1 - Working at the VUB
For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.
At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located.
Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again.
Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.
2 - Position description
The Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Department Computer Science, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant.
More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains:
Artificial Neural Networks and Large Language Models offer state-of-the-art performance at numerous AI tasks, but being black boxes, they lack explainability which makes them difficult to trust. By contrast, symbolic approaches have reliability and explainability "built in", since they are based on logical reasoning. This motivates the development of neurosymbolic approaches as a way of combining the best of both worlds. However, it turns out that even the explanations that are generated by symbolic systems are not always easy to understand for people. This is particularly the case when the space of possibilities grows large, as typically happens in neurosymbolic approaches.
Typical methods for explaining the conclusions of symbolic reasoners are based on notions such as unsatisfiable cores: minimal sets of assumptions that lead to a specific conclusion. A well-known downside is that these cores are typically quite big, which makes them hard to interpret for a human expert. Therefore, there is a need for methods that allow large explanations to be broken down into more understandable smaller pieces. Within the domain of causal reasoning, the concept of Actual Causation has been studied. Originating from the philosophy literature, this concept tries to identify the most relevant causes among all contributing factors for a given effect. Seminal work by Joseph Halpern and Judea Pearl has studied it in the context of AI systems.
The goal of this PhD is to investigate how concepts from the causality literature can improve the explainability of logical reasoning systems, as a possible component of trustworthy neurosymbolic AI. There is both a theoretic and practical component to this topic, since the ultimate goal is to implement efficient algorithms that allow reasoning engines to produce explanations that are in line with the philosophical insights about causality. This will be joint PhD with the nearby KU Leuven university, offering you the chance to work with experts from two highly ranked universities at the heart of the EU.
We offer:
- A stimulating and lively scientific environment
- The opportunity to carry out research at the highest international level, aiming for excellence in research with impact on society
- The opportunity to work in internationally renowned research groups at VUB and KU Leuven university
For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.
3 - Profile
What do we expect from you?
- You have obtained (or will obtain in 2026) 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.
- Additional background in philosophy or (cognitive) psychology may be considered an asset.
- You are interested in Knowledge Representation & Reasoning, Symbolic/Logic-based AI methods. You have good mathematical and programming skills.
- You strive for excellence and have a scientific mindset.
- You are a loyal team player, who can work autonomously and deliver solid scientific work.
- You have strong communication skills in English. Proficiency in (or willingness to learn) Dutch is considered an asset.
- 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.
- As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.
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.
4 - Offer
Are you going to be our new colleague?
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 01/10/2026.
(The starting date will be determined based on your availability in October - December 2026)
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:
- Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
- 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;
- Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
- Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike;
- A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
- Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques;
- Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps;
- The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
- And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.
5 - Interested?
Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?
Then apply, at the latest on 15/09/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:
- cover letter detailing your motivation and explaining in concrete terms how you fit the requirements of the vacancy;
- a detailed CV;
- transcripts of your academic records;
- your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni)
- name and contact details of two references who would be willing to write a recommendation letter if asked (you do not need to contact them yourself)
- a writing sample (such as your master's thesis)
Our application process is as follows (subject to change):
- step 1: an initial selection based on your application file;
- step 2: a job interview.
Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Joost Vennekens at 0479807537 or on [email protected].
Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.
Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.
