Within the Department of Operations at the Faculty of Business and Economics, there is a PhD position (1.0 FTE) on the topic “Logistics Optimization for the Sharing Economy”, requiring expertise in Operations Research, preferably with focus in logistics. This vacancy is part of a large, inter-disciplinary project, called SMiLES (Shared connectivity in Mobility and Logistics Enable Sustainability), involving seven faculties of the University of Groningen and several consortium partners. Promotor is Prof. Kees-Jan Roodbergen, co supervision by Dr Ilke Bakir.

Social challenges such as the greenhouse effect and increasing population invite us to reconsider logistics systems. In SMiLES, we focus on open sharing networks, in which stakeholders can share tasks (transport orders), resources (vehicles, personnel, 3D printers), information (data, algorithms), space (infrastructure, buildings) and responsibilities (contracts, risks, rights, liabilities). Different companies can offer different services and every company does not have to participate in every service. For example, a carrier can make its unused trucks available.

The Department of Operations is one of Europe’s largest research groups in the fields of Operations Research, Management Science and Operations Management. The department offers a high-level research environment along the whole range of Operations, both with respect to content and methodology. Researchers are also expected to collaborate extensively with project partners in companies and service organizations. We search for a PhD candidate to investigate the opportunities and challenges related to sharing in transportation networks. We focus on the situation in which resources (trucks, employees) –both owned and borrowed– are used for the transport of products. The envisioned contributions of this PhD project are:

• developing innovative models/methods for resource planning, resource allocation and vehicle routing in a sharing network
• analysing various proportions of in-ownership and shared resources, and the impact of these configurations on sharing network performance, and
• examining different ways of offering tasks/resources to the sharing network, and how these affect the resilience of operations.

Our approach aims to design integrated solution methods for tackling three layers of decision problems, namely, (i) day-to-day routing, (ii) resource planning, (iii) and location of shared facilities. The aim is to gain insight into the interaction between various factors involved in the network, with particular emphasis on coordination and the use of marketplaces. We pay attention to the robustness of selected strategies and test the resilience of the designed system(s) based on various scenarios, which are formulated based on input and data from partners in the consortium.

• master’s degree (MSc, MA, or MPhil) in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Industrial Engineering or related fields
• strong academic record and demonstrated competence in quantitative modeling (i.e., Operations Research)
• a background in Logistics or Supply Chain Management is appreciated, though not required
• excellence in written and verbal English
• affinity with or experience in working in business or service settings.

Fixed-term contract: 12 months.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:
- a starting salary of € 2,325, which increases yearly to a maximum of € 2,972 based on the gross salary you will receive
- an additional 8% holiday allowance each year in May, and an additional 8.3 % year-end bonus in December
- a temporary full-time appointment for a period of in principle four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year; an assessment may be part of the procedure, consisting of psychological tests and an interview.

Faculty of Economics and Business

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the approximately 32.000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business has an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

The graduate school SOM of the Faculty of Economics and Business has a PhD position available on the topic “Logistics Optimization for the Sharing Economy” in a large, inter-disciplinary project, called SMiLES (Shared connectivity in Mobility and Logistics Enable Sustainability).