Supply chain and logistics planning problems can be seen as optimisation problems that require collecting as much relevant information as possible, determining possible choices, and selecting the action with the highest expected utility. They thus lend themselves to AI solutions that use the same model: '… we build optimising machines, we feed objectives into them, and off they go.' (Russell 2019, 172). 'Rational choice' in this sense assumes a given utility function. But apart from well-known problems with rational choice in real-world environments (e.g. uncertainty, dynamic changes, other agents, non-discreteness of actions), we know from the human example that highly complex choices in real-world environments require metacognition, e.g. considering which utility function to use, whether our reasoning is trustworthy, whether knowledge is sufficient, whether to act now or to optimise the decision further, whether a course of action is ethical. Humans (and certain animals) are able to change the frame of reference and move to metacognition, when needed. The supply chain and logistics planning problems are a fine place for a case study of this metacognition problem in a practical environment. When and how should a system say: 'It is best not decide this and act now, I should change the frame'?

Research group

The TU/e philosophy and ethics department/group has 14 regular faculty members, 7 PostDocs and 9 PhD students (https://research.tue.nl/en/organisations/philosophy-ethics/persons/).
The group is very strong in ethics and philosophy related to technology, but faculty members pursue a wide range of research areas. The group is part of the 4TU Ethics consortium (TU/e, Delft, Twente, Wageningen), where we cooperate closely on research and education of research students. We are also part of the "Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies" research programme of seven academic institutions in the Netherlands - funded for 10 years with a combined budget of 27M€. The philosophy group has strong cooperation with other departments and the Eindhoven AI Systems Institute (EAISI) at TU/e.

This PhD project is part of the AI PLANNER OF THE FUTURE program. This ambitious research program is hosted by the TU/e-based Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences and is supported by the European Supply Chain Forum, Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute, and the Logistics Community Brabant. The program connects to the different communities, moonshots strategic agendas and the themes of each of these supporting partners. It combines 25 researchers, 10 PhD students and over 50 Bachelor and Master students, for the coming five years (2021-2026). This AI PLANNER OF THE FUTURE program considers the explicit intertwining of technical and human elements in the context of AI planning for supply chains and logistics, considering all relevant performance indicators (people, profit, and the planet).

The AI PLANNER OF THE FUTURE program
This ambitious research program is hosted by the TU/e-based Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences and is supported by the European Supply Chain Forum, Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute, and the Logistics Community Brabant. The program connects to the different communities, moonshots strategic agendas and the themes of each of these supporting partners. It combines 25 researchers, 10 PhD students and over 50 Bachelor and Master students, for the coming five years (2021-2026). This AI PLANNER OF THE FUTURE program considers the explicit intertwining of technical and human elements in the context of
AI planning for supply chains and logistics, considering all relevant performance indicators
(people, profit, and the planet).

The following 10 individual PhD projects are embedded in this program. We are looking for
PhD candidates from a broad range of disciplines ranging from operations research and management, supply chain management, statistics, ethics, cognivite psychology, artificial intelligence, etc.

Project 1: Learning about Customers: Demand Implications of Logistics-Related Decision-Making in B2B, Gelper, Mutlu, Langerak  https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-on-marketingoperations-interface-878156.html

Project 2: Context matters: optimizing shared decision making in real-world forecasting and inventory management, Le Blanc, van de Calseyde, Ulfert  https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-on-humanai-collaboration-at-work-878192.html

Project 3: AI-Based Replenishment and Order Fulfillment Strategies for Omnichannel Supply Chains, Atan , Schrotenboer, Van Woensel  https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-on-aibased-replenishment-order-fulfillment-strategies-for-supply-chains-878193.html

Project 4: Robust data-driven sustainable food supply chain, Marandi, Rohmer,
Van Woensel  https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-in-%E2%80%98datadriven-approaches-towards-robust-and-sustainable-cold-chains%E2%80%99-878195.html

Project 5: Digital Twins: An ingenious AI companion or an evil twin?, Raassens, Schepers, Van Woensel https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-in-ai-and-digital-twinning-878197.html

Project 6: AI for sustainable last-mile delivery by micromobility: a socio-technical perspective, Behrendt, Alkemade  https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/ai-for-sustainable-lastmile-delivery-by-micromobility-878198.html

Project 7 (Extra: 0.5 EAISI startup package + 0.5 ESCF): Data-driven Optimization using Digital Twins for Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery, Zhang, Bliek, Van Woensel
https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-on-datadriven-optimization-for-sustainable-lastmile-delivery-878199.html

Project 8: Online Supply Chain Planning, Dijkman, Van Jaarsveld
https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-in-information-systems-business-intelligence-878200.html

Project 9: From feared competitor to trusted companion: understanding and enhancing trust in AI over time, Snijder, Rooks, Willemsen  https://jobs.tue.nl/en/vacancy/phd-on-humanai-collaboration-in-the-workplace-trust-in-ai-over-time-878201.html

Project 10: Widening the frame: Rational choice beyond a given utility function, Müller
PhD on 'Improving automated rational choice through metacognition

• A Master's degree in Philosophy, Cognitive Science, or a related field
• Strong interest in interdisciplinary work between philosophy, cognitive science and AI
• Ability to combine serious work on philosophical problems with applied work in technology and a practical business/industry environment
• High proficiency in English and ability to collaborate in an international setting
• Since we aim to increase the diversity in our Section Philosophy & Ethics and in the field of philosophy, we especially encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the possibility to present your work at international conferences.
• A full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months.
• To develop your teaching skills, you will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• To support you during your PhD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will make a Training and Supervision plan and you will have free access to a personal development program for PhD students (PROOF program).
• A gross monthly salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
• Should you come from abroad and comply with certain conditions, you can make use of the so-called '30% facility', which permits you not to pay tax on 30% of your salary.
• A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.