PhD Developing decision support models to decarbonize freight transport

Job description

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Belonging to the best research universities of Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business

The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programs, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

FEBRI, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has one PhD position available in the field of Developing decision support models to decarbonize freight transport.

Project description

Governmental and societal pressure to reduce emissions from freight transport is intensifying. However, economic and technical barriers impede the adoption of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels in both road and maritime industries. Traditional fossil fuels remain prevalent due to supply shortages, infrastructure limitations, high investment costs, and operational expenses associated with alternative fuels. Moreover, the high energy intensity required for transporting heavy goods over long distances presents additional hurdles for adopting cleaner technologies. Compared to the personal and public transport sector, the freight transport sector is lagging behind in embracing cleaner technologies.

This PhD project aims to tackle the challenges hindering the decarbonization of the freight transport sector. To do so, the candidate is expected to leverage (analytical) quantitative research and/or data-driven approaches to support decision makers in problems such as identifying optimal locations for refuelling/recharging stations, planning fleet replacements, and optimizing transport activities involving multiple vehicle types. Within those problems, we are interested in considering different alternative fuels/technologies such as hydrogen, synthetic fuels, ammonia, electricity, etc. The scope of the project may encompass road and/or maritime transport.

The PhD position is embedded in the research programme Operations Management and Operations Research (OPERA) of FEB’s Research Institute. The project will be supervised by Prof. I.F.A (Iris) Vis and Dr J. A. Lopez Alvarez.

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates with

• a (Research) Master's degree in Technology and Operations Management, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or related fields
• preferably, a background in logistics
• excellent English language skills in speaking and writing
• affinity or experience with working in innovation projects with partners from practice.

Organisation

Conditions of employment

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• a gross monthly salary from a minimum of € 2,770 which increases yearly to a maximum of € 3,539
• an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % end of year bonus in December
• a temporary full-time appointment for a period of four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year. PhD candidates contribute 20% of their time to teaching in years 2-4.
• Starting date: Preferably per 1 September 2024