Postdoc Modelling, Planning and Assessment of Self-Organising Rail Traffic

The Digital Rail Traffic Lab at the Department of Transport and Planning, Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands), is glad to announce a postdoc vacancy within the EU H2020 ERA-Net project SORTEDMOBILITY.

SORTEDMOBILITY will develop and assess concepts, models and algorithms to enable self-organizing rail operations, whereby intelligent trains autonomously participate in the traffic management process. The aim is to improve flexibility, capacity and resilience of the railway system as a mobility backbone, to accomplish an efficient and demand-aware urban and interurban rail mobility growth. The modelling and assessment of self-organising rail operations will be performed with the support of a holistic integrated rail traffic simulation platform developed within the project. The research will be performed in partnership with an international consortium of prominent universities and railway companies in Europe.

You will perform innovative research on approaches for operational planning/real-time management of self-organising rail traffic considering constraints deriving from rolling stock and crew availability as well as operational principles of next-generation rail signalling such as Moving Block and Virtual Coupling. The research will also support the modelling and implementation of self-organising traffic principles in a simulation platform and will additionally include a multi-criteria impact assessment on real-life case studies.

You will specifically be involved in:

• Investigating approaches for operational planning/real-time management of self-organising rail traffic, including next-generation operational paradigms enabled by Moving Block and Virtual Coupling signalling systems.
• Supporting the modelling of self-organising rail operations in the EGTRAIN rail traffic simulator for real-life case studies.
• Interfacing the EGTRAIN rail traffic simulator with algorithms for self-organising traffic management and passenger travel choice.
• Assessing impacts of self-organising rail traffic operations in terms of several key performance indicators by combining results from simulation experiments and stakeholder interviews.
• Drafting and delivering technical and scientific reports describing methods and results of the impact assessment.
• Beside the research activities the postdoc may also be partly involved in supporting educational tasks in a MSc and/or BSc course in the field of railways.

Preferably you have a PhD in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science or similar scientific domains. Necessary requirements are:

• Knowledge of railway operations with possible expertise in rail traffic planning and management.
• Experience in mathematical modelling and development of software tools/algorithms.
• Good programming skills in .NET languages (preferably C++), and/or other programming languages.

Knowledge of data management, software integration methods (e.g. API, AMQP), statistical techniques, and traffic simulation tools (e.g. RailSys, VISSIM, OpenTrack) are an advantage.

In general, you shall have a very good command of the English language, and shall be open to work in a team within an interactive and stimulating environment. Advanced problem-solving skills and a prominent interest in contributing to scientific research are essential elements to the position.

Proactiveness, independence and reliability in effectively and timely delivering tasks are a fundamental prerequisite for this position. Enthusiasm and passion for the railways are very valuable factors for the candidate given that the postdoc position will be performed in the railway sector.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, 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. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

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. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource depletion, urbanisation and the availability of clean water, conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced that Open Science helps to achieve our goals and supports its scientists in integrating Open Science in their research practice. 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.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Egidio Quaglietta, e-mail: [email protected] .

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 28 February 2023 via the application button and upload your:

• Cover letter explaining your interests and relevance of your skills/experience to the vacancy
• Detailed CV
• Abstract in English of both your MSc (maximum one-page) and your PhD dissertation (maximum one page)
• Transcript of MSc courses.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-Employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.

The Digital Rail Traffic Lab at the Department of Transport and Planning, Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands), is glad to announce a postdoc vacancy within the EU H2020 ERA-Net project SORTEDMOBILITY.

SORTEDMOBILITY will develop and assess concepts, models and algorithms to enable self-organizing rail operations, whereby intelligent trains autonomously participate in the traffic management process. The aim is to improve flexibility, capacity and resilience of the railway system as a mobility backbone, to accomplish an efficient and demand-aware urban and interurban rail mobility growth. The modelling and assessment of self-organising rail operations will be performed with the support of a holistic integrated rail traffic simulation platform developed within the project. The research will be performed in partnership with an international consortium of prominent universities and railway companies in Europe.

You will perform innovative research on approaches for operational planning/real-time management of self-organising rail traffic considering constraints deriving from rolling stock and crew availability as well as operational principles of next-generation rail signalling such as Moving Block and Virtual Coupling. The research will also support the modelling and implementation of self-organising traffic principles in a simulation platform and will additionally include a multi-criteria impact assessment on real-life case studies.

You will specifically be involved in:

• Investigating approaches for operational planning/real-time management of self-organising rail traffic, including next-generation operational paradigms enabled by Moving Block and Virtual Coupling signalling systems.
• Supporting the modelling of self-organising rail operations in the EGTRAIN rail traffic simulator for real-life case studies.
• Interfacing the EGTRAIN rail traffic simulator with algorithms for self-organising traffic management and passenger travel choice.
• Assessing impacts of self-organising rail traffic operations in terms of several key performance indicators by combining results from simulation experiments and stakeholder interviews.
• Drafting and delivering technical and scientific reports describing methods and results of the impact assessment.
• Beside the research activities the postdoc may also be partly involved in supporting educational tasks in a MSc and/or BSc course in the field of railways.

Preferably you have a PhD in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science or similar scientific domains. Necessary requirements are:

• Knowledge of railway operations with possible expertise in rail traffic planning and management.
• Experience in mathematical modelling and development of software tools/algorithms.
• Good programming skills in .NET languages (preferably C++), and/or other programming languages.

Knowledge of data management, software integration methods (e.g. API, AMQP), statistical techniques, and traffic simulation tools (e.g. RailSys, VISSIM, OpenTrack) are an advantage.

In general, you shall have a very good command of the English language, and shall be open to work in a team within an interactive and stimulating environment. Advanced problem-solving skills and a prominent interest in contributing to scientific research are essential elements to the position.

Proactiveness, independence and reliability in effectively and timely delivering tasks are a fundamental prerequisite for this position. Enthusiasm and passion for the railways are very valuable factors for the candidate given that the postdoc position will be performed in the railway sector.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, 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. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

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. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource depletion, urbanisation and the availability of clean water, conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced that Open Science helps to achieve our goals and supports its scientists in integrating Open Science in their research practice. 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.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Egidio Quaglietta, e-mail: [email protected] .

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 28 February 2023 via the application button and upload your:

• Cover letter explaining your interests and relevance of your skills/experience to the vacancy
• Detailed CV
• Abstract in English of both your MSc (maximum one-page) and your PhD dissertation (maximum one page)
• Transcript of MSc courses.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-Employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.