Postdoc in Harness, Swarm and Memory Engineering for Computational Biology
Ghent VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology Post-doctoral
Posted Date: 19 Oct 2026
Locations: Ghent
Center: VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology
Lab: Wouter Saelens Lab
Type: Post-doctoral
Positions: 1
About the lab
The Laboratory of Causal Systems Immunology combines causal inference, probabilistic AI and large-scale in vivo perturbation experiments to uncover how genes shape immune-cell states and predict how the immune system responds to interventions. This tight integration of advanced machine learning and experimental immunology allows us to tackle fundamental biological questions with direct biomedical relevance. We are embedded in both the VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology—a young, ambitious center whose research groups address biological questions through the lens of AI—and the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, where we collaborate closely with leading experimental immunologists to unravel the cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammatory diseases.
About the position
The lab is looking for a postdoc to further develop agentic pipelines that autonomously manage computational tasks:
- You oversee dozens of computational biology tasks across biological disciplines
- You launch agent swarms solving these tasks and monitor their progress
- You communicate with task experts to understand ongoing and emerging biological needs and translate them into new tasks
- In collaboration with our wet-lab team and collaborators, you identify and integrate validation data
- In collaboration with the VIB.AI ML unit, you manage a large codebase containing the harness, interpretation, memory, tasks, swarm behaviour and source datasets
- You formulate and test hypotheses that may improve the harness, long-term memory and/or swarming behaviour
- You present your research at international conferences and publish in scientific journals
- You contribute to the supervision of PhD students working in these areas
Your profile
- Excited to bring biology into the agentic era
- Broad interest across biological domains is a must
- PhD in computational biology, computer engineering, computer science, (bio)statistics, artificial intelligence, physics, or related.
- Desire to push the frontier of both biology and (agent-driven) software engineering
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Embraces complexity
Our offer
- An interdisciplinary environment spanning wet-lab, technology-development and computational teams
- Access to unpublished validation data unavailable to existing agents
- State-of-the-art computing capable of running dozens of local large language models concurrently
- Data from emerging technologies through core facilities and tech watch
- Direct connection to a growing team of LLM engineers at VIB
- Part of a dynamic research center with other groups sharing this mission
- A competitive salary and full benefits
How to apply
Please submit your application using the online form (https://jobs.vib.be/apply/137658).
Your application should include:
- A motivation letter submitted through the designated form
- A scientific CV highlighting how your past experience and achievements are relevant to this position
- Ideally, contact details for at least one referee
For further information please contact wouter.saelens@vib.be or recruiting@vib.be. Application deadline is October 30th.
VIB values diversity - in backgrounds and in experiences. The institute needs people from all backgrounds and ways of life to help build a thriving scientific environment. VIB is therefore looking for candidates who are not only strong in their own aptitudes but care deeply about supporting each other's growth. VIB's collaborators are people with different strengths, experiences and backgrounds, who share a passion for science that generates impact in science and in society. Diversity not only includes race and gender identity, but also nationality, age, disability status, sexual orientation, religion and many other parts of one’s identity. All of VIB’s employees’ points of view are key to its success, and inclusion is everyone's responsibility.
