Doctoral scholarship holder robust artificial intelligence for industrial process optimisation

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. 

The Department of Electronics and ICT Engineering Technology in the Faculty of Applied Engineering is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral scholarship holder in the field of robust artificial intelligence for industrial process optimisation.

The research of this PhD position will be conducted in the IDLab research group, which is embedded in imec and the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Imec was founded in 1984 and is today the world’s largest independent research and innovation centre for nanoelectronics and digital technology. Our worldwide team of 6,000 scientists, engineers, and innovators from over 100 countries, is driven by a shared passion to push boundaries. With expertise across nanoelectronics, AI, and digital technologies, our people are at the heart of every breakthrough. 

Position

• You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis in the field of reinforcement learning (RL) for industrial process control and optimisation. The research focuses on developing RL methods that can support decision-making and control in complex industrial systems while balancing multiple, often competing objectives. Industrial processes typically require trade-offs between objectives such as production efficiency, energy consumption, operational cost, product quality, safety, and sustainability. This project investigates how multi-objective RL can learn effective control policies that explicitly looks for equilibria against such competing requirements, while remaining reliable and scalable in realistic industrial settings. A particular challenge is to combine the adaptability of data-driven learning with the robustness and performance guarantees traditionally associated with advanced control methods. The research will therefore explore RL algorithms that not only operate optimally against such competing objectives but also effectively under uncertainty, changing operating conditions, and practical industrial constraints. The developed methods will be validated on realistic industrial benchmarks and process engineering use cases. In addition, techniques for analysing and interpreting learned agent behaviour will be investigated to support trust and adoption in industrial environments. The research aims to advance the state of the art in intelligent data-driven industrial control and demonstrate how RL can improve process performance, reduce energy consumption, and contribute to safer and more sustainable industrial operations.
• You will publish scientific articles related to the research project.
• You will carry out a limited number of teaching and research support tasks for the IDLab research group within the Department of Electronics and ICT Engineering Technology.

Profile

• You hold a master’s degree in Electronics and ICT Engineering Technology, Informatics, Computer Science or equivalent or you will have obtained it by the time you start.
• You can demonstrate excellent study results (at least cum laude/with distinction).
• 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 are proficient in English (written and spoken).
• You are a team worker and work collaboratively with other researchers.
• Prior high-impact conference or journal publications are a plus.

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another year, up to a maximum duration of four years in total.
• The planned start date is December 1^st, 2026, or as soon as possible.
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.
• 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 receive eco vouchers, Internet-connectivity allowance, teleworking allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
• 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 September 10^th 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
  • a transcript of your MSc grades
  • an English proficiency certificate
• 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. Please note the following date in your calendar for the interviews: October 9^th, 2026. Selected candidates will receive their interview invitations by September 25th, 2026.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to [email protected]. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Siegfried Mercelis [email protected]

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 diversity and 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.