We are the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering (DKE) at Maastricht University, the Netherlands: an international community of ~50 researchers at various stages of their career, embedded in the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). Our department has nearly 30 years’ experience with research and teaching in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. To strengthen our team, we are looking for an assistant professor who will work on Optimization.

The Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering is growing rapidly. This position is one of multiple job openings: you are more than welcome to browse through our other vacancies.

Assistant professor in Optimization
The focus of this position is on the optimization of all kind of dynamic processes, running from industrial production lines to improving customer satisfaction in healthcare systems or efficient routing of traffic in customer service centers. These days, sensor data and other digital measurements allow for almost real-time optimization of these processes. Through this position, we want to blend expertise on traditional methods from operations research (Markov chains, queueing models, systems and control, planning and scheduling) with expertise on machine learning and data extraction.

In addition to your research, you will contribute to top-rated education in our department. We offer one bachelor’s programme and two master’s programmes, all of which are nationally ranked #1 in their category and involve a mix of Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.

Embedding
This position builds on, and benefits from, foundational expertise at DKE. Our research centers around nine established themes, which includes the theme Algorithms, Complexity and Optimization. Researchers typically work on multiple themes at the same time to ensure knowledge transfer across (sub)disciplines. Outside of the department, we offer an extensive, worldwide network of collaborators in the public and private sector, as well as a firm rooting in national and international AI networks. Facilities include access to a supercomputer cluster.

This position is offered with the opportunity for a joint-appointment with industry. The joint appointment program creates an extra opportunity for the candidate to work for part of their time directly for a company. If accepted by the candidate and the company, this will create multiple benefits for all parties. It allows the candidate to have greater impact for their research output via the company, which can bring research results to real-life. The candidate can experience industrial research and be adequately compensated. Moreover, the candidate is in a unique position to help build a close collaboration between the university and the company, fostering a collaborative environment and creating opportunities for joint PhD research programs.

We seek a colleague who is passionate about research and teaching. She/he feels at home in a strongly international and diverse community like ours. Furthermore, we are looking to welcome someone who fosters collaboration at all levels, especially in the context of a joint academia-industry appointment.

Our ideal candidate has:

• A PhD degree in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Econometrics, Engineering or a strongly related field;
• At least 2 years working experience in an academic environment post-PhD;
• A proven track record in research and teaching;
• Experience with funding acquisition at national and European level;
• Fluent mastery of the English language.

We offer a full-time, tenure-track position starting as soon as possible. You will initially be employed on a temporary contract as an assistant professor (level 2). Together, we will set up a development plan with specific goals to meet. Five years into your appointment, we will evaluate those goals and promote you to assistant professor (level 1) on a permanent contract if the goals have been met. The evaluation can be brought forward if the goals are met earlier, or deferred at your request in case of personal circumstances such as pregnancy leave, parental leave or chronic illness.

We offer you a competitive salary for a full-time position of 38 hours a week. On top of your regular salary, there is an annual holiday allowance (8% of annual income) and an annual end-of-year bonus (8.3% of annual income).

The position comes with a number of additional benefits, including:      

• Partially paid parental leave;
• A pension scheme;
• The option to participate in collective healthcare insurance;
• A one-time reimbursement of your relocation costs if you are moving to Maastricht from more than 40 kilometers away;
• Assistance with practical matters such as housing for candidates unfamiliar with the Netherlands, through Maastricht University’s Knowledge Centre for International Staff;
• A welcoming and open work environment with a high degree of flexibility, and plenty of opportunities for collaboration and growth;
• Mentoring to develop yourself as a teacher and obtain a University Teaching Qualification (BKO, for ‘basiskwalificatie onderwijs’: an official certification for teaching at Dutch universities) through a training programme, in case you are not yet certified.

Full conditions of employment are laid out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities, supplemented with local UM provisions. Furthermore, applicants from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the so-called 30% ruling, a tax cut for highly skilled migrants that applies for a maximum of five years.

Maastricht University | Maastricht University (UM) has around 18,000 students and 4,300 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. UM is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. UM placed #10 in Times Higher Education’s (THE) Young Universities Ranking 2019, and #127 in THE’s World University Rankings 2020.

http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/

Living and working in Maastricht | The Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering is housed in the historical city of Maastricht, the Netherlands. Situated in the heart of Europe and within 30 kilometers from the German and Belgian borders, Maastricht and its 120,000 inhabitants have a strong international character. It is a safe and family-friendly city with a history spanning more than 2,000 years. The city’s rich past is reflected everywhere in the streets: the ratio of monuments-to-inhabitants is roughly 1:73.

The Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering | Founded in 1992, we are a fast-growing department undertaking internationally respected research in the areas of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science and applied mathematics. Much of our research takes place at the interfaces of these disciplines. We maintain a large network of industry partners and provide education through one bachelor’s programme and two master’s programmes, all of which have a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence and are nationally ranked #1 in their cohort according to the most recent education rankings.

Our new colleague will be joining a tight-knit department consisting of ~50 principal investigators, postdocs and PhD students, nearly 600 BSc and MSc students and a team of 13 dedicated support staff members. Together, we come from over 40 different countries.

https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/dke

STEM research in Maastricht | DKE is embedded in the equally thriving Faculty of Science and Engineering. It’s exciting times for STEM research in the region of Zuid-Limburg, where Maastricht University (UM) is situated. For example, UM recently joined the Einstein Telescope Partnership coalition, which will bring STEM challenges to our doorstep through construction of the ETpathfinder prototype gravitational wave detector. Furthermore, Zuid-Limburg is a hub for the high-tech industry. Maastricht University participates in the four regional Brightlands campuses: local tech ecosystems where fundamental and applied research, state-of-the-art facilities, industry partners and students meet. In addition, the university itself offers no shortage of inspiring collaborators through our international network and the five other faculties of UM.

https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/fse