We are seeking a motivated
Postdoctoral Scholar with background in
social sciences or humanities, who is interested in pursuing
transdisciplinary research at the interface of social sciences and engineering
in transport and mobility.
The postdoc would contribute to a project aiming at developing a
conceptual philosophical framework that can lead to mathematical planning models that account for justice and wellbeing in transport and mobility. The postdoc is expected to collect, analyse and synthetise philosophical theories of
justice and wellbeing from philosophy and social science, with special focus on their application to transport and mobility. They will work with engineering staff and students to
mobilize these concepts into optimization models aimed at transport planning and mobility systems co-design, as part of the transition towards more sustainable and just mobility futures.
Specifically, the postdoc will first focus on transport and principles of justice1,2 and their application to accessibility3. Second, they will study and conceptualize wellbeing in transport and mobility, for instance, via the capabilities approach4-6. These theories will form the skeleton of a conceptual framework to be translated into optimization models. At the same time, the postdoc will explore critical theories and different narratives on transport and mobility7,
transcending the conventional view on transport as 'a matter of simply moving people and things across space'8,9. The explorations could include mobility studies, science and technology studies, transition studies, and history and philosophy of science and technology, and their nexus to mobility.
Overall, this project aims at establishing a
transdisciplinary nexus between social sciences and engineering in transport and mobility, with the goal to shape their future in line with principles of justice and wellbeing. This draws on recent conceptual developments around justice and wellbeing in transport and mobility1,2,4,9,10, as well as emerging work on including justice in transport optimization models3.
The role will be in the
MOVEMENT Research Group at the Control Systems Technology section (Department of Mechanical Engineering) under the supervision of Prof. Mauro Salazar, and in collaboration with Prof. Frauke Behrendt (Technology, Innovation & Society group, Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences). Moreover, the Postdoc will also be able to benefit from the expertise of a transdisciplinary network of national and international collaborators.