Associate or Full Professor in Language and AI Engineering

Introduction

Are you our next Associate or Full Professor who will explore the frontiers of language, cognition, and AI to drive responsible innovation a data‑driven society that benefits people and communities? You may be the ideal candidate to strengthen our research and education efforts to co-shape the future of language and AI engineering in a supportive and collaborative environment. This vacancy is part of the Irène Curie Fellowship and is currently only open to female candidates. 

Job Description

You will join the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (M&CS). With over 140 (assistant, associate and full) professors, almost 250 PhD and EngD students, nearly 3000 students, M&CS is the largest department of the TU/e. By performing top-level fundamental and applied research, and maintaining strong ties with industry, M&CS aims to contribute to science and innovation in and beyond the region.

This position is embedded in the Data & AI (DAI) cluster within the Data Science Domain (DS). DS brings together the Visualization, Process Analytics, and Data & AI clusters and aims to empower a data-driven society through research and education in data science, contributing to effective, robust, and responsible data-driven solutions for societal challenges. Within DS, DAI focuses on the foundations of data and AI systems for the present and the future. Researchers in DAI develop new methods, algorithms, and tools that expand the reach, reliability, and generalization capabilities of data systems and AI.

Language and AI Engineering is an important area for DAI and DS. It connects the technical foundations of language, cognition, and AI with the development of responsible, trustworthy, and human-centered AI systems. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to the further strengthening of this area within the cluster and domain, while nurturing meaningful connections to education, collaboration, and societal impact.

We are seeking an outstanding Associate or Full Professor with a strong track record in research and academic leadership to join our team and actively shape the future of Language and AI Engineering. This position focuses on the complex and fascinating intersection of AI, language, cognition, multimodality, human-AI interaction, and the development of interpretable, trustworthy AI systems. You investigate not only what AI models (e.g., foundation models) can do in the context of language, cognition, and interaction, but also how they do it, thereby informing the design of the next generation of AI systems. You will be expected to define and further develop an internationally visible research line, contribute to the strategic development of the field within the cluster and department, and support and inspire a new generation of students and researchers. Your work contributes to building AI that can support humans on complex tasks and be deployed responsibly in society.

Your research is focused on:

• AI, Language, and Cognition: Conduct fundamental research into the relationship between language and cognitive capabilities and large-scale AI models. Explore core areas such as memory, reasoning, and the nature of machine "understanding." Investigate what separates genuine machine understanding and reasoning from blind optimization of benchmark performance.

in combination with one or more of the following areas:

• Multimodal Interaction: Research and develop AI systems that interact through diverse modalities, including vision (images, video), language, and physical interfaces (e.g., robotics).
• Human-AI Collaboration: Design and study models for effective human-AI partnerships. Focus on complex collaborative tasks that require joint reasoning and consensus-making.
• Enhancing AI Interpretability and Safety: Develop novel techniques to understand the internal workings of AI models. Identify, analyze, and mitigate potential biases, fairness issues, and other safety risks to build more trustworthy systems.
• Societal Impact: Study the application and implications of advanced AI in critical societal contexts, such as legal systems, engineering, and scientific discovery, with a focus on reliability and trustworthiness.

You are expected to develop a strong and recognizable research profile in one or more of these areas, actively contribute to meaningful collaborations within and beyond TU/e, and help further strengthen this field in both research and education.

In this role, you will contribute to the ambition of the Beethoven program to educate top talent and strengthen research across the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Job Requirements

• Motivated researcher, with a PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning or a comparable technical field.
• Ability to conduct high-quality academic research, reflected in a strong publication record in leading AI/ML conferences and journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, IJCAI, CVPR, AAAI, FAccT, AIES).
• Deep expertise in machine learning, deep learning, and modern AI architecture.
• Deep expertise in language and/or cognition.
• Proven experience in supervising PhD candidates and in mentoring postdocs and junior academic staff with an inclusive and supportive approach.
• Proven ability to define, develop, and lead an independent and internationally visible research line.
• Proven ability to initiate, acquire, and sustain externally funded research projects.
• Demonstrated research experience in one or more of the following areas — AI Interpretability and Explainability (XAI), Multimodal Machine Learning, Human‑AI or Human‑Computer Interaction, AI Ethics, Fairness, and Safety, or Robotics and AI‑driven physical systems, is highly preferred.
• Experience in presenting at international scientific meetings, such as conferences, symposia, or workshops is preferred.
• A clear vision on teaching and learning, with demonstrated contribution to curriculum innovation, course development, and/or educational coordination.
• Strong cooperation skills and ability to work in an interdisciplinary team.
• Effective communication and leadership skills, including coaching and mentoring of students and staff, leading a project or chairing a group.
• Excellent (written and verbal) proficiency in English.

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Salary in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, candidates appointed at the Associate Professor level will be placed in scale 13 or 14 (minimum €6.512, maximum €8.673). Candidates appointed at the Full Professor level will be placed in scale H2 or H1 (minimum €7.202, maximum €12.584).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• A dedicated mentoring program to help you get to know the university and the Dutch (research) environment.
• A Development Track with the prospect of becoming an Associate Professor. If you have a more senior profile, a tailor-made career proposal will be considered.
• High-quality training programs for academic leadership and teaching.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• Unlimited access to the modern on‑campus TU/e Student Sports Center at an exceptionally affordable rate.
• Partially paid parental leave and an allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team is available for international candidates, as are a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) and partner career support.

About us

We are a leading international university where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community.

Our university is located in Brainport Eindhoven — a world‑leading tech region with more than 7,000 high‑tech companies and strong R&D activity. Known for breakthroughs in AI, photonics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, Brainport is a place where technology serves people and society. Learn more about the Brainport region here.

We believe that diversity broadens our research scope and enhances the quality of our education. Our Irène Curie Fellowship aims to advance talented female researchers, in order to thrive and be successful in top positions in science, contributing to the societal goal of promoting equal opportunities. The program addresses the aspirations and needs of women in industry, academia, and research institutes in order to support their ambition to become a professor at our university. 

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Prof. dr. George Fletcher, [email protected].

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact Annette van Kamp-Rustenburg, Senior Recruiter [email protected].

Curious to hear more about what it's like as a professor at TU/e? Please watch the video. 

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

This vacancy is part of the Irène Curie Fellowship and is currently only open to female candidates. Male applicants will not be considered for the position.

We invite you to submit a complete application. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references. Kindly note that we may reach out to references at any stage of the recruitment process. We recommend notifying your references upon submitting your application.
• Description of your scientific interests and plans (1-2 pages).
• Statement of your teaching goals and experience (1-2 pages).

Ensure that you submit all the requested application documents. Please note that incomplete applications may not be considered and could be rejected.

Please note

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.