Scientist AI for Decision Support

Want to make your mark on our time? Become a Scientist AI for Decision Support at TNO in The Hague!

About this position

Conflicts, crime, and subversive activities threaten our safety worldwide. To counter these threats, TNO conducts innovative research and applies it in collaboration with our security partners. For example, we support the Ministry of Defence and the Police in making the best-informed decisions and executing (semi-)automated actions they can rely on. We achieve this through applied research, developing innovative ideas, and turning them into practical solutions. Examples include leveraging intelligence for Defence, creating decision-support models for the Public Prosecution Service, and applying NLP to analyze criminal messages. In this role, you will join the Intelligence & Decision Support research group. This driven team of over 35 colleagues brings diverse expertise and backgrounds and is part of the Defence, Safety & Security unit.

What will be your role?

As a scientist, you will contribute to research projects on decision support with partners in the defense and security domain. Working in multidisciplinary teams, you will tackle various research questions, helping to shape the approach and methodology to answer them. Based on scientific research, existing methodologies, and best practices, you and your team will develop concepts where modeling and programming are essential parts of your work. In addition to ML and other AI methods, this may include generative and agentic AI. The outcome could be a proof of concept, and you will always keep an eye on the practical impact of the tools you develop for our partners. You will communicate project results to partners and be a valuable discussion partner for colleagues.

Examples of projects include:

• Developing decision-support systems using synthetic data to anticipate enemy movements.
• Demonstrating the feasibility of agentic AI for security partners.
• Creating an AI tool to predict behavior after a crime.
• Applying machine learning for terrain analysis in military missions to assist officers in decision-making.
• Developing a Dutch LLM.

At TNO, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to explore new AI tools, attend conferences, and pursue new research directions. You can also initiate internal research lines and contribute to project acquisition and collaboration proposals. Beyond projects, you can take on additional activities aligned with your interests, such as coordinating internships, organizing technical or social events, and mentoring new colleagues.

What we expect from you

You are driven to contribute to the defense and security domain and eager to learn more so your work increasingly meets partners’ needs. You handle sensitive information well and find it interesting to join exercises or spend time on-site with partners to build valuable domain knowledge. Your curiosity drives you to seek the information needed for your assignments. You are analytically strong and can help translate science into practice.

You thrive in working across multiple projects and teams simultaneously and switching between them. You enjoy collaboration, using your communication skills while planning your work autonomously and confidently bringing forward proposals. You can present conclusions effectively through text, presentations, diagrams, and data visualizations, and you can facilitate expert workshops.

You love designing and building new AI systems, including those involving LLMs, and you aim to deepen your expertise in areas such as prompt engineering, fine-tuning, explainability, robustness, adversarial attacks, and other topics to create high-quality systems. You are eager to learn, enjoy encountering new information and tasks, and gladly share your knowledge to help colleagues. You are a team player.

What you bring:

• A Master’s or PhD in artificial intelligence, applied mathematics, data science, or operations research.
• Extensive programming experience in Python and/or Rust (and possibly other languages such as C# or Java) and data-wrangling tools (e.g., NumPy/Pandas or similar).
• Experience with classical and modern AI techniques, such as neural networks, reinforcement learning, evolutionary algorithms, and expert systems, and with machine learning tools (TensorFlow / PyTorch), possibly complemented by supporting techniques like data-driven analysis, knowledge representation (e.g., knowledge graphs), and visualization/UI (e.g., Vue.js and React).
• Experience with probabilistic models and uncertainty modeling (e.g., Bayesian methods) for decision-making under uncertainty.
• Demonstrable affinity with the security and defense domain; experience in this domain is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills in Dutch and English, both spoken and written.

What you'll get in return

Challenging and varied work with a real impact. And plenty of opportunities as, at TNO, you are in charge of shaping your career. We offer a gross monthly salary between € 3,500 and € 4,200 (based on your knowledge and experience), 8% holiday pay, a 13th month bonus of 8.33% and a flex budget (5.58% + € 180). In addition, you will be given every opportunity to develop yourself.

Perhaps you would like to grow your career in the direction of commerce or consultancy? Or would you like to become a project manager? Immerse yourself in sustainable innovations? Or carve out a career as a technical expert?

TNO offers optional employee benefits, enabling you to tailor your benefits package to match your personal situation. You may also expect:

• An extremely professional, innovative working environment where colleagues are leading experts in their field.
• The opportunity to attend courses, workshops and conferences, and to receive training and coaching based on your needs.
• 33 days annual leave on a full-time basis.
• We offer a comprehensive and flexible mobility plan that also includes full compensation for public transportation for commuting and business travel.
• Great social events with your team and other TNO colleagues. That’s how you will get to know a lot of people really quickly.
• Flexible working hours, the possibility to work parttime (32 of 36 hours) and the possibility of working from home.
• A good pension scheme.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. Since 1932, we have been making knowledge and technology available for the common good. We find each other in wonder and ingenuity. We are driven to push boundaries. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference. Because with every innovation you contribute to tomorrow’s world.

‘Safety is not something that can be taken for granted. That's why the work you do here, in any position, is meaningful and has an impact on society." For that exact reason, Jane Duinisveld works as a Corporate Recruiter at the TNO unit Defence, Safety and Security and hopes to find colleagues who are just as driven to contribute to peace and security.’

Jane Duinisveld Recruiter