The project spans two faculties, and is part of the multidisciplinary Digital Society Institute.

The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente provides international postgraduate education, research and project services in the field of geo-information science and earth observation using remote sensing and GIS. The aim of ITC's activities is the international exchange of knowledge, focusing on capacity building and institutional development in developing countries and emerging economies.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) is one of the five faculties of the University of Twente. Its three departments cooperatively conduct the educational programs and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programs and the research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centra, and Digital Society Institute. One of the four interdisciplinary themes is Data Science & Embedded AI, to which this project will contribute.

Understanding pedestrian behavior is vital for the design, planning, and management of public space. After all, without people, there would be no cities. However, automatically measuring this behavior is a privacy-sensitive issue and is not usually accepted by society. For this Ph.D. position, you will be working in a cross-disciplinary program, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to develop a framework for measuring pedestrian behavior for urbanization problems while retaining privacy and social expectation.

There are two main objectives of the project. First, you will combine and integrate state-of-the-art techniques in data collection, data storage and data processing of pedestrian dynamics for urban applications, where specific attention will be given to portable sensors, including Wi-Fi sensors, starlight (HD) cameras, Bluetooth stations, etc. Second, you will develop a framework including data anonymization to make the analysis of pedestrian dynamics privacy-preserved and socially acceptable. Ultimately, the project will help develop and recommend what types of privacy-preserving methodologies can best be used in different urban applications regarding pedestrian dynamics measurement.

Technical challenges of this project include the development of algorithms that will anonymize user-specific sensor data (e.g., Wi-Fi data), the development of data processing tools, and the design of a decision-supporting framework that can help with urban planning and management. It will also include integrating data from multiple sensors to enable usage in urban applications.

• MSc degree or an international equivalent in the relevant fields of Computer Science, Data Science, and GIS;
• Preferably with previous experience in handling movement/trajectory data;
• A keen interest in solving urban problems;
• Excellent research and scientific writing skills, preferably with publication experience;
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills in English;
• A strong motivation to work in multidisciplinary, international research and joint industry-academia team.
  

INFORMATION AND APPLICATION

For more information about the academic units, please visit the websites of the Department of Geo-information Processing (https://www.itc.nl/about-itc/organization/scientific-departments/geo-information-processing/) and the Digital Society Institute (https://www.utwente.nl/en/digital-society/). Additional information about this position can be obtained from Dr. Mingshu Wang (email: mingshu.wang@utwente.nl) or Prof. Maarten van Steen (email: m.r.vansteen@utwente.nl).

Please submit your application before 15 March 2020 (choose “apply now” below). Your application must include three pdf’s in total:

1. a motivation letter, emphasizing your specific interest in the position and outlining the relevant skills and experience
2. a detailed CV with contact information of three references and including a list of publications if you have
3. copies of transcripts from all universities attended (official copies may be requested later), copies of TOEFL or IELTS scores within the recent two years (official scores may be requested later). Applicants who have received degrees from accredited institutions in countries where English is the primary language are waived from submitting the TOEFL/IELTS scores.

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

You will be fulltime employed for four years. You will spend 20% of your time at the offices of our Industry partner in Amsterdam or Woerden. Salary and conditions will be in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement (CAO-NU) of the Dutch Universities.

• A starting salary of € 2,325.00 in the first year and a salary of € 2,972.00 in the fourth year gross per month;
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• A solid pension scheme;
• Minimum of 41 holiday days in case of full-time employment;
• Professional and personal development programs;
• Costs for moving to Enschede may be reimbursed.

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 Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente provides international postgraduate education, research and project services in the field of geo-information science and earth observation using remote sensing and GIS. The aim of ITC's activities is the international exchange of knowledge, focusing on capacity building and institutional development in developing countries and emerging economies.