. Interest in neuro-symbolic systems or background in formal foundations is a plus. Good communication and presentation skills in English are required, as well as the ability to work in a team.

The position will be co-supervised by prof. Annette ten Teije in the Learning & Reasoning group at the Vrije Universiteit and dr. Erman Acar (ILLC and IvI) at the University of Amsterdam. Regular contacts with other project partners in the Hybrid Intelligence project are also expected.

The closing date of the application procedure will be May 15. Starting date will be as soon as possible thereafter.

Note that this job opening is one of several job openings on the HI page with job openings. You can apply to more positions than just this one. If you do so, please inform the Hybrid Intelligence Centre’s Project Manager via email which projects you are applying to.

We aim to create hybrid intelligence for everyone, see also our Diversity Statement. To do this, we need an inclusive and diverse team of researchers. We especially encourage people from underrepresented groups to apply for this job.

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Salary Benefits:

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of € 2.901,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.707,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
• an employment contract of initially 18 months. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• good paid parental leave scheme

For information about our excellent fringe benefits of employment see www.workingat.vu.nl.

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