Two PhD positions in Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence for Mobility (1.0 FTE)

The Department of Information and Computing Sciences  is nationally and internationally renowned for its fundamental and applied research and education in Computer Science, AI, and Information Science. In our constantly changing (digital) society, the department is constantly looking for new, realistic ways to push the boundaries of both science and application. We contribute to innovative information technologies through the development and application of new concepts, theories, algorithms, and software methods. The department currently comprises 16 Chairs and 146 other scientific staff, including Postdocs and PhD candidates.

You will work in the department’s AI & Mobility Lab , led by dr.ir. Marjan van den Akker. This lab collaborates with different organisations (e.g., NS, Prorail, and QBuzz) on the development of AI techniques to resolve challenges in mobility, public transportation, and logistics. You will also join Professor Judith Masthoff’s Human-Centred Computing group , which is composed of researchers who are experts in personalized, adaptive, and recommender systems and persuasive technology, among several other topics.

At the Faculty of Science , there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes that work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects.

Utrecht University (UU) is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our familiar atmosphere and the can-do mentality of our people. This lively and inspiring academic environment attracts professors, researchers, and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the University and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and diverse community.

About NS
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS ) is active in the public transportation sector, encouraging the use of public transportation and keeping the Netherlands moving. Travellers have the highest priority in all NS activities. The NS does its best to make their trip as pleasant and sustainable as possible from door to door.

Commerce & IT (ComIT ) works on continuous improvement of passenger services, through products such as NS Flex and information services such as NS.nl and the NS App. It collaborates with Data Innovation & Analysis (DIA) on data driven solutions. You will be part of the Sigma team led by Leo van der Meulen. This team, of 12 people, works on Advanced Analytics solutions for ComIT and consists of Data Scientists and Data Engineers. It is responsible for the development and production servers for AI and the applications running on these. Current applications include Seatfinder and Crowding Estimation on short notice. Seatfinder uses data such as train weights and CO2 levels to determine the dispersion of passengers in the train. Crowding estimations are made on a daily basis with data such as chipcard transactions and weather forecasts. The Agile team works with Scrum in two-week sprints. They are experienced in developing machine-learning solutions and bringing them to production. As such, they make a difference for customers with up-to-date crowding information.