Postdoc in AI Foundation Models for Crop Microbiomes, Utrecht University (EIC Pathfinder NOAH)
Job Description
This postdoc in AI foundation models for crop microbiomes at Utrecht University is funded by the European Innovation Council Pathfinder project NOAH, and its goal is a model called ARCA that learns the language of the microbial communities living on and around crops.
At a glance
- Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, 1 year initially, extendable by 3 years
- Where: Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Faculty of Science, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Pay: €3,706 to €5,760 gross a month on scale 10, plus 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% year-end bonus
- Starts: January 2027
- Apply by: 16 October 2026
About the project: AI foundation models for crop microbiomes
Foundation models have reshaped language and vision; the bet here is that the same idea can be applied to microbial communities. You would design the deep learning architectures behind ARCA and train them on large-scale microbiome data, so that the model can predict how a given community will affect a crop’s growth and its resilience to disease. The output is meant to be usable: predictions and strategies for designing disease-suppressive cropping systems, rather than a benchmark score alone. The post sits in computing sciences but the work is genuinely cross-disciplinary, and the advertisement puts weight on interpretable AI and reproducible research.
Eligibility
Utrecht asks for a PhD, or one close to completion, in machine learning, artificial intelligence, computational biology, bioinformatics or a related field. Hands-on experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch is required, along with strong Python and experience running work on GPUs or HPC systems. Experience with high-dimensional biological or omics data is listed, as is an interest in interpretability and reproducibility.
Salary and duration
The appointment is full time at 36 to 40 hours a week, starting in January 2027. It runs for one year, with an extension of three more years after a positive evaluation. Pay is €3,706 to €5,760 gross a month under scale 10 of the Dutch universities’ collective agreement, with 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% year-end bonus.
How to apply
The advertisement asks for a CV, a motivation letter, two references and your PhD certificate, submitted through the university’s application portal. Read the full advert and apply on the official Utrecht University vacancy page. More postdoctoral positions are listed on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Utrecht University
Official advertisement: www.uu.nl
How to prepare for the Utrecht University application
- Show you have trained something large yourself. The project is a foundation model, so evidence of multi-GPU or HPC training matters more than a long list of small experiments.
- Be specific about the biological data you have handled. "Omics experience" is a claim; naming the assay, the scale and what went wrong is evidence.
- Read up on NOAH and the EIC Pathfinder scheme before the interview. Knowing what the consortium promised its funder tells you what the first year will actually be judged on.
- Have a position on interpretability. The advert asks for it explicitly, and a foundation model that agronomists cannot interrogate will not produce the strategies the project promises.
- The start date is January 2027, so be ready to discuss your availability and any notice period honestly.
About Utrecht University
Utrecht University is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. This post is in the Department of Information and Computing Sciences within the Faculty of Science, and is funded through the European Innovation Council's Pathfinder programme.
