PhD Position Climate-Neutral Port Calls under Physical and Infrastructure Constraints

This PhD position focuses on developing methods for climate-neutral port calls under physical and infrastructure constraints.

Research context

European seaports face the urgent challenge of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and a 55% emission reduction by 2030. A large share of port-related emissions, up to 80%, occurs during the port call itself: when ships approach, wait, maneuver, berth, and depart. While most current optimization approaches focus on scheduling and logistics, they largely overlook a critical factor: the physical reality of ports. Water depth, tides, narrow channels, berth limitations, and dredging operations strongly shape how ships move, wait, and consume energy. Ignoring these constraints leads to delays, congestion, higher fuel use, and safety risks.

This PhD position addresses this gap by developing new methods that explicitly combine:

• Physical port constraints
• Dredging operations that maintain or modify them
• Port call processes that depend on them, all under uncertainty

The research is part of the PortCall.Zero project, which aims to enable coordinated, efficient, and low-emission port call operations.

Role and responsibilities

As a PhD candidate, you will investigate how physical and infrastructure constraints shape port call performance and emissions, and how these constraints can be better accounted for in planning and operations. Your research focuses on three closely linked perspectives:

1. Infrastructure state: Physical and nautical conditions such as water depth, tides, channel geometry, and berth characteristics.
2. Infrastructure use: How vessels interact with these conditions during port calls, including access windows, maneuvering limits, waiting times, and traffic dynamics.
3. Interaction with dredging: How maintenance and improvement dredging alter infrastructure conditions over time, and how these changes affect accessibility, vessel behavior, and operational performance.

Together, these elements are analyzed to understand and optimize their combined impact on port call efficiency and emissions. A core element of the work is the development and extension of OpenCLSim, an open-source Python-based discrete-event simulation framework. You will design integrated optimization and prediction modules that support both strategic planning (e.g. dredging depth and port accessibility trade-offs) and operational decision-making (e.g. coordination between dredging activities and port operations). Your developed methods will be validated through realistic use cases on port calls with water depth variation.

You will work closely with academic and industry partners, including ports and dredging companies. In particular, you will collaborate with Van Oord, a leading international marine contractor and project partner. If the progress of the simulation studies allows it, the project aims to demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods through physical experiments with the Researchlab Autonomous Shipping (RAS) Lab at TU Delft. A next step towards practical implementation would be the field demonstration in a living lab setting together with project partners in the Port of Rotterdam area.

You will be embedded in an interdisciplinary and international research environment within the Hydraulic Engineering department at TU Delft.

Job requirements

You are motivated to contribute to the sustainable transformation of port operations and enjoy working at the intersection of optimization, simulation, and real-world infrastructure systems. You are comfortable working independently, while also collaborating closely with academic and industry partners. In particular, we are looking for candidates with:

• An MSc degree in Civil Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Transport and Infrastructure, or any other related field
• Strong analytical skills and affinity with optimization, simulation, and data-driven methods
• Advanced skills in scripting with Python
• Affinity with (or at least interest in) port operations, navigational constraints, dredging, and maritime infrastructure
• Ability to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment both with scientific partners and stakeholders from industry
• Additional experience with agent-based and/or discrete-event simulation and AIS data is a plus

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. More specifically, TOEFL or IELTS English proficiency tests are required for all applicants except those whose MSc program was taught in English. The minimum requirement of a TOEFL score is 100 and IELTS is 7.0.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society.

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.