Postdoc Position in Multimodal World Models, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

Summary

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) invites applications for a fully-funded, 2-year Postdoctoral Researcher position focused on advancing neurosymbolic reasoning and commonsense abstraction within multimodal world models. Funded by the NWO AiNed talent project “Human-centric AI with common sense”, the successful candidate will work under the co-supervision of Dr. Filip Ilievski, Dr. Emile van Krieken (VU Amsterdam), and Prof. Cees Snoek (University of Amsterdam / UvA) as part of the ELLIS Unit Amsterdam.

Postdoc Position: Neurosymbolic Reasoning in Multimodal World Models

Designation

Postdoctoral Researcher (Postdoc) / Researcher 4

Key Information Table

Research Area

• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: Multimodal World Models, Neurosymbolic AI, Foundation Models.
• Core Topics: Commonsense reasoning, spatio-temporal and causal abstraction, visual grounding, explicit knowledge representation, and learning from limited human-annotated data.

Location

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Campus)

Nieuwe Universiteitsgebouw (NU), De Boelelaan, Amsterdam (Zuidas district), North Holland, Netherlands.

Eligibility & Qualifications

Applicants should meet the following criteria:

• Degree: A completed (or near-completed) PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, Neurosymbolic AI, or a closely related field.
• Research Track Record: Demonstrable record of publishing in premier AI/ML conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, CVPR, ACL, ICLR, AAAI, IJCAI).
• Technical Skills: Strong programming and implementation skills in Python and modern deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch) working with multimodal foundation models.
• Competencies: Ability to work collaboratively within international teams, co-supervise PhD/MSc students, and communicate fluently in written and spoken English.

Scholarship / Fellowship Description

While current multimodal world models show rapid progress, they struggle with commonsense reasoning, visual grounding, and modeling physical and social causality.

Core Objectives & Responsibilities:

• Invent, develop, and benchmark methods for explicit abstraction and dynamic neurosymbolic world models.
• Evaluate reasoning capabilities over space, time, and causality following cognitive principles.
• Co-supervise PhD and graduate students in the Learning and Reasoning group.
• Publish and present findings at top-tier international workshops and conferences.
• Contribute moderately to academic teaching and mentorship activities (e.g., guest lectures, lab sessions).

Benefits & Compensation:

• Remuneration: Monthly gross salary between €3,706 and €5,760 depending on experience.
• Annual Bonuses: 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Leave: 232 holiday hours per year (for a 38-hour week), expandable to 328 hours with a 40-hour work schedule.
• Perks: Solid ABP pension scheme, commuter expense contributions, and relocation assistance through the VU International Staff Support office.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online through the official portal:

1. Visit the VU Amsterdam Vacancy Page.
2. Click the “Apply” button.
3. Upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a targeted Cover Letter / Letter of Motivation.(Note: Applications sent directly via email are not accepted.)

Contact for Queries:

• Academic Enquiries: Dr. Filip Ilievski (Assistant Professor) – f.ilievski@vu.nl
• Relocation / Visa Inquiries: International Staff Support – internationalstaffsupport.soz@vu.nl

Last Date for Apply

October 10, 2026 (23:59 CET)

Link