PhD position in Statistics

The section of Statistics and Data Science of the Mathematics department at KU Leuven offers a PhD position in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. The PhD student will first spend 2 years at JRC, located in Ispra (Italy), and then 2 years at KU Leuven.

JRC is part of the European Commission and is considered as one of Europe's leading research campuses with many laboratories and unique research infrastructures. JRC supports EU policies with independent scientific evidence throughout the whole policy cycle and its aim is to develop innovative tools that are useful to policy makers.

The section of Statistics and Data Science at KU Leuven is active in a variety of research topics. We conduct research on robust statistical methods, anomaly detection, classification and clustering techniques, visualization, and statistical learning. See our website for publications and software.

Project

Your work will be on the development of one or several of our current research topics concerning the detection of casewise and cellwise outliers using robust statistical methods. This project is within the thematic field “Robustness in complex data analysis and statistical modelling”.

These methods and algorithms will be applied in the fields of (customs) fraud detection, anti-money laundering, and/or misinformation detection, in collaboration with experts from the field. Thanks to the collaboration with JRC, you are guaranteed to work on real data.

Profile

• You have a master degree in mathematics, statistics, or engineering, with a solid background in statistics and at least the grade of distinction. You can also apply if you are currently in your last year of study and will obtain your degree in the summer.
• Good knowledge of R and/or Python is required.
• Knowledge of Matlab is a plus.
• You have a good command of English, both spoken and written.
• You need to include a detailed transcript of your study results when applying.
• Candidates should, prior to the start of the employment contract with the JRC, either
• have the nationality of a Member State of the EU; or
• be resident in a EU Member State since at least five years; or
• have the nationality of a country associated to the Research Framework Programmes, currently including the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom. See https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/updates-association-third-countries-horizon-europe-2021-12-21_en for the most updated list.
  
  

Offer

• Preferred starting date is not later than September 1, 2025.
• During your PhD research, you follow the doctoral program of the KU Leuven.
• You regularly participate in workshops and international conferences.
• The PhD project will have a total duration of 4 years. The student will start at the JRC with a total duration of 24 months. For the final two years the student will go to KU Leuven to finalise the PhD. For the period spent at the JRC, the student will be employed by a Grantholder 20 Contract in accordance with the Grantholder rules and the applicable Vademecum: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/working-with-us/jobs/temporary-positions/grantholders/contract-and-working-conditions
• The student work is evaluated every year. A positive evaluation is needed to enrol for the next year.
  
  

The selection will be done in two stages: one at the KU Leuven and a second one at the JRC. The selection is based on CVs and interviews.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Mia Hubert at the University of Leuven, [email protected] or dr. Domenico Perrotta at the JRC, mail: [email protected] .

You can apply for this job no later than May 30, 2025 via the online application tool

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

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