Institution: Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE), Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Project: AURORAI (Horizon Europe)
Duration: 3 to 4 years (fully funded)
Salary/stipend: approximately 1500-2100 EUR
Requires right to work in Hungary (EU/EEA citizenship).
About the Project
The Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE) invites applications for a fully funded PhD position within the framework of the Horizon Europe project AURORAI: Advancing Pandemic Preparedness and Response through High-Quality Data and AI.
AURORAI will strengthen the EU's capacity to act swiftly against future pandemics (including unknown "Disease X" pathogens) by harnessing artificial intelligence, multi-scale disease dynamics modeling, and decentralized data spaces. The consortium consists of 14 leading academic, clinical, and industrial partners across Europe and Australia.
About the PPKE Epidemic Modeling Group
The successful candidate will join a highly interdisciplinary and dynamic epidemic modeling team at the PPKE Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics. This group brings together leading experts from systems biology, high-performance computing, and control theory to tackle complex public health challenges. You will work closely with:
- Prof. Gábor Szederkényi: An expert in control theory, nonlinear dynamic systems, and mathematical modeling, ensuring that proposed epidemic interventions are mathematically sound and optimally controlled.
- Prof. Attila Csikász-Nagy: A specialist in computational systems biology and network modeling, providing deep insights into the complex, systemic behavior of biological and epidemiological spread.
- Prof. István Reguly: An expert in High-Performance Computing (HPC) and software engineering. He is a primary architect of the PanSIM agent-based microsimulation framework, ensuring the simulations scale efficiently to national levels using modern parallelization techniques.
- Dr. Péter Polcz: A researcher specializing in control engineering and mathematical modeling, actively contributing to the integration of differential equations and agent-based simulations for real-world intervention planning.
The Role & PhD Research Topic
Within AURORAI, PPKE leads a work package focusing on Behaviour-Aware, AI-Enhanced Outbreak Prediction. The successful candidate will work at the highly interdisciplinary intersection of control theory, machine learning, and agent-based modeling. A key enabling technology for this research is PanSIM, a high-resolution Agent-Based Model (ABM) originally used for COVID-19 management.
Your PhD research will focus on combining this microsimulation framework with advanced machine learning algorithms and modern control theory to robustly predict and control the dynamics of an epidemic. You will work on creating smart, data-driven strategies to identify optimal, real-world public health interventions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Machine Learning & Control Strategy: Design and implement AI-driven optimization and control strategies (e.g., reinforcement learning, model predictive control) to evaluate and rank multi-criteria public health interventions (e.g., mobility restrictions, vaccination rollouts).
- Simulation Integration & Scaling: Interface Python-based ML/AI frameworks with the C++ PanSIM core. Contribute to the architectural design required to scale the model's application from city-level to national-level dynamics.
- Data-Driven Population Dynamics: Utilize demographic, behavioral, and mobility data (e.g., origin-destination matrices) to ensure the simulation accurately reflects real-world population mixing and adaptive behaviors.
- Scientific Dissemination: Publish research findings in top-tier open-access journals and present at leading international interdisciplinary conferences (e.g., ECMTB, ECCB, CDC).
Required Profile
- Education: A Master's degree (or equivalent) by the starting date, in Control Engineering, Machine Learning / Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Bioengineering, or a related interdisciplinary field.
- Core Expertise: Solid mathematical foundations in at least one field amongst machine learning, control theory, optimization, or dynamical systems.
- Programming Skills: Strong proficiency in Python and standard ML ecosystems (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn). A working knowledge of (or a strong willingness to learn) C++ is required to successfully interface your algorithms with the simulation core.
- Analytical Skills: Experience in processing complex datasets, statistical analysis, and modeling dynamic systems.
- Language: Proficiency in written and spoken English.
Desirable (Bonus) Qualifications:
- Background or interest in mathematical epidemiology, population dynamics, or complex systems.
- Prior experience working with Agent-Based Models (ABM).
- Familiarity with High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments or parallelization concepts (OpenMP, CUDA).
- Experience with AI-based coding tools (Codex, Cursor, Claude code etc.)
What We Offer
- A fully funded PhD position with a competitive scholarship for up to 4 years.
- Access to state of the art computing infrastructure, including local HPC clusters equipped for advanced ML training and simulation tasks.
- An outstanding international and interdisciplinary research environment, collaborating closely with top European public health institutes, AI developers, and policymakers.
- Funding for travel to international conferences, consortium meetings, and potential research stays with partner institutions.
- A vibrant academic community in the heart of Budapest.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit their application as a single PDF file, to aurorai@itk.ppke.hu including:
- A detailed Curriculum Vitae (including citizenship, a list of publications or relevant projects, and a link to a GitHub profile if available).
- A cover letter (max. 2 pages) explaining your motivation, relevant interdisciplinary experience (especially in ML/Epidemiology/Control), and fit for the project.
- Contact details of 1-2 academic references.
Application Deadline: 31st May, 2026
Expected Start Date: September 2026
Please send your application to aurorai@itk.ppke.hu with the subject line: "PhD Application – AURORAI".
Please note that by submitting your application via email, you consent to the processing of your personal data by the selection committee at the Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics of Pázmány Péter Catholic University, in accordance with Section 5 (1) a) of Act CXII of 2011 on the Right of Informational Self-Determination and on Freedom of Information. Furthermore, your submission serves as confirmation that you have read and understood the Data Privacy Notice
