PhD Position on Learning Concepts with Theoretical Guarantees Using Causality and Reinforcement Learning at the University of Amsterdam

The University of Amsterdam (UvA), one of Europe’s leading research institutions, is offering a prestigious and intellectually stimulating PhD position focused on learning high-level concepts in AI with theoretical guarantees. This opportunity sits at the intersection of causal inference, representation learning, and reinforcement learning—areas that are not only shaping the future of AI but also critical for building robust, explainable, and trustworthy intelligent systems.

The Research Vision: Merging Causality with Reinforcement Learning

The core aim of this PhD project is to create new methods that enable machines to autonomously learn high-level, abstract concepts from raw, often unstructured data (e.g., images, videos, or sensory inputs). By combining causal representation learning with reinforcement learning (RL), the goal is to not just train AI systems to behave effectively, but to ensure their behaviors are grounded in human-understandable principles with formal guarantees around performance, safety, and generalization.

This means moving beyond black-box AI models into the realm of transparent, explainable artificial intelligence, where learned concepts are interpretable and decisions can be audited and trusted in real-world scenarios.

Key Challenges and Innovations

The PhD candidate will tackle several ambitious challenges, including:

• Developing new theoretical frameworks that formalize how causal structures can be embedded into RL settings.
• Designing algorithms that automatically learn latent representations aligned with human-understandable concepts.
• Creating methods that yield provable generalization and error bounds, ensuring models are robust under uncertainty.
• Integrating these methods into an embodied AI system, such as robotics or interactive virtual environments.

This work is grounded in cutting-edge machine learning theory while also being application-driven, with tangible real-world use cases—one being the Robotic Surgeon: an intelligent assistant capable of working alongside human doctors in surgical environments.

A Research Environment Like No Other

The successful candidate will join the renowned Amsterdam Machine Learning Lab (AMLab), which is part of the UvA’s Informatics Institute. AMLab is known for pushing the boundaries of deep generative models, probabilistic reasoning, and causality in machine learning. It offers a vibrant, collaborative research culture and regular interaction with top scientists in AI.

Moreover, this project is integrated within the Hybrid Intelligence Centre, a multidisciplinary initiative that brings together six Dutch universities, aiming to develop AI systems that cooperate with humans instead of replacing them.

What Makes This PhD Role Exceptional?

• Interdisciplinary Focus: Blending theoretical ML, causal reasoning, and embodied RL systems.
• Real-world Impact: Applications in intelligent robotics, healthcare, and human-centered AI systems.
• Strong Theoretical Foundation: Emphasis on mathematical guarantees, robustness, and generalization.
• Collaboration Opportunities: Work closely with researchers from TU Delft, VU Amsterdam, and industrial partners.
• Supportive Academic Environment: Access to world-class mentors, funding for travel and conferences, and a community of international researchers.

Candidate Profile

To be successful in this role, you should:

• Hold a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related technical field.
• Be passionate about machine learning, with a particular interest in causality, deep learning, and RL.
• Possess strong programming skills (Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow, etc.).
• Be motivated to publish in top-tier venues like NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, or UAI.
• Enjoy working in a diverse, collaborative academic setting.

Employment Conditions

• Contract: 4 years full-time
• Salary: Ranges from €2,901 to €3,707 gross per month
• Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Start Date: Flexible within the year 2025
• Benefits: Generous secondary benefits include holiday and year-end bonuses, pension plans, and support for professional development.

Final Thoughts

This PhD position is a unique opportunity for aspiring AI researchers to contribute to the foundational aspects of machine learning, while also impacting the real-world integration of intelligent systems. If you’re looking to shape the next generation of human-aware, trustworthy AI, this could be the start of your transformative academic journey.

🔗 To stay updated, check out the official vacancy page on the University of Amsterdam careers site.