While current modes of transport such as trains, cars and planes are becoming increasingly sophisticated by digitization and the convergence of information technology (IT) with operational technology (OT). Besides enabling innovations, the IT/OT convergence is expected to lower costs, reduce risks, enhanced performance and flexibility gains. Recent transport systems are however prone for errors by train control systems, Enterprise Resource Planning, signaling systems, Real-time Monitoring (RTM), Autonomous train operation (ATO) etc. Therefore, the convergence of IT and OT on railway systems has high impact on the resilience of our modes of transport and thus our society.

IT/OT convergence is closely connected with the industry 4.0 and Internet of things (IOT) trend.

The convergence brings two traditionally separated worlds together which can lead to various organizational problems such as Technology misalignment, ownership and governance issues.

The research we will focus on the specific maintenance problems associated with integrated information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) used on trains being part of critical infrastructure systems. Our presented research will aid in more resilient infrastructure systems by researching: how to maintain these converged systems by monitoring, discovering and preventing abnormal behaviour of vital IT and OT interfaces by making use of advanced technologies.

IT/OT converge is not a peculiar problem of trains or of the railway systems. It is a wide problem characteristic of complex systems and infrastructures such as electric network distributions, aircrafts, wind turbine generators but also health care facilities and internet networks where hardware and software need to have a more tight connection for ensuring excellent operations.

As the research is not bound to specific asset technologies or domains (but rather validated by rolling stocks cases) the research outcome is therefore expected to be generalizable towards other domains in which complex IT/OT converged systems are being managed.

A similar discussion could be made for the scalability of the research, defined here as the opportunity to be applied in contexts with different characteristics in terms of dimension, demands or systems. Consequently, the results will not only be beneficial for systems with high number of sub-systems but also for systems with high variety of sub-systems.

The Challenge

Are you a passionate about train and new technologies such as Augmented Reality?

We have the opportunity to give you a competitive position for 4 years ad PhD Researcher in order to get better understanding of critical interfaces on the trains and associated digitized systems in operational maintenance by making use of Augmented Reality for testing of specific interfaces. By active exposure towards these interfaces, it is hypothesized that stakeholders become more knowledgeable on the interfaces and problems become clear so that they can be mitigated which make the involved system(s) more robust / anti-fragile.

• You’re a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher;
• You recently obtained an M.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering, industrial design engineering, computer sciences or related fields;
• You have affinity with the concept of Augmented Reality and Machine Learning;
• You’re an independent and original thinker with a creative mindset;
• You have excellent analytical and communication skills;
• You enjoy working in a team and with industrial stakeholder;
• Willingness to regularly visit company in Utrecht;
• Interested in (helping with) teaching;
• You’re fluent in English and willing to learn Dutch;

INFORMATION AND APPLICATION

Dr. A. (Alberto) Martinetti (a.martinetti@utwente.nl) is happy to provide you more information about this position. Please refrain to the call. Prefer to send an email with your questions. Contact from agencies is not appreciated.

Send the following documents before March 15th 2020 through the link below. Please note that you may need to group your documents:

• CV (the Europass format is preferred https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/)
• Motivation letter explaining why this position is the best match for your personal development, career and why you are the best fit for our research group.
• BSc and MSc grade lists
• Letters of recommendation, and names of possible references
• Documentation proving your English proficiency is appreciated

We offer you a very challenging position in an inspiring multidisciplinary environment. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.

• We offer a four-year fulltime PhD position.
• We provide you excellent mentorship and a stimulating, modern research environment with exceptional research facilities.
• You will be part of a dedicated team with which you will collaborate extensively with industry.
• A starting salary of gross € 2.325,-- per month in the first year and increasing to gross € 2.972,-- per month in the fourth year.
• An annual holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, and an annual year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• A solid pension scheme.
• Minimum of 29 leave days in case of full-time employment.
• Special agreements as a Marie Curie early stage researcher you will be entitled to extra allowances based on EU funding. These allowances are explained at a later stage.
• We provide a stimulating research environment to accelerate your further professional and personal growth.
• The University of Twente is situated on a green and lively campus with lots of facilities for sports and other extra-curricular activities.

Your first responsibility is to carry out the research, but you are also encouraged to acquire teaching experience. We support you to broaden your knowledge by joining international exchange programs, by participating in national and international conferences and workshops and by visiting industrial companies, research institutes, and universities worldwide.

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which leads change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university of the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. We have a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out groundbreaking research.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women to apply.

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) is one of the five faculties of the University of Twente. ET combines Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Our faculty has approximately 1800 bachelor and master students, 400 employees and 150 PhD candidates. The departments of the faculty cooperatively conduct the educational programmes and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programmes and the research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centra and Digital Society Institute.