JOB - PhD position / Causal AI for Smart Buildings

PhD Position
Causal AI for Smart Buildings

Research Institute: Institute of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (ISBA), part of
LIDAM at UCLouvain.

Supervisor: Prof. Olivier Caelen.
Contract: Full-time employment contract with the industrial partner, fully funded for 48
months and organized as two successive 24-month periods.

Start date: October 2026.
Research setting: Approximately 50% at UCLouvain in Louvain-la-Neuve and 50% with the
industrial partner.

Scientific fields: Temporal causal inference, time series, machine learning, building energy
systems.

Proposed PhD topic

This applied PhD will develop temporal causal-inference methods for multivariate time series
from building sensor networks. Temporal causality is the scientific core: the project will
develop models of causal and dynamical relationships from complex, noisy data, incorporating
partial structural knowledge and domain expertise. The methods will be evaluated on their
ability to distinguish sensor faults from legitimate operational changes, detect physical
equipment malfunctions, and validate or reconstruct energy-flow graphs.
Methodological research, implementation, and validation on real-world industrial data will be
carried out with a partner active in building energy and property management.

Requirements:

• A Master's degree in statistics, computer science, engineering, data science, or a related
  field.
• Solid foundations in machine learning or statistical learning, time-series analysis, and
  good Python programming skills.
• Strong written and spoken English, and French proficiency at level B2 or higher
  (mandatory).
• Scientific rigor, autonomy, and interest in applied research. Experience in causal
  inference, dynamical systems, graphical models, or building energy systems is an asset.

We offer:

The selected candidate will join ISBA/LIDAM at UCLouvain, a collaborative research
environment combining statistics, machine learning, data analysis, and applied modelling.

• Full funding for a full-time PhD over 48 months, organised as two successive 24-month
  periods;
• A project combining methodological depth, real-world industrial data, and direct
  practical relevance;
• Regular interaction with academic and industrial experts;
• Opportunities for doctoral training, international conferences, and research collaborations.

Application procedure:

Interested applicants should send a single PDF file to: olivier.caelen@uclouvain.be
with the email subject: PHD CALL – [YOUR LAST NAME]
The application should include:

• A detailed CV;
• Transcripts for Bachelor's and Master's studies;
• A motivation letter (maximum one page);
• The Master's thesis, a research report, or another writing sample, if available;
• Links to code repositories, if available;
• Names and contact details of one or two academic references, if possible.

Application deadline: Thursday, 10 September 2026.

Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview shortly after the application
review.