Doctoral fellow – Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling

Last application date Oct 31, 2025 23:59

Department LA26 – Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling

Degree A Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or similar.

Occupancy rate 100%

Vacancy type Research staff

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.
With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR TASKS

Large, deep neural networks have demonstrated significant success in effectively distilling information from massive datasets. However, their effectiveness is limited by several drawbacks, including being data- and resource-intensive, often being non-interpretable, and being highly brittle towards shifts in data distribution and changes in the problem domain. This fully-funded three-year project, with the possible further extension to four years, will focus on leveraging the next generation of evolutionary algorithms to evolve efficient, robust, and interpretable predictors and data processing algorithms. A crucial aspect will be maintaining a pool of diverse, complementary models that can be adapted to new problems through continuous learning. We will develop this methodology to address several applications within the life sciences, with a special interest in computer vision applications, with a particular emphasis on microbial resistance. This project will be done at the KERMIT research unit at Ghent University.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• A Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or similar.
• The candidate has experience with scientific computing (Python, R, Julia, …) and, ideally, also an interest in microbiology and image processing.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Not having stayed in Belgium for more than 12 months in the previous three years as a main activity.
• A drive to learn, a growth mindset and openness for interdisciplinary collaboration.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which – after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on March 1, 2026 at the latest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by Team Personnel Administration based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.
• An engaging research environment at the intersection between biology and computation.

INTERESTED?

Send your resumé and a one-page application letter discussing your background, research aspirations, and future ambitions to [email protected] with the header “PhD application iSTRIDE”. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Addressed to Prof. Michiel Stock, Prof. Bernard De Baets, and Dr. Maxime Van Haeverbeke.  Applications are open until the end of October. Interviews will take place in early November.

Successful students must apply (but do not need to secure) funding from the Flemish funding agency within one year of commencing their PhD. For more information, contact Michiel Stock ([email protected]).