Connectionists: Fully-Funded PhD Position in Neurosymbolic AI for Social Cognition at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

[Laurent Mertens]

Dear all,

We are looking for a motivated PhD student to join our project "Social Cognition In Silico and In Vivo" (SCIVIS). The research is embedded in a vibrant and interdisciplinary research network, and conducted in close collaboration with the Research Unit Brain & Cognition at KU Leuven (https://ppw.kuleuven.be/bc), known for its expertise in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, and the AI Lab of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University of Brussels, https://ai.vub.ac.be), a leading center in artificial intelligence research. Together, these partners bring complementary strengths to the study of social cognition, linking brain, behavior, and computation.

This position is located at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Full and official job posting at https://jobs.vub.be/job/Elsene-Fully-Funded-PhD-Position-in-Neurosymbolic-AI-for-Social-Cognition/1241680701


Position description

Are you a computer sciencist with an interest in psychology? Do you want to advance the state-of-the-art in Artificial Intelligence while also improving our understanding of the human brain? Does interdisciplinary research spark your interest?

The Artificial Intelligence Lab<https://ai.vub.ac.be> at VUB university is looking for an enthusiastic and motivated PhD-student to work on an interdisciplinary research project, which combines computer science and medical neuroscience to study the topic of social cognition.

Understanding the emotional content of interactions between people in a social context can be a challenging task, both for humans and computers. From a computer science perspective, our project aims to use Neurosymbolic Artificial Intelligence to improve on the current state-of-the-art in articifial models of social cognition and emotion recognition. In Neurosymbolic AI, logic and symbolic AI methods are used to improve the performance and explainability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). In collaboration with our medical project partners, we hope to leverage the results of this ANN-based study to better understand social cognition in humans, in particular people with autism and frontotemporal dementia.

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


Profile


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You have obtained a master’s degree in artificial intelligence, computer science, mathematics or a related domain. You have a solid academic track record, at least at the cum laude level.
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You are interested in both Machine Learning and Symbolic/Logic-based AI methods.
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You strive for excellence and have a scientific mindset.
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You are a loyal team player, who can work autonomously and deliver solid scientific work.
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You have strong communication skills in English. Proficiency in (or willingness to learn) Dutch is considered an asset.
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You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

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.
Offer
Are you going to be our new colleague?

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You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/12/2025.
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You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.
At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.
As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

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Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
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An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
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Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
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Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike;
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A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
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Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits at Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques;
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Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps;
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The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
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And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.


Interested?
Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?
Then apply, at the latest on 30/09/2025, via jobs.vub.be<http://jobs.vub.be>, and upload the following documents:

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your CV;
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your motivation letter;
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your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

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step 1: an initial selection based on your application file;
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step 2: a job interview.

Do you have questions about the job content?
Contact Joost Vennekens at joost.vennekens at vub.be or on +32 479807537.

KR,
Laurent

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