European Patent Examiner in Applied Maths, AI, and Quantum Computing

Location: The Hague

As a European Patent Examiner in Applied Maths, AI, and Quantum Computing, you'll assess whether inventions meet the criteria for patent protection, and in doing so support innovation that improves lives, drives industries and shapes the future.

Duration of contract:
Five years, renewable (full-time)

Location:

Germany (Munich/Berlin) or the Netherlands (The Hague)

Working mode:
Hybrid

The position will require relocation to the country of one of the following EPO sites:
Germany (Munich/Berlin) or The Netherlands (The Hague). The final location will be discussed later and depends also on team-specific needs.

We are recruiting for positions starting from 2027.

At the European Patent Office (EPO), we explore breakthrough technologies before they reach the public. As a patent examiner, you'll assess whether inventions meet the criteria for patent protection, and in doing so support innovation that improves lives, drives industries and shapes the future.

Your role and impact
As a Patent Examiner, you will:

examine patent applications – including technical documentation and drawings – in one of our official languages (English, French or German)

analyse new inventions to evaluate their novelty and inventive step

conduct in-depth research using digital search tools, scientific databases and patent information sources to identify the most relevant prior art

apply legal and procedural frameworks to make clear, high-quality decisions on whether a patent should be granted

communicate your findings clearly and constructively with applicants and other parties

collaborate with international colleagues in a diverse and inclusive environment

maintain high-quality standards with strong attention to detail and scientific rigour

contribute to Europe’s innovation ecosystem by ensuring fair and consistent application of the European Patent Convention (EPC) and related legal texts

Your profile
We’re looking for expertise in at least one of these fields:

artificial intelligence/machine learning (reinforcement, adversarial, transfer, distributed/federated, or ensemble learning, AI agents, KRR), especially neural networks (CNN, LSTM/GRU, transformers/LLM, encoder-decoder, or teacher-student models; regularisation, dropout, Batch Norm, quantisation, or optimisation techniques, etc.)

quantum computing (qubits, quantum gates, quantum algorithms, quantum error correction, or main hardware implementations)

applied math & NLP: complex mathematical operations (linear and non-linear equations, differential equations), mathematical transformations (DFT, wavelet, square transforms) and operations (correlation, convolution), matrix and vector computations, functional evaluation by approximation methods (including probabilities)

You will thrive with us if you

have a solid background and relevant expertise in the specified fields, built up during your studies, in projects, and/or as a result of professional experience

enjoy deep technical analysis, reading technical drawings and solving intellectual puzzles

are genuinely curious about technology and enjoy continuously learning about new scientific developments, emerging technologies and patent law

are analytical, detail-oriented and open-minded

are confident using digital technologies and AI-supported tools to analyse information while applying own critical thinking

value both independent work and team collaboration

are comfortable making structured, evidence-based decisions

No prior IP (intellectual property) experience? No problem.

We provide full legal and procedural training to get you started.

Our minimum requirements for this post

diploma of completed studies at master's level covering one or more technical fields mentioned above

excellent knowledge (at least C1) of one of our official languages…