PhD on Demand-Side Management for Efficient and Sustainable Transportation

The transportation system in the Netherlands is under increasing strain due to population growth and changing commuter behaviors, resulting in frequent traffic jams and overcrowded trains during peak hours. The core issue is a mismatch between transportation demand and supply: demand exceeds supply during peak times, leading to congestion, while supply exceeds demand during off-peak hours, causing inefficiency. Expanding infrastructure, such as widening highways or increasing rail capacity, is not always possible and offers only temporary relief. A promising alternative is demand-side management, such as dynamic pricing based on travel times, to better distribute travelers throughout the day. However, this approach risks reducing system accessibility and forcing travelers to adjust their habits, which needs careful management to avoid negative impacts.

This PhD position presents an exciting opportunity to study how demand-side management strategies can be leveraged to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and accessibility of transport systems. You will work on developing advanced methodologies and algorithms to optimize such strategies, analyzing the interactions between different modes of transport, and integrating obtained insights into supply models for designing transport networks.

In this position you will be co-supervised by Dr. Rolf van Lieshout and Dr. Nevin Mutlu. Rolf specializes in algorithm engineering for passenger transport systems, with a particular emphasis on incorporating passenger behavior. Nevin Mutlu focuses on revenue management with applications in retail and last-mile logistics.

Requirements:

• A master's degree (or an equivalent university degree) with excellent grades in Operations Research, (Applied) Mathematics, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or related field. A research master's degree (e.g., MRes, MPhil) is not required; however, graduating from a program with solid research training will be considered a plus.
• A strong mathematical background.
• Excellent coding skills (e.g., in Java, Python, Julia, MATLAB).
• A research-oriented attitude.
• Ability to be self-propelling and drive your own research.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and interested in collaborating with industrial partners.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level).

Salary Benefits:

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,872 max. €3,670).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates

38 hours per week

De Rondom 70