Scientific Programmer / Post-Doctoral Researcher on Project Hippocampus: The Future of OpenML- NL

Leiden University; Leiden; On-site; EUR 39,573 - 61,804; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contract length: 1 year, extendable

Salary range €3,546–€5,538 gross/month

ABP pension scheme

Public transport reimbursement

Flexible leave and home working

Laptop provided

Job summary

Leiden University seeks an excellent engineer to redesign the OpenML platform and build its next generation. The role focuses on accessible APIs, user-centered interfaces, and seamless integration with data and compute infrastructure across university partners in the Netherlands and beyond.

You will join the ADA group in LIACS at Leiden University, working with researchers across the Netherlands and travelling to conferences.

Qualifications

• Ability to work in a larger engineering team.
• Experience with complex web-based codebases.
• Demonstrable experience with ML software and platforms such as OpenML, scikit-learn, SciPy.

Responsibilities

• Optimize accessibility for all experience levels via elegant APIs and intuitive user interfaces.
• Define and develop agentic (user) interfaces to OpenML.
• Contribute to OpenML's federated position and integration with data/compute infrastructure.
• Improve OpenML codebase maintainability and review community contributions.

Skills

Team collaboration

Web-based codebases

Machine learning software

Tools

OpenML

scikit-learn

SciPy

Job description

OpenML (tasks and automatically share detailed workflows and model evaluations. More than just a platform, OpenML fosters a collaborative ecosystem where scientists create new tools, launch initiatives, and establish standards to advance machine learning (OpenML.org)

OpenML is a popular open science platform for sharing interconnected AI artifacts (e.g., datasets, models, and benchmarks) using open standards and structured APIs. Hosted at TU Eindhoven, OpenML serves over 300,000 users, has supported over 2,000 scientific studies, and won the Dutch Data Prize. We are looking for an excellent engineer to significantly redesign it and build the next generation of the OpenML platform.

Key publication:

• OpenML: Insights from 10 years and more than a thousand papers [https://www.cell.com/patterns/fulltext/S2666-3899(25)00165-5]

What You Will Do

Goals and core tasks:

• Optimize accessibility for all experience levels via elegant APIs and intuitive, welcoming, user-centered interfaces;
• Definition and development of agentic (user)interfaces to OpenML;
• Contribute to OpenMLs’ federated position ensuring that the platform integrates seamlessly with other data and compute infrastructure (such as HuggingFace, DataVerse);
• Contribute to the OpenML codebase and platform by making code more maintainable and reviewing community contributed code.

How we will empower you

• A thriving team organised around a successful platform, across various universities (Leiden-based, 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam International Airport);
• An ambitious work environment with plenty of autonomy in a research environment;
• Visibility in the international research community;
• Many travel opportunities to present progress at conferences, labs and other locations;
• Opportunity to grow into an Open-source leadership position through being part of the OpenML core team;
• A central position in the Open-Source Research community.

Where you will work

The faculty is home to more than 2,700 staff members and over 6,000 students enrolled in nine bachelor's and fifteen master's programs. We are located at the heart of the Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s largest science parks, where academia and industry come together.

You will be part of the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS). LIACS offers the bachelor's programs in Computer Science and Data Science/Artificial Intelligence, as well as master's programs in Computer Science, ICT in Business and the Public Sector, Media Technology, and Science Based Business. According to an independent research assessment, LIACS is one of the leading computer science departments in the Netherlands. We strive for excellence in a supportive institute where academic achievement, enjoyment, and diversity go hand in hand. We offer a clear and welcoming career path for young and talented scientists with the ambition to grow. For more information about LIACS, visit our website.

You will be a member of both the ADA (Automated Design of Algorithms) group in the machine learning clusters at LIACS, Leiden University, and supervised by Jan van Rijn and Holger Hoos. You will be working intensely with other project members that are based across the Netherlands, and ample opportunity to visit scientific programming conferences and events across Europe.

What You Bring

Selection Criteria (note that this is an OR-relationship, we prefer candidates who excel at least one over someone who ticks all boxes):

• The ability to work in a larger engineering team;
• Experience with complex web-based code bases;
• Demonstrable experience with machine learning software and platforms (such as OpenML, scikit-learn, scipy).

What We Offer

• An employment contract for initially one year. After a positive evaluation of the progress of the research, personal capabilities an compatibility, the contract will be extendend by two more years. This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• A salary between € 3.546,= and € 5.538,= gross per month, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours, Payscale 10);
• A holiday allowance (8%), an end-of-year bonus (8,3%), and an attractive pension scheme at ABP;
• Full reimbursement of public transport commuting costs for home-to-work travel;
• Flexible working hours: as a standard, you are entitled to a minimum of 29 leave days on the basis of a full-time working week of 38 hours; you can also save for extra leave, for example by working 40 hours a week, and in this way accrue an extra 96 leave hours, or exchange 96 leave hours for a 36-hour week;
• A collegial work environment within a growing research institute;
• A possibilty to further enhance academic career opportunities, for example, developing relevant skills in student supervision (from BSc to PhD), teaching (including pursuing a BKO) or research project acquisition and management;
• Funding to attend conferences where work will be published;
• The option of working from home one day a week;
• A home-working allowance (day and internet allowance) and attention for good workplaces. The University will also provide you with a laptop.

What We Value

Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. We strive to be an open community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to fully develop themselves. We consider an inclusive academic environment, where students and staff can share their experiences and viewpoints, to be essential for the development of talent.

The preferred starting date is September 1, 2026 (negotiable). This vacancy will automatically close on October 15, 2026.