Researcher - DeepRAP Challenge

VendueTech • ,

8h

About The Position

The DeepRAP Challenge is funding research that moves beyond current deep learning/RL paradigms towards genuinely trustworthy cognitive AI, focusing on causal reasoning, abstraction, and planning under uncertainty. Funded projects are expected to not only publish research but also build and demonstrate a working system (TRL3/4), contribute to defining new industry benchmarks for reasoning and trustworthiness, and integrate into a broader EU-funded portfolio that influences the development and regulation of cognitive AI across Europe. This opportunity offers significant visibility at the forefront of AI research, the chance to build and demonstrate a system rather than just write a proposal, and a role as a named contributor on a flagship EU AI initiative. It also provides a valuable credential that can enhance future career applications.

Requirements

• Research background in neuro-symbolic AI, causal inference, cognitive architectures, or deep RL/planning.
• Track record: publications at NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR/AAAI or equivalent.
• PhD in progress or completed.
• Based at or affiliated with a top research institution (ETH Zurich, Imperial College, EPFL, Oxford, TU Munich, etc.).
• Comfortable working fast, iteratively, with a startup team, not academic-committee pace.

Nice To Haves

• EU/associated-country affiliation strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Co-develop the scientific narrative and technical approach for a 30-page Pathfinder proposal.
• Bring rigor on reasoning/abstraction/planning methodology, related work, and evaluation design.
• Work directly with the founding team through submission.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree