PHD Postion in Area of Causal Inference

Vrije Universisteit; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 38,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

8% holiday allowance

8.3% end-of-year bonus

commuting expenses contribution

41 days annual leave (full-time)

paid parental leave

Job summary

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam invites applications for a fully-funded, 4-year PhD position in causal inference in the Department of Mathematics. You will join the Safe Causal Inference consortium and work on evaluating conditional causal effects across datasets and assumptions.

You will be supervised by dr. Stéphanie van der Pas, dr. Nan van Geloven, and dr. Jeremy Labrecque. The main working location is Amsterdam, within the Mathematics department at VU.

Qualifications

• MSc degree in Mathematics, Statistics or Econometrics (or equivalent).
• Strong background in statistics.
• Experience with causal inference.
• Affinity with programming in R or Python.

Responsibilities

• conduct research toward writing a PhD thesis.
• teaching tasks (roughly 15% of your time), e.g. supervising exercise classes.

Skills

statistics

causal inference

programming in R/Python

Education

MSc in Mathematics/Statistics/Econometrics

Tools

R

Python

Job description

Your function

The Department of Mathematics of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam welcomes applications for a fully-funded, 4-year PhD position in causal inference.

You will join the “Safe Causal Inference” consortium. Causal inference studies what assumptions are needed, and which methods you can use when those assumptions are met, to reliably conclude that “A causes B” and not just “A is correlated with B”. The consortium aims to incorporate all uncertainties into causal inferences, combining information obtained under alternative assumptions. In a team of 8 PhD researchers and 5 Principal Investigators located throughout the Netherlands, you’ll join us in developing a novel, iterative approach to causal inference that combines the strengths of subject-matter knowledge and the flexibility of data-driven algorithms.

You will work on the subproject “Triangulation of performance assessment methods for conditional causal quantities”. This PhD project investigates how to reliably assess the performance of estimators of conditional causal effects (such as CATE estimators and predictions under interventions). The core problem is that evaluating an estimator requires counterfactual outcomes in the evaluation dataset, but deriving those outcomes itself relies on causal assumptions, meaning the evaluation can be just as assumption-dependent as the estimator it's meant to assess.

You will examine whether combining evaluation results across different datasets, different causal assumptions, and different evaluation approaches (counterfactual, factual, and benchmarking against trials) leads to a more complete and reliable picture of a causal relationship. The goal is to develop a framework that helps data analysts choose the best evaluation strategy depending on which assumptions they are willing to make.

You will be jointly supervised by dr. Stéphanie van der Pas (VU), dr. Nan van Geloven (LUMC) and dr. Jeremy Labrecque (ErasmusMC). Your main working location will be the Mathematics department at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where you will join dr. Stéphanie van der Pas’ research group on causal inference.

We are an inclusive, interdisciplinary group, and diversity and internationalism is at the heart of our research principles, as well as our teaching practice.

The preferred starting date is: as soon as possible, ideally before 01.02.2027.

Applications from all groups currently under-represented in academic posts are especially encouraged. We particularly welcome applications from women and people with an ethnic minority background.

Your duties

• doing research towards writing a PhD thesis
• teaching tasks (roughly 15% of your time), for instance supervising exercise classes

Your profile

• a (prospective) MSc. degree in Mathematics, Statistics or Econometrics (or an equivalent thereof)
• good communication skills in English

Priority will be given to candidates with:

• a strong background in statistics
• experience with causal inference
• affinity with programming in R or python

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €3204 (at the start) and a maximum €4051 (in the fourth year). The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 1.0 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a further 3 years. Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• good paid parental leave scheme

About us

The Department of Mathematics
The Department of Mathematics strives for excellence in research. The department balances pure mathematical research with mathematical research motivated by applications. Researchers in the department are on one hand active at a fundamental and theoretical level, and, on the other hand, work on applications with links to business, the sciences, and societal issues. The department has a strong international research staff with expertise in dynamical systems, topology, geometry and algebra, as well as in stochastics (statistics, data analytics, probability).

Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means collaborating with students, lecturers and researchers who are focused on their field, yet have a broad view of the world. We are proud of a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the faculty, where we work together with great energy and a pragmatic attitude to tackle social challenges. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex societal issues for a sustainable, healthy and just future.

From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from helium to the universe and from genetics to medicine: our education and research cover the full breadth of science, from molecules to mankind. Our academic education and research are highly experimental, technical and interdisciplinary in nature. That is why we collaborate extensively with leading scientific institutes and industry. The faculty has more than 8,000 students studying in one of the 39 programms and employs more than 1,400 staff across 10 scientific departments, making us one of the largest science faculties in the Netherlands.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility.Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.