PhD Position: Sustainable Generative AI for Digital Sovereignty
Research sustainable and sovereign Generative AI infrastructures that enable organisations to retain control over sensitive data and critical AI capabilities.
Supervision
Generative AI is widely expected to become a central element of digital transformation. Its flexibility and adaptability give organisations across many sectors opportunities to innovate rapidly, respond to changing conditions, and lower barriers to automation.
For society to benefit from these advancements, organisations need to maintain control over sensitive information and critical decision-making tools. Reducing dependence on external providers strengthens digital autonomy, while more efficient approaches to running AI systems can help align technological progress with environmental and energy targets.
By designing systems that are sustainable, sovereign, secure, and efficient, this PhD project will contribute to Europe’s broader ambitions for responsible technological leadership.
Position Overview
This PhD position is aimed at candidates with a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field, with a strong interest in Generative AI.
The successful candidate will be based at the Department of Engineering Systems and Services (ESS) at Delft University of Technology under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Ding, Dr. ir. Marcela Tuler de Oliveira, Prof. Dr. ir. Marijn Janssen.
The research is conducted in close collaboration with partners from the EU Horizon f-inference project, providing opportunities to engage with interdisciplinary research teams across the project consortium.
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Conduct an in-depth evaluation of existing foundation models to assess their suitability for digital industries, automotive, and healthcare domains.
- Design sustainable inference strategies and frameworks for deploying Generative AI across the computing continuum.
- Collaborate with experts from the f-inference consortium to design, develop, test, and refine the proposed strategies and framework.
- Conduct independent research while contributing collaboratively to a multidisciplinary research environment.
Candidate Profile
We are looking for candidates who have:
- A Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or a related field.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- A strong interest in interdisciplinary research.
- An interest in the application of AI in inter-organisational environments.
- The ability to work independently and collaboratively within a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment.
- Excellent command of English.
Research Impact
This project will democratise the access to advanced Generative AI technologies through practical tools that help businesses, particularly SMEs, adopt state-of-the-art AI models.
The outcomes are expected to enhance competitiveness, support sustainable innovation, and contribute to a more inclusive digital transition across Europe.
Applications are handled through an external application portal.
