Doctoral scholarship holder Artificial Intelligence - continual graph learning

Departement: Departement Elektronica, Informatie- en Communicatietechnologie
Regime Voltijds

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The Department of Electronics and Information and Communication Technology in the Faculty of Applied Engineering is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral scholarship holder in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

Position

You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of continual graph learning. Continual graph learning studies how graph neural networks can learn from a sequence of evolving tasks, graphs, or distributions while retaining previously acquired knowledges. Potential application domains include gesture recognition, human activity recognition, energy forecasting (e.g., demand, supply, flexibility) in smart grids, etc.

You will publish scientific articles related to the research project.

You will carry out a limited number of teaching and research support tasks for Department of Electronics and Information and Communication Technology.

Profile

You hold a master’s degree in Computer Science, Informatics, Mathematics or closely related field,  or you will have obtained it by the time you start work.

You can demonstrate excellent study results.

Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.

Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.

You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

You have a strong interest in machine learning/artificial intelligence.

You have a strong interest in graph-based learning (e.g., graph neural networks).

You have experience with deep learning.

You have experience with coding in Python using deep learning toolkits (e.g., PyTorch).

You have good analytical and problem-solving abilities.

You are proficient in English (written and spoken).

What we offer

We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation each year, the scholarship can be renewed for another three years.

The planned start date is 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible after that date.

Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.

You will receive eco vouchers, Internet-connectivity allowance, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.

As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.

You will do most of your work at City Campus (The Beacon) and Campus Groenenborger in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.

Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including August 16, 2026 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:

a motivation letter

your academic CV, including:

a transcript of study results.

two reference letters with appropriate contact details.

an English proficiency certificate.

A short research proposal aligned with your research interests on continual graph learning. Proposal is maximum 4 pages, excluding references.

The research proposal should include: (1) problem statement and motivation, (2) expected novelty/impact, (3) brief approach (models, algorithms, datasets), (4) evaluation plan, and (5) alignment with IDLab research on continual graph learning at the University of Antwerp.

The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to Voir email sur uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Kevin Mets, Assistant Professor, Voir email sur uantwerpen.be.

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversityand attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.