PhD Position in Sustainable Generative AI for Digital Sovereignty, TU Delft (EU Horizon f-inference)
Job Description
TU Delft has a PhD position in sustainable generative AI. You will study how companies, especially small ones, can run foundation models efficiently and securely across the computing continuum. The project sits in an €8 million EU Horizon initiative, the f-inference consortium.
At a glance
- Position: PhD candidate, 4 years (TU Delft job 3871)
- Where: Department of Engineering Systems and Services, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, TU Delft
- Pay: €3,204 to €4,051 gross a month (year 1 to year 4), plus 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus
- Supervisors: Dr Aaron Ding, Dr Marcela Tuler de Oliveira and Prof. Dr Marijn Janssen
- Apply: 1 November 2026
What the sustainable generative AI PhD works on
- Evaluate existing foundation models for use in digital industries, automotive and healthcare
- Design sustainable inference strategies and a framework that spans the computing continuum
- Work with f-inference partners to design, build, test and refine the framework
- Help businesses, especially SMEs, adopt state-of-the-art generative AI
- Work both on your own and in a multidisciplinary team
Why this role matters
Running large AI models costs energy and money, and many European firms depend on cloud services outside Europe. Efficient inference that firms can control would help both problems. The project links AI engineering to policy questions on sovereignty and security, so it suits someone who likes both.
What TU Delft is looking for
- An MSc in computer science or engineering, artificial intelligence, data science or a related field
- Strong analytical skills
- Strong interest in interdisciplinary research and in AI used across organisations
- Ability to work on your own and in a team
- Excellent English that meets the TU Delft Graduate School requirements
Pay and location
Pay follows the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities: €3,204 gross a month in the first year, rising to €4,051 in the fourth, for a 38-hour week. There is an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus. The four years come as a 1.5-year contract with a go/no-go review within 15 months, then a 2.5-year contract. The ad says the start is flexible. TU Delft runs a knowledge-security check in the final stage of selection.
How to apply
Apply through the official TU Delft page. The closing date is 1 November 2026. Apply online with a CV, a motivation letter, an official list of all BSc and MSc courses with grades, and your MSc thesis. Two referees are asked for only if you are invited to interview. Screening starts as applications arrive, so apply early. Email and post applications are not processed.
See all our PhD positions, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Delft University of Technology
Official advertisement: careers.tudelft.nl
How to prepare for this application
- Show one project where you made a model smaller, faster or cheaper to run, with numbers
- Read about edge–cloud inference, model compression and energy measurement for large models
- In the letter, say how you would compare models for one sector the ad names: automotive, healthcare or digital industry
- Apply early; the ad says screening starts as applications come in
- Check the Graduate School English rules before you apply
About TU Delft
Delft University of Technology is the oldest and largest technical university in the Netherlands. Its Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management studies how technology, organisations and public policy interact.
