PhD position in Operations Research at Zero Hunger Lab

“At Zero Hunger Lab I found the combination I love so much: on one hand discovering new, interesting optimization techniques, and at the same time getting a step closer to reaching the goal of zero hunger in the world.” 

Meike Reusken, PhD candidate Zero Hunger Lab, 

graduated August 2024 

Your position

This PhD project focuses on addressing the growing challenge of food insecurity, which has escalated due to climate extremes such as floods, droughts, and storms, disproportionately impacting low-income countries. The global population facing acute food insecurity has increased from 108 million in 2016 to 250 million in 2022, with climate-related disasters exacerbating the problem. A critical challenge in humanitarian aid lies in achieving a balance between reacting to crises, adaptation strategies, and the need for proactive risk management strategies to prevent climate shocks from evolving into full-scale emergencies. This research seeks to develop innovative models that integrate both immediate crisis responses and forward-looking investments in sustainable agricultural practices and climate-resilient systems, contributing to long-term food security and reducing reliance on humanitarian aid.

The project will first identify and analyze key drivers of food insecurity during climate driven crises. By employing data from satellite images, drones, socio-economic indicators, and local market dynamics, you will develop several scenarios for the occurrence and impact of various crises using advanced data analytics and machine learning models.

Secondly, you will use machine learning, and optimization techniques to build resilient, adaptive food aid systems and interventions that can better anticipate and respond to climate-induced crises. By collaborating with humanitarian organization ZOA (zoa-international.com) and others, this research aims to generate scalable, data-driven solutions for improving food security in vulnerable regions. Key components can include enhancing early warning systems, promoting the use of climate-resilient agricultural production methods, improving supply chain or storage logistics, and restoring ecosystems as natural buffers against environmental hazards. Ultimately, this project seeks to balance reactive crisis management with proactive measures that build long-term resilience in food-insecure regions.

A PhD dissertation at CentER requires the design and execution of 3 studies. The execution of the research work itself typically involves the conceptualization of the research questions and ideas, data collection, qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the data, and writing and presenting of academic papers. The aim is to publish about those projects in high-quality academic journals. Two advisors will be assigned for supervising your PhD research. Upon successful completion of your courses and your research work, as demonstrated by a submitted and approved PhD dissertation and the subsequent defense, you will be awarded a doctoral degree by Tilburg University. 

You will be enrolled as a PhD candidate in the world-class PhD program of CentER Graduate School of Business, where you will receive extensive training in theory and methods by taking several PhD-level courses. The courseload amounts to 36 ECTS, which is the equivalent for 6 full courses. The course program is composed by your supervisor and PhD program coordinator, in consultation with you. 

There is also a travel budget for attending PhD level courses outside of CentER, work visits and conferences. The training can be adapted to the previous educational achievements of the PhD candidate by mutual agreement with the supervisors

80% of the position’s time will be dedicated to the completion of your PhD research, and 20% to the acquisition of academic skills through teaching courses and supervising master/bachelor theses within the department.

As PhD researcher you contribute to our mission 

The Zero Hunger Lab helps to achieve global food security using mathematics and data science. We call it ‘bytes for bites’. Our mission is to make people independent of food aid so that they themselves can ensure sustainable food security. We do this not only in Africa, Asia and South America, but also in the Netherlands where more than 190.000 people (VBN, 2022) depend on food banks for their “daily bread”. Watch the videos from our recently promoted colleagues Meike, Melissa, Koen and Valentijn: Researchers Zero Hunger Lab | Tilburg University.

More information on our projects: Zero Hunger Lab.

Requirements:

1. An academic Master’s or MPhil/Research Master’s degree in econometrics, operations research, industrial engineering or another relevant field that is deemed an equivalent to the previous education profile.
2. Completed the previous degree with an excellent GPA (top 10% of class as guideline)
3. Proficiency in English to be proven by means of an IELTS score of at least 7.0, with no sub scores below 6.5, a TOEFL score of at least 100 (internet based) or 600 (paper based), a Cambridge CAE (at least B) or a Cambridge CPE. Exemptions can be provided upon request to native English speakers or to candidates who have obtained their bachelor’s and master’s degree in English in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, or New Zealand.
4. A solid quantitative background, to be proven in one of the following ways:
   
   1. candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a Research University in the European Union need to have at least 24 ECTS credits in quantitative and research methods courses during their BSc and/or MSc or MPhil programs. If this is not the case, but you would still like to be considered for admission, you are welcome to hand in a GRE or GMAT test score to show your quantitative competences.
   
   2. candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a university outside the European Union: please provide a recent GRE or GMAT test score.
5. Performing excellent research while at the same time realizing impact, asks for specific skills: perseverance to overcome challenges with a creative, solution-focused approach, collaboration within diverse teams, a deep commitment to delivering high-quality results, independence balanced with seeking support when needed, and an analytical mindset for innovative problem-solving.

Salary Benefits:

What do we offer?

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment. Our offer includes:

• A position based on 1,0 fte (40 hours per week)
• A salary of €2872 gross per month in the first year, up to €3670 gross per month in the fourth year for full-time employment, based on UFO profile Promovendus and salary scale P. 
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 under b of the CLA DU. You will initially receive a temporary contract for the duration of 18 months to assess your suitability. The evaluation will take place after about 14 months. If suitable, this contract will be followed by a new fixed-term contract of 30 months. (N.B. program is 4 years, full-time).
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. 
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave. 
• The opportunity to work partly on campus and partly from home with a home office allowance of €2 per day.
• Reimbursement for sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transportation. 
• A monthly internet fee of €25.
• An Options Model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave, more pension, a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center. 
• A moving allowance (subject to conditions). 
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the 30/20/10% tax facility.
• A pension with ABP; the most sustainable Dutch pension fund.
• Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research or a language course at our Language Center. 
• A work culture in which we embrace differences, everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities. 
• A vibrant campus in green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport. 

For more information, see our website and the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. 

40 hours per week

Warandelaan 2