PhD-Scholarship in Network Optimisation for Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) Development – DTU Management

Join us in our efforts to integrate cultural diversity into the design and implementation of autonomous vehicles. Be part of a European Project dedicated to overcoming cultural and regional barriers in the deployment of autonomous vehicles and contribute to optimizing new services aimed at fostering mobility equity.
DTU Management’s Transportation Systems Modelling section would like to invite applications for a 3-year PhD position starting on 1 October 2024 or earlier. The successful candidate will join the section under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Guido Cantelmo, Associate Prof. Jesper Bláfoss Ingvardson, and Associate Prof. Yu Jiang.

The candidate will contribute to the CulturalRoad project, funded by the European Commission. We are looking for excellent applicants with a strong background in Transport, Operation Research, Applied Mathematics, Transport Engineering, and/or Computer Science with an ambition for excellence and experience working with mathematical modelling and programming.

Project Background
With the increasing transport demand, traffic pressure on existing infrastructure has grown significantly; a trend that is unlikely to change significantly as transportation links with economic growth. Unfortunately, the transport sector also generates several negative externalities, and it is one of the few economic sectors that have not seen a significant decline in emissions. Accordingly, the European Commission indicated CCAM as a strategic asset to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations and reduce negative environmental impacts on the environment. CCAM is not only expected to be more efficient than conventional mobility solutions (e.g. conventional vehicles) but also allows the development of entirely new mobility services, such as autonomous on-demand responsive transport (DRT), that can serve different typologies of users and completely revolutionise our mobility ecosystems.

In such a context, the PhD project is established to develop algorithms able to optimize routing and scheduling of mixed CCAM fleets. The new algorithm will leverage semi-personalized incentives to make CCAM services more inclusive of all users. The ultimate goal is to develop an algorithm that can optimize CCAM services while also promoting equity in mobility.

Responsibilities and qualifications
The project includes 18 partners from 10 different countries. You will work in an international environment and in close collaboration with scholars with expert knowledge within various aspects of the field and you will have the opportunity to engage with a variety of consortium partners, including mobility companies and municipalities. You will need to conduct case studies/experiments to validate the models and algorithm.

Your primary tasks will be:

• Develop mathematical modelling and solution algorithms for routing and scheduling passenger transport using CCAM fleets
• Advance multimodal traffic assignment models to consider transport equity and multimodality
• Propose and investigate the use of semi-personalized travel incentives for improving public transport
• Conduct case studies to validate the models and algorithms
• Publish in high-impact journals and present your results at conferences
• Spend 6 months visiting one of our partner universities, in Europe or United States (the most suited partner will be decided together with the candidate during the first 6 months of the project).

You will be rooted in the Transportation Systems Modelling section, a part of the Division of Transportation Science, DTU Management. The division also consists of research groups within transport demand, machine learning for smart mobility, transport economics and transport psychology. You will be part of an expanding group working on integrated urban mobility systems with other PhD students and staff in the division.

You must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree.

Your background should be in Transportation, Operation Research, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or related.

We furthermore expect:

• Good programming capabilities in any scientific language (e.g., C++, C#, Python, Julia, etc.)
• Good communication skills in English, both written and orally
• Well-motivated and able to work independently.
• Willingness to engage in group work with a multi-national team.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the Ph.D. degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education.

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by the advisor team as soon as possible after the application deadline.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognised for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterised by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. This includes, among others a highly attractive salary scheme and other benefits, see Salary paid to PhD students. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from: Asst. Prof. Guido Cantelmo, [email protected], Assoc. Prof. Jesper Bláfoss Ingvardson, [email protected] or Assoc. Yu Jiang, [email protected].

You can read more about DTU Management at www.man.dtu.dk/english.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 1 May 2024 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link “Apply online”, fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
• Applicants from institutions where the language of instruction and examination are not entirely in English are required to provide at least one English language test result (e.g. TOEFL, GRE, or IELTS)

You may apply prior to obtaining your master’s degree but cannot begin before having received it. If you have finished your master’s degree, you may attach a PDF version of this to the application and any published English papers.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates, irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, nationality, religion, or ethnic background, are encouraged to apply.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.

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