Postdoctoral Researcher in Philosophy of Science (30498)

Academic Positions; Belgium; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

36 days holiday leave

Bicycle allowance

Eco vouchers

Job summary

Ghent University in Belgium invites applications for a temporary six-month position linked to the EOSC-ARENA Horizon Europe project. The role seeks a researcher to combine philosophy of AI with practical engineering experience to advance scientific knowledge production.

You will support principal investigators, review AI systems, and contribute to publications, with a starting date of 1 December 2026 at the earliest. Equal opportunity policy applies.

Qualifications

• Requires a thesis-based doctorate (PhD).
• Combines philosophical understanding of large language models and agentic AI with practical engineering deployment experience in research.

Responsibilities

• Aid principal investigators in research on AI impact within EOSC-ARENA.
• Provide concrete examples of LLM workflows and verifiable results in scientific research.

Skills

Philosophical understanding of LLMs &/

Education

Thesis-based doctorate (PhD)

Job description

Organisation/Company Ghent University Research Field Computer science » Other Philosophy » Epistemology Philosophy » Philosophy of science Philosophy » Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 13 Nov 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

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 80 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

• Your research is situated in the EU-funded Horizon Europe project EOSC-ARENA (AI Research Enhancement through Networked Agents), funded under the European Commission’s GenAI4EU initiative. The overall aim of EOSC-ARENA is to develop a sovereign, generative and agentic AI environment for scientific researchers, integrated with the European Open Science Cloud.
• You aid the principal investigators in their research on the impact of AI by bringing in your first‑hand experience with the use of LLM harnesses and workflows aimed to advance scientific knowledge production.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You hold a thesis‑based doctorate.
• You combine a philosophical understanding of large language models and agentic AI with direct practical experience in engineering, deploying and applying these systems to scientific research. Your cover letter should provide concrete examples and verifiable results about this.
• You have advanced insight into the functioning of large language models, as evidenced by relevant academic publications. Ideally, you can document connections between your AI expertise and scientific fields such as mathematics, physics or theoretical biology.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer you a contract of definite duration for a period of 6 months.
• Your contract will start on 1 december 2026 at the earliest.
• 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 .

INTERESTED?

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Erik Weber ([e-mail] ).