PhD Position Physics-Enhanced Machine Learning for Resilient Railway Infrastructures

Resilient railway infrastructure is vital for ensuring safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation services. However, maintaining infrastructure resilience amidst emerging challenges is essential. These challenges include mitigating the impact of extreme weather events and natural disasters, addressing ageing infrastructure, optimizing maintenance schedules to minimize disruptions, enhancing safety measures to prevent accidents, and adapting to changing operational demands and technological advancements. Overcoming these challenges requires interdisciplinary approaches that integrate cutting-edge technologies, such as physics-enhanced machine learning, with traditional engineering expertise to endure, predict, prevent, and respond to potential threats to railway resilience effectively.

This project aims to improve the resilience of railway infrastructures by leveraging physics-enhanced machine learning. You will integrate state-of-the-art physics knowledge that governs infrastructure mechanics and dynamics with the big data from infrastructure monitoring systems. You will develop innovative physics-enhanced machine learning algorithms and models to address risks and uncertainties associated with the operational and environmental conditions of railway infrastructures. As part of this project, you will engage with railway infrastructure managers to validate your proposed solutions for resilience improvement.

As a PhD student, you will be a member of the Railway Engineering Section in close cooperation with the Delft Center for Systems and Control and the Dutch Railway Infrastructure Manager, ProRail. Railway is the backbone of sustainable mobility. The section of Railway Engineering deals with the physical assets of the railway system, including trains, power supply systems, track, as well as the interfaces and dynamic interactions between them. The research, innovation, development and education of the section concern the whole life cycle of the assets, from design, construction, operation, degradation, monitoring, maintenance to retrofit, as well as the data-driven intelligent management of the assets, taking into consideration of the performance of the whole railway system. The section plays a leading role in the TU Delft Rail Institute (DelftRail).

The Department of Engineering Structures focuses on the development of resilient, smart and sustainable structures and infrastructures. Our aim is to meet societal demands in transportation, the energy transition and sustainable reuse. Research themes include dynamics of structures, mechanics of materials related to e.g. climate change, modelling and design of railway systems, multi-scale modelling of pavement materials and structures, reuse of materials, structures and parts of structures, assessment methods for structures, smart monitoring techniques, design methods, replacement and renovation of civil infrastructure and development of new materials and maintenance techniques. Our unique Macro Mechanics Laboratory facilities support full-scale testing, monitoring and modelling of structures to facilitate implementation of innovations. The department delivers both groundbreaking research and world-class education for undergraduate and graduate students. As a team, we represent different backgrounds, skills and views. We foster an inclusive culture, as our combined identities, attitudes and ambitions widen our perspective and make up our strengths..

We are looking for an excellent candidate with the following qualifications, knowledge and skills:

• A master's degree in Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a relevant domain.
• Good programming skills, preferably in Python.
• Affinity for some of the following fields is a plus: machine learning, civil infrastructures under extreme conditions and railway engineering.
• Self-motivated, curiosity-driven, and open to communicating and collaborating with peers.
• Excellent command of English, both verbally and in writing.

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. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements .

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.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. 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. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service . This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme  for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

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 availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science 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 Dr. Hongrui Wang, Assistant Professor, email: [email protected] .

For information about the application procedure, please contact Jacqueline Barnhoorn, email: [email protected] .  

15Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 15 September 2024 via the application button and upload:

• CV;
• cover/motivation letter explaining your interest and your qualifications for this position, and how your skills match the requirements;
• MSc degree;
• 300 words abstract of your MSc thesis;
• two selected publications (if any);
• contact details of two persons who can provide references.

Please note:

If your MSc diploma and transcript are not in Dutch, English, French or German and you will be the selected candidate, the TU Delft will ask you to deliver a certified translation in case you will be appointed.

Also 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.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.