About us
The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character.
The Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM) at the University of Luxembourg contributes multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences and Medicine.
Through its dual mission of teaching and research, the FSTM seeks to generate and disseminate knowledge and train new generations of responsible citizens in order to better understand, explain and advance society and environment we live in.
The University of Luxembourg (UL) is seeking to hire a Post-doctoral fellow within the Research Group for Individual and Collective Reasoning "ICR" (led by Prof. Dr. Leon van der Torre), part of the Interdisciplinary Lab for Intelligent and Adaptive Systems (ILIAS), embedded in the Department of Computer Science (DCS) of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM).
Your role
AI4KIDS addresses the critical need for child-centric safe AI by developing a norm-first Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) architecture where generative models (LLMs) are constrained by machine-readable child-protection policies to ensure purposeful, legally compliant, explainable and auditable AI behaviour. The research advances three main technical fronts:
- Embedding explicit norms into the BDI cycle, compiled into enforceable policy-as-code for real-time safety checks
- Parameter-efficient fine-tuning of LLMs for age-appropriate, pedagogically meaningful dialogue
- High-performance computing pipelines on Luxembourg's MeluXina supercomputer for large-scale simulation and adversarial testing
The project also includes industrial validation with social robotics platforms (e.g., QTrobot) for deployment in educational and special-needs contexts, marrying computational law, symbolic AI, and large-scale evaluation into a blueprint for safe child-facing AI.
The successful candidate will:
- Lead high-impact research at the intersection of multi-agent systems, normative architectures (BDI), symbolic AI and safe LLM integration
- Contribute to the design and implementation of norm-constrained agent architectures with real-time compliance checking
- Integrate research outcomes with social robot platforms and large-scale simulation environments
- Disseminate results through high-quality scientific publications and presentations at top conferences
- Participate in research funding proposal writing and collaborative activities within the team
- Perform teaching activities at bachelor, master and PhD levels
- Support other academic duties as required by the department
The postdoctoral fellow will report to the project coordinator and Principal Investigator for AI4KIDS.
Your profile
- PhD degree in Computer Science or in related fields, e.g., Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Distributed Systems
- Strong research record in multi-agent systems, distributed/adaptive systems, and/or agent-oriented software engineering, e.g., publications or demonstrable projects
- Experience or strong interest in normative agent architectures BDI, safety-by-design AI, and integration with robotic platforms
- Familiarity with LLMs and their safe adaptation for restricted domains is a strong asset
- Team player with the ability to work in an interdisciplinary, international research environment
- Fluency in Englishi s required
We offer
- Multilingual and international character. Modern institution with a personal atmosphere. Staff coming from 90 countries. Member of the "University of the Greater Region" (UniGR)
- A modern and dynamic university. High-quality equipment. Close ties to the business world and to the Luxembourg labour market. A unique urban site with excellent infrastructure
- A partner for society and industry. Cooperation with European institutions, innovative companies, the Financial Centre and with numerous non-academic partners such as ministries, local governments, associations, NGOs …
How to apply
Applications (in English, PDF format) should include:
- Curriculum Vitae, including contact information, academic record, research experience and publication list
- Cover letter detailing your motivation for applying to the advertised research topic and/or project, including how your background, interests, and career goals align with its objective
- PhD diploma or a letter/information indicating the expected defense date
- Transcript of all modules and results from university-level courses taken
- List of publications
- Names and contact details of three referees
Early application is highly encouraged, as the applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply ONLINE formally through the HR system. Applications by Email will not be considered.
All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. In line with our values, the University of Luxembourg promotes an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and are dedicated to upholding equality and respect for our employees and students.
General information:
- Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract 24 Month
- Work Hours:
- Location: Belval Campus
- Planned start date: June 2026
- Project: AI4Kids - Norm-First & HPC-Verified Interactive Agents for Child-Facing Applications
- Internal Title: Postdoctoral researcher
- Job Reference: UOL08050
The yearly gross salary for every Postdoctoral Researcher at the UL is EUR 85176 (full time).
