1 - Working at the VUB
For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, 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. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located.
Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: 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.
2 - Position description
The Faculty of Engineering, Department Toegepaste natuurkunde en fotonica, Research Group Brussels Photonics is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant.
More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains:
The development of novel spectroscopic sensors within the framework of the FWO-SBO-funded research project MOSAIC, Multimodal Optical Sensing and AI for Crop & Food Safety.
MOSAIC aims to develop and demonstrate a handheld, all-in-one optical spectroscopic sensing platform for real-time, non-destructive evaluation of plants and food products. The project focuses on a modular sensing system combining ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), and near-infrared (NIR) reflection spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, supported by a co-optimized smart illumination design and advanced AI-driven data processing. Miniaturization of the sensing platform will be achieved through the use of freeform optics, enabling the integration of multiple optical functionalities into a single optical surface while ensuring efficient beam shaping and light collection.
The PhD research will include:
- Development of a novel multimodal laboratory setup combining reflection, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy
- Performing and demonstrating spectroscopic measurements combining UV-VIS-NIR reflection, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy
- Analysis of multimodal spectroscopic data using advanced machine learning techniques
- Optical design and miniaturization of a novel spectroscopic sensor based on freeform optics, optimized for agrifood applications
For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.
3 - Profile
What do we expect from you?
- A master's degree in physics, photonics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering, or a related scientific field.
- You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.
- As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.
The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.
4 - Offer
Are you going to be our new colleague?
You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/12/2026.
You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.
IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.
At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.
As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:
- Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
- An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
- Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
- Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike;
- A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
- Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques;
- Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps;
- The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
- And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.
5 - Interested?
Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?
Then apply, at the latest on 20/09/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:
- your CV;
- your motivation letter;
- your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).
Our application process is as follows (subject to change):
- step 1: an initial selection based on your application file;
- step 2: a job interview.
Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Lien Smeesters at [email protected] or on +32 474 07 26 26.
Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.
Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.
