PhD scholarship: Sustainable Roadmap Scenarios for the Electrification of Long-Haul Transport – DTU Management

Job title:

PhD scholarship: Sustainable Roadmap Scenarios for the Electrification of Long-Haul Transport – DTU Management

Company:

Danmarks Tekniske Universitet

Job description

DTU Management’s Transport Division would like to invite applications for a 3-year PhD position starting on 1 October 2024, or shortly thereafter. The successful candidate will join the Transport Policy Section and work under the supervision of Professor Jeppe Rich. The candidate will be co-supervised by Professor Alexis Laurent, from the Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, and will also be hosted under the DTU Centre for Absolute Sustainability.We are looking for excellent applicants with an MSc background in Operational Research, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field, and with a strong interest in the sustainability field.The successful applicant will work on developing sustainable roadmap scenarios, from an operational research perspective. The study will focus on the fleet replacement problems and logistic planning in road-based logistics operations and investigate roll-out strategies and optimal planning by incorporating sets of sustainability constraints.Background
Advances in battery technology and declining costs present a compelling opportunity for electric trucks to become an environmentally- sustainable and cost-effective solution within a few years. The PhD is part of DTU’s strategic PhD initiative and will seek to integrate environmental sustainability targets into the planning and optimisation of road-based logistics.Research Focus
This PhD project will be conducted in collaboration with colleagues in both the Transport Policy Section and the Centre for Absolute Sustainability as well as with relevant external stakeholders. Your primary tasks will include:

• Developing Cutting-Edge Models: You will be responsible for creating mathematical models and metaheuristic algorithms to optimize mixed-fleet planning, including the necessary charging infrastructure.
• Real-World Validation: These models will be tested using real-life case studies provided by our industry partners. This will allow us to assess the impact of electrification on their business models in terms of cost, delivery performance, and emissions reduction.
• Applying life cycle assessment (LCA) to the systems under study , quantifying the environmental impacts of the truck fleet with a life cycle perspective (covering all elements, e.g. batteries, charging stations, etc.).
• Developing capability to integrate an absolute environmental sustainability perspective into the environmental sustainability assessment of the truck fleet systems. This will rely on using planetary boundaries or Earth’s geophysical limits, which will be allocated to the system under study to enable benchmarking of the environmental impact assessment (LCA) results.
• Developing scenario planning for the future: You will conduct scenario-based analyses to evaluate how operational needs, charging infrastructure options, subsidies, road taxes, sustainability targets and other government policies will influence the adoption of electric trucks.
• Multicriteria objectives: The research will explore the trade-offs (Pareto fronts) between conflicting objectives, e.g., cost minimization and different sustainability targets and estimate shadow-prices for these.

As part of the team, you will closely collaborate with other DTU researchers and industry partners to develop and implement these planning models. The project’s outcomes will be published in leading scientific journals and presented at relevant conferences.Qualifications for the PhD position
his PhD project sits at the crossroads of several disciplines, including operational research, optimization, simulation, transport modeling, policy assessment, and environmental sustainability assessment.Essential Qualifications
Master’s degree (MSc) in Operational Research, Transportation Modeling, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, or a closely related field. Programming proficiency in at least one scientific language, preferably Python or Julia.Desirable Skills

• Prior coursework in transportation science disciplines.
• Experience in sustainability assessment and life cycle assessment.
• Knowledge of optimization and mathematical programming, particularly dynamic programming.
• Experience with event-based simulation and a variety of machine learning techniques.
• A strong curiosity and interest in current and future mobility challenges, especially those related to logistics.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Enthusiasm for teamwork within a multinational research team.

You must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree.Supervision and Timeline
The project will be supervised by Professor Jeppe Rich and Professor Alexis Laurent. We are seeking a highly motivated candidate to join the Transport Policy Section starting on 1 October, or soon hereafter.Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see .Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by 1 September 2024.We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union.The period of employment is 3 years. Starting date: 1 October 2024, or soon hereafter.You can read more about career paths at DTU here .Further information
For more information, please contact Prof. Jeppe Rich, .You can read more about the DTU Management at .If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “ ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 15 August 2024 (23:59 Danish time) . Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link “Apply online”, fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file . The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter).
• Curriculum vitae.
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale.
• A 1-page synthetic motivation for working with life cycle assessment, environmental sustainability assessment, and/or absolute sustainability assessment. It may be supplemented by an overview of experience with concrete experiences (courses followed, projects, articles, etc.).

You may apply prior to obtaining your master’s degree but cannot begin before having received it.Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.The Transport modelling group belongs to the Transport division of the Department of Technology, Management and Economics (DTU Management) at DTU. The division conducts research and teaching in the field of traffic and transport planning, with a particular focus on behavior modelling, machine learning and simulation.DTU Management conducts high-level research and teaching with a focus on sustainability, transport, innovation, and management science. Our goal is to create knowledge about the societal aspects of technology – including the interaction between technology and sustainability, business growth, infrastructure, and prosperity. Therefore, we explore and create value in the areas of management science, innovation and design thinking, business analytics, systems and risk analyses, human behavior, regulation, and policy analysis. The department offers teaching from introductory to advanced courses/projects at BSc, MSc, and PhD level. The Department has a staff of app. 350.Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.

Expected salary

Location

Kongens Lyngby, Hovedstaden

Job date

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 22:40:47 GMT

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