PhD in AI-driven opto-mechanical design assistant precision optical systems

Organisation/Company Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Research Field Computer science » Other Engineering » Electrical engineering Engineering » Mechanical engineering Engineering » Other Physics » Optics Physics » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Final date to receive applications 4 Mar 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for f
reedom, equality and solidarity
, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves
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the VUB all over again
.

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA
, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

The Faculty of Engineering
, Department Applied Physics and Photonics
,is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant
.

More concretely your work package,
for the preparation of a doctorate
, contains:

The PhD project focuses on the development of AI-enabled design assistants for opto-mechanical systems
.

Modern optical products increasingly require tight integration between optical performance, mechanical design, and manufacturing constraints. However, today’s design workflows remain fragmented and rely heavily on manual iteration between different engineering domains (optics, mechanics, precision manufacturing,...).

In this PhD, you will contribute to research that explores how artificial intelligence can support and automate parts of the opto-mechanical design process
, enabling faster, more robust, and more manufacturable optical systems. The emphasis is on system-level thinking
, design automation, and practical relevance, rather than narrow algorithmic optimization.

A realistic optical system (e.g. a compact lens assembly) will be used as a guiding use case to validate the developed ideas.

This PhD research is embedded in the project , funded by Flanders Make, the Flemish strategic research center for the manufacturing industry. Several companies are involved in the steering group of the project. The goal of this strategic basic research project with 48 month duration is to research design automation and intelligent engineering assistants for optomechanical products. As a PhD researcher, you will work in an interdisciplinary team of optical engineers, mechanical engineers, and AI researchers, with access to state-of-the-art simulation tools, design software, and prototyping infrastructure.

The candidate will join the Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT) large research group of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium,(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). . Chaired by Prof. H. Thienpont, the team composed of more than 45 internationally recognized researchers is widely known for its work in fundamental and applied photonics research covering the entire research cycle from modelling and fabrication, to characterization and proof-of-concept demonstration.

In the last 20 years, the group has built significant expertise in the field of "first-time-right" design of freeform-optics-based optical systems for various practical and industrial applications. The candidate will therefore have the opportunity to contribute to the field in a multidisciplinary setting.

For this function, our
Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene)will serve as your home base.

3 - Profile