The goal of this PhD is to harness the power of Reinforcement Learning (RL) to enhance air transport planning under uncertainty. It will focus on integrating maintenance scheduling and network planning, exploring innovative RL models, including graphical networks, to capture the complex relationships between plans that rely on shared aircraft resources. The objective is to develop fast, efficient solutions that can be executed in real time.

Additionally, this PhD will consider that the integration of RL into aviation must comply with the safety standards in the industry. A key focus of this PhD is to ensure the future applicability of the developed RL methods. Therefore, this PhD shall take into account the following key areas:

1. Data Representation: Modeling uncertainty in the training environment is critical. The candidate will review current state-of-the-art techniques and collaborate with aviation experts to determine the most accurate ways to represent uncertainty in the developed RL models.
2. Explainability: RL models face challenges in certification due to their limited explainability. This PhD will explore innovative ways to quantify and improve predictability and explainability, introducing trustworthy safeguards to increase confidence in RL applications.
3. Open-Source Software: As part of TUDelft's commitment to open science, the outcomes of this PhD will be shared with the broader community. This openness will help validate RL training environments and contribute to refining certification guidelines. It will ensure that benchmarks are set to properly assess the limitations of RL when applied in real-world aviation scenarios.

You will actively collaborate with end-users and aviation experts, incorporating their insights at every stage of the research. Strong communication skills are essential for this role. Additionally, the candidate is expected to write papers and attend conferences. In addition, they will supervise labs and coach master students during their graduation research under the flag of the Operations and Environment (O&E) Section.

Who are your fellow team members? We are an interdisciplinary and internationally diverse group of some 60 driven assistant and associate professors, lecturers, project managers, PhD students and postdocs. We share the ambition to develop models and tools in which we accumulate our expertise to enable future adaptive, efficient, safe and sustainable air transport operations. Fostering an open, friendly and collaborative atmosphere in which people are approachable, we share knowledge, help each other and meet socially. And you will get all the support and training you need to evolve and grow as a researcher.

You will be working in an international environment, which means that good proficiency in the English language (spoken and written) is required.

Furthermore, the position also has the following requirements:

• You hold an MSc in aerospace, computer engineering, mathematics, or related areas.
• Due to the expiration date of the funding, you are able to start (and thus have completed your master) before or on 1st January 2025.
• Knowledge of programming in Python is a must.
• You have some knowledge about either aviation, statistics, data science methods, or machine learning.
• You want to bridge the gap between research and the applications.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Aerospace Engineering

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology is one of the world’s most highly ranked (and most comprehensive) research, education and innovation communities devoted entirely to aerospace engineering. More than 200 science staff, around 270 PhD candidates and close to 3000 BSc and MSc students apply aerospace engineering disciplines to address the global societal challenges that threaten us today, climate change without doubt being the most important. Our focal subjects: sustainable aerospace, big data and artificial intelligence, bio-inspired engineering and smart instruments and systems. Working at the faculty means working together. With partners in other faculties, knowledge institutes, governments and industry, both aerospace and non-aerospace. Working in field labs and innovation hubs on our university campus and beyond. 

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering.

For information about the application procedure, please contact dr. Marta Ribeiro, assistant-professor in maintenance and network planning (m.j.ribeiro@tudelft.nl).