I am extremely proud that yesterday we publicly announced the AI for Fintech Lab — AFL.

The AI for Fintech Lab (AFL) is a collaboration between ING and Delft University of Technology. The mission of AFL is to perform world-class research at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, and Software Analytics in the context of FinTech.

With 36 million customers, activities in 42 countries, and a total of 50,000 employees of which 15,000 work in IT, software and data technology is at the heart of ING’s business and operations. In this context, the AFL seeks to develop new AI-driven theories, methods, and tools in large scale data and software analytics.

Over the next five years, ten PhD researchers will work in the lab. Research topics will include human-centered software analytics, autonomous software engineering, analytics delivery, data integration, and continuous experimentation.

AFL will be bi-located at the ING campus Amsterdam and the TU Delft campus in Delft, bringing together students, engineers, researchers, professors, and entrepreneurs from both organizations at both locations.

AFL will join the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence (ICAI) as one of its labs. ICAI is a virtual organization consisting of a series of labs of similar size (over five PhD researchers each) funded directly by industry. AFL will benefit from the experience and expertise of other academic and industrial ICAI partners, such as Qualcom, Bosch, Ahold Delhaize, the Dutch National Police, the University of Amsterdam, and Utrecht University.

As scientific director of the brand new AI-for-Fintech Lab, I look forward to this exciting, long term collaboration between ING and TU Delft.

And, yes, we are hiring!

If you’re interested in bringing together industry and academia, if you’re not afraid to work at two locations, and if you have a strong background in computer science (software engineering, artificial intelligence, data science), you are welcome to apply as a PhD student! Details about the application process will follow soon.

Besides PhD students, we will have related positions for postdoctoral researchers and scientific programmers. And of course, TU Delft BSc students and MSc students are welcome to conduct their research projects within the AI for Fintech Lab!

I look forward to a great collaboration spanning at least five years, with exciting new results in the areas of AI, data science, and software engineering!