An academic in Optimization and Learning for Data-Driven Decision systems

Economics Network; Belgique; À distance; EUR 75 000 - 110 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Transport allowance

Family benefits

Cultural benefits

Résumé du poste

UCLouvain seeks a full-time academic in Optimization and Learning for Data-Driven Decision systems. The candidate will develop a strong, internationally visible research program and teach across English/French courses at bachelor and master levels on two campuses.

Collaboration with CORE, LIDAM, ICTEAM, and supervision of doctoral students are key expectations. Tenure after probation with a competitive salary and a range of benefits; teaching load and leadership training are provided, along with

Qualifications

• PhD in Operations Research or related quantitative field is required.
• Strong track record in university teaching and research in OR, optimization, and ML.
• Experience securing research funding and supervising doctoral students is an asset.

Responsabilités

• Develop and teach high-level courses in coding, optimization, and learning-based decision methodologies in English and French.
• Advance research in mathematical optimisation, data science, and machine learning for decision systems.
• Collaborate with CORE, LIDAM, ICTEAM, and international partners; supervise doctoral students.
• Contribute to service activities within the faculty and engage with society and international visibility.

Connaissances

Mathematical programming

Optimization methods

Machine learning integration

Predict-then-optimize

Reinforcement learning

Formation

PhD in Operations Research or related quantitative field

Description du poste

An academic in Optimization and Learning for Data-Driven Decision systems

UCLouvain seeks to recruit a full-time academic position in Optimization and Learning for Data-Driven Decision systems.

About us

UCLouvain is the leading French-speaking university in Belgium and is also widely recognised internationally. Founded in the heart of Europe in 1425, the university brings together 40,000 students and 6,000 staff members on nine campuses in Brussels and Wallonia. Research and education activities are organised in 20 faculties, 23 research institutes, 5 learning centres and 18 libraries. UCLouvain also has two university hospitals.

UCLouvain is a major player in the transition to a sustainable society. The challenges of the ecological crisis are integrated into courses and the university develops numerous local projects (such as a university farm and sustainable campuses). As a digital university, UCLouvain is involved in open science and education, and trains academics in innovative teaching practices through its Louvain Learning Lab. Thanks to two science parks, the university’s research benefits from interaction with 250 companies and 3 incubators, which is fuelled further by being at the centre of a region driven by technological innovation.

UCLouvain has a strong tradition of international collaboration in both teaching and research. These partnerships take shape through numerous exchange agreements, its firm commitment to the European alliance Circle U. and the network The Guild, as well as the welcoming of a large community of international researchers, supported by the Louvain Welcome Desk.

The University's staff policy is based on five pairs of values which are fundamental pillars of the way the University operates, works and lives together: Staff Policy .

Within the Louvain School of Management (LSM) and the Louvain Institute of Data Analysis and Modeling in economics and statistics (LIDAM), Social Sciences and Humanities Sector, this position will include the following teaching, research and community service duties:

Teaching

To develop, in future managers, high-level skills in coding, optimisation, and learning-based decision methodologies, the current course portfolio includes programming, operations research, artificial intelligence, and quantitative decision making. The teaching load is delivered in English and French at the bachelor's and master's levels, across the two campuses of the Louvain School of Management (LSM), located in Louvain-la-Neuve and Mons. Overall, your presence will help to expand the capacity for supervising dissertations and diversify teaching approaches, whilst ensuring a stronger interdisciplinary presence.

Research

To develop a strong and internationally visible research agenda centered on mathematical optimisation and its integration with data science and machine learning for decision systems, research areas of interest include advanced optimisation methods (linear, integer, stochastic, robust, distributionally robust, and chance-constrained); predictive and prescriptive analytics bridging forecasting and decision-making; learning-integrated decision frameworks (predict-then-optimize, decision-focused learning, reinforcement learning); and algorithmic decision models combining mathematical programming with AI techniques.

The successful candidate is expected to play an active role within the Louvain Institute for Data Analysis and Modeling (LIDAM), and more specifically in the Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE), by participating in academic events, publishing in leading journals in operations research, mathematical programming and machine learning, supervising doctoral students, and actively collaborating with researchers from the Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE), and more generally from the Louvain Institute for Data Analysis and Modeling (LIDAM), as well as those from the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics, and Applied Mathematics (ICTEAM).

Once tenured, the successful candidate will carry out various service activities and responsibilities within the institution, such as being a member of a programme committee or examination committee or having management responsibilities within the faculty or research institute.

The successful candidate will also contribute to serving society, particularly in the economic, social, cultural or development cooperation fields. Finally, you will ensure, through research and teaching activities, the university’s international visibility.

Who we’re looking for

Education

You have a PhD in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Management Engineering, or a closely related quantitative field.

Experience

You have a proven track record in university teaching, with evidence where possible by formal evaluations. You can demonstrate a strong and independent research track record, with publications in leading international journals, or clear potential to publish, in operations research, mathematical programming, learning-based optimisation, or machine learning. You have a strong core identity rooted in mathematical programming and operations research. Experience in securing competitive research funding and supervising doctoral students will be considered a strong asset.

Skills

You will bring expertise in the theory, algorithms, and modelling frameworks of mathematical optimisation, with a research identity centered on advancing the methodological foundations of decision systems. You are able to make original contributions to optimisation methods, whether in integer and stochastic programming, robust and distributionally robust optimisation, or the principled integration of learning and optimisation through frameworks such as predict-then-optimize, decision-focused learning, or reinforcement learning for sequential decision-making, and you are motivated by the challenge of building a unified methodological bridge between mathematical programming and modern data science. Specific experience in data-driven and learning-driven approaches to modelling and optimisation will be considered as a strong asset.

You will be expected to become an active and contributing member of the research community of CORE and, more broadly, of LIDAM, enriching its methodological culture through contributions that advance the algorithmic and theoretical foundations of optimisation and its integration with machine learning and AI.

You can communicate in French and English. If this is not the case, you undertake to acquire a command of these two languages within two years of taking up your position. Knowledge of other languages is an asset.

What we offer

Tenure after positive assessment of the probationary period – typically four years. This type of career entitles you to a public sector pension. Appointment as lecturer or professor according to your previous academic experience, as determined by the Rectoral Council.

• Teaching load capped at 90 hours for a full-time tenure-track position, and 150 hours once tenured.
• An attractive and progressive salary according to seniority and the promotion process.
• A start date of 1 September 2027 at the earliest.
• An integrated leadership and management training programme, including a range of pedagogical, linguistic and other training courses.
• Benefits including transport, family, culture, commercial, etc.
• Official policy that supports equal opportunities and promotes diversity within academic and all other categories of staff.
• Specific emphasis on a work-life balance.

Practical Information

Application deadline: 5 November 2026 at noon (UTC+1 Time Zone)

Location:

Social Sciences and Humanities Sector (LSM) ( LSM ) ( IDAM )