Postdoctor (3 years) on the Development of Adaptive Interventions to Promote Life-Long Learning

To our department, which conducts research at the highest international level and offers several high-quality educational programs, we are now seeking a postdoctoral researcher to work on the development of adaptive interventions to promote life-long learning. The position is full-time for three years, 1 september, or as agreed upon.

The Department of Computing Science at Umeå University is an international environment for research and education covering a broad spectrum of computer science. The department has grown rapidly in recent years and is internationally renowned for its excellent research and education. We value diversity and actively work to promote an inclusive work environment with a high level of engagement. As a postdoctoral researcher working with us, you receive the benefits of support in career development, networking, administrative and technical support functions, along with good employment conditions. More information about the department is available at: https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-computing-science/

The department's research on ​​responsible and human-centred artificial intelligence that collaborates with humans and enhances human capacity has a strong international position. The Intelligent and Interactive Systems research group conducts multidisciplinary research with a focus on methods and tools for the design, analysis and evaluation of socially intelligent systems that aim to collaborate with humans in learning and decision-making tasks, often with the aim of improving health. Visit https://www.umu.se/forskning/grupper/interactive-and-intelligent-systems/ for more information.

Project description and work tasks

We are seeking a candidate for a 3-year postdoc position to be included in the research initiative "Learning and Brain Plasticity throughout the lifespan", which is one of Umeå University’s prioritized research areas. This project spans a multidisciplinary network of 20 principal investigators across three faculties with Professor Lars Nyberg as the project leader. The postdoc will be based within the Department of Computing Science and work closely with both the Department of Statistics at USBE and Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI). The research will also connect with other sub projects in the research initiative. 

Interventions to promote lifelong learning show promising results but are hampered by large individual differences in response. It is evident that we need to rethink the premises of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to better predict who will benefit from which intervention. As a first step in this process we sought to utilize existing prospective cohort studies and intervention data to predict individual factors conducive to lifelong learning trajectories. Examples of such data come from the Betula study, the Västerbotten Intervention Programme (VIP), exercise and cognitive training interventions, and rehabilitation studies.

The candidate will be part of the sub project “Adaptive Interventions to Promote Life-Long Learning”, aimed at leveraging the rich longitudinal databases to better understand how health-promoting lifestyle interventions can promote cognitive abilities in aging. The main task is to develop methods for predicting health outcomes using dynamic and adaptive modeling whilst addressing computational challenges the analysis pose. This will contribute to constructing individualized, AI-based interventions that can be updated using individual characteristics that may change over time, e.g. motivation, health, and activity. Outputs from this project will include new models and estimation tools, and will inform the design of the ongoing development of interventions, as well as future interventions to promote life-long learning.

About the position

An appointment as a postdoctoral fellow aims to provide the employee with an early opportunity to develop independence as a researcher after completing their doctorate and to create conditions for further qualifications. The postdoctoral fellow may, upon agreement and needs at the department, teach up to 20% of full time at both undergraduate and advanced levels. 

The successful applicant will be employed by Umeå University and receive a competitive salary for a period of three years fulltime. Expected starting date is 1 September 2026 or as otherwise agreed. 

Qualifications 

To be appointed under the agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral fellow, the candidate is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the appointment decision. 

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their degree, in accordance with what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years ago. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree earlier than that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organisations, military service or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area. This must be clearly stated in the application.

Applicants must have earned a PhD in Artificial Intelligence or a subject relevant for the position, such as (bio)statistics, computational cognitive neuroscience, computer science, or epidemiology. Strong research merits and excellent publications in the area of the position are required. Proficiency in English, both spoken and written, is required. Additionally, the postdoctoral candidate should submit a research plan outlining their research interests in relation to the postdoctoral position.

The candidate is expected to have an overall interest in AI concepts and methods, in particular human-centred AI, and expertise in formal models and machine learning, as demonstrated by publications and other scientific output. Ideal candidates are research driven, organized, and would like to work on challenging problems and innovative solutions. Demonstrated skills in machine learning, neurosymbolic programming, multi-agent systems, software development, computational neuroscience, probabilistic programming, or (bio-)statistical analysis are meriting. 

Application

A full application should include: 

• Cover letter describing your research interests relative to the above topics and why why your expertise is appropriate for the position,
• A research plan (no more than three pages, references excluded) that outlines research interest in relation to the postdoctoral position. The research plan should be written in English.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) including a complete list of scientific publications, 
• Verified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained, 
• Verified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades, 
• Copy of doctoral thesis and maximum 5 original research publications relevant to the above topics, numbered according to the publication list,  
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.
• Contact information to two persons willing to act as references.

The application must be written in English or Swedish and attached documents must be written in or translated to English or Swedish. Applications must be submitted electronically using the e-recruitment system of Umeå University. Documents sent electronically must be in Word or PDF format. Log in to the system and apply via the button at the end of this page. The closing date is 20 April, 2026.

Further details are provided by Prof. Helena Lindgren helena.lindgren@umu.se or Assoc. Prof. Maria Josefsson, maria.josefsson@umu.se, or Prof. Carl-Johan Boraxbekk, carl-johan.boraxbekk@umu.se.