AI-Enhanced Digital Twin Architecture, Integration, and Critical Quality Execution

We are looking for a PhD candidate to research "AI-Enhanced Digital Twin Architecture, Integration, and Critical Quality Execution" in the context of Dutch Research Council funded Large Scale Research Infrastructure LTER-LIFE.

Join our team!
Digital Twins are increasingly recognized as a valuable method for studying complex physical systems across various scientific domains, such as environmental and earth sciences. By creating digital representations of physical systems, researchers can gain deeper insights and a better understanding of the underlying processes. Additionally, Digital Twins enable predictive studies under different hypothetical scenarios—scenarios that may be difficult or impossible to explore with physical systems alone. However, there remains a significant engineering challenge in making Digital Twins readily accessible as reliable research tools for the scientific community.

The candidate will tackle development and operational challenges associated with Digital Twin applications across distributed infrastructures. The candidate will develop AI-enhanced algorithms for modeling, integration, and optimization of Digital Twin applications on heterogeneous computing infrastructures—ranging from edge devices to hybrid and federated cloud environments. The candidate will be encouraged to apply state-of-the-art AI approaches to design innovative algorithms and generate explainable, impactful results.

The candidate will be part of the MultiScale Networked System (MNS) group, within the Informatics Institute at the University of Amsterdam. Collaborating within an interdisciplinary team comprising domain scientists, modelers, and data curators, the candidate will contribute to developing virtual research environments and infrastructure services tailored for domain specific needs of Digital Twins in the LTER-LIFE infrastructure.

What are you going to do?
The researcher will focus on the computing challenges in developing quality critical distributed data-centric applications. Working in an interdisciplinary team, the candidates will

• Analyze the performance challenges of distributed data-centric applications provided by application domains
• review the state-of-the-art and technical gaps for developing quality critical distributed data-centric computing systems with a specific focus on AI and machine learning-based approaches,
• research, develop, and validate scheduling, optimization, and adaptation algorithms for distributed data-centric computing systems via use cases and state-of-the-art baselines.

Your profile
The candidate should have a master degree in computer science or relevant disciplines and fluently speak and write English. Specifically, we are interested in people with:

• expertise in cloud computing, distributed and parallel computing, and data-centric applications,
• be familiar with AI (machine learning), big data, and data management techniques,
• be experienced in programming (using Java, Python or other languages),
• be willing to learn new theories, methods, and technologies when needed for the project.

Our offer
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, between € 2,901 to € 3,707 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD Candidate is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities | Universiteiten van Nederland is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

Where you will work
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

The Multiscale Networked Systems (MNS) group is part of the Systems and Security Lab (SNE), one of the three research clusters at the Informatics Institute. The group focuses its research on the fundamental architectural problems that arise from the interconnection of systems and data flows. We look at the emerging architectures that can support the operations of the future Internet. In particular, we focus on delivering secure and sustainable ICT services across multiple domains. Device programmability and virtualization play in this field an ever-increasing role in designing networks and ICT infrastructures. We address the interoperability challenges in supporting discovery, analysis and interoperation between heterogeneous complex infrastructures. Our vision is to build an effective ‘knowledge fiber’ to facilitate information discovery, integration, and reuse across distributed infrastructures.

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below. We accept applications until and including 1 July 2025.

Applications should include the following information (all files besides your cv should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• a detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• a letter of motivation;
• a list of publications;
• the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure.
(for details: national knowledge security guidelines)

Only complete applications received within the response period via the apply button will be considered.

The interviews will be held before the summer holidays.

Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• Dr. Zhiming Zhao, z.zhao@uva.nl
• T: +31 641265121