You are a team player with a strong motivation to pursue a PhD-degree. Additionally, we would like you to bring:

• a MSc-degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, Cognitive Science, Econometrics, Electrical Engineering or a related field;
• demonstrated programming skills;
• interest in psychology, communication science, and affective sciences;
• a strong interest in interdisciplinary scientific work; 
• good English academic writing and presentation skills.

We offer a personalized development programme and extensive lab facilities including support. During your PhD you are ensured of the continuous support of NS. Next to that we offer:

• a position for 5 years (0.8 - 1.0 FTE);
• a full-time gross salary that starts at €2,541 and increases to €3,247 per month (scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities, CAO);
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus; and
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditionsbased on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability. Watch the Utrecht University Campus Tour for an impression of our university.

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 challenges. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects.

The project is a cooperation between UU and NS, as part of the Utrecht AI & Mobility Lab. At UU, the project is embedded in the OR group and the HCC subgroup of Egon L. van den Broek, which together contain 15 PhD-students. The OR group works on local search heuristics, mathematical programming, hybrid OR and AI algorithms, simulation, machine learning and data-driven predictive modelling and decision making. The HCC subgroup works on data-intensive real-time, real-world interaction paradigms, which utilize a knowledge-driven, data-driven, or combined approach.

The work of both groups is motivated by real-world applications and they have long-term research cooperations with HONDA, NS, ProRail, Qbuzz, and KLM. Their work is published open access in outlets such as Nature Computational Science, Transportation Science, and Computers & Operations Research and led to several patents. The groups aim to generate value for both science and society and, consequently, have impact.

Within NS you will work closely with staff from the Performance Management & Innovation (PI) department. PI's ambition is to help NS with substantial and demonstrable contributions to serve passengers better and better. PI develops and tests improvements and innovations for the transportation process and provides support for subsequent implementations. The ultimate goal of the innovations is a more reliable and better transport product for the traveler, and a better operating result.

PI consists of a stable group of more than 25 passionate positive-critical professionals. They are often highly educated, with great involvement in the sector and strong mutual cohesion. PI is at its best with mathematical, technical and social innovations for the transport process, both in the long term and in the here and now.