Modern vehicles are equipped with sensors that continuously monitor the health of components. The availability of sensor measurements opens up the opportunity to analyse degradation trends over time, and to plan maintenance accordingly. We aim to develop predictive maintenance models for fleets of vehicles whose health is continuously monitored by sensors.

In this research project you will analyse datasets and investigate the degradation trends of components based on time series of measurements. You will be working towards accurately estimating the degradation of components and striving to predict when failures are likely to arise. For this, you will develop Remaining-Useful-Life (RUL) prognostics using machine learning algorithms and/or stochastic processes.

You will further develop optimisation models that integrate RUL prognostics to schedule maintenance tasks (e.g., component replacement, component inspection). The objectives of the optimisation models are: to minimize maintenance costs, maximize the lifetime of components, and limit the probability of a failure. You will use RUL prognostics to guide the scheduling of maintenance tasks.

By conducting simulations, you will analyse the performance of your RUL prognostics and optimisation models.

This is a PhD position for 5 years, which includes research as well as teaching. You will spent approximately 30% of your time on varying teaching support activities. We offer the opportunity to take significant steps towards acquiring a basic teaching qualification (BKO), which qualifies you as a teacher in the Dutch higher education system.

We are looking for an enthusiastic new colleague who meets the following criteria:

• you hold a Master’s degree in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics or Computer Science, or you are within a few months from the completion of your MSc degree;
• you are familiar with optimization methods (linear programming, stochastic dynamic programming) and machine learning algorithms;
• you have demonstrated programming skills (familiarity with Python is a plus);
• you possess collaboration and communication skills with an independent outlook in defining and solving research problems;
• you are proficient in English.

• A PhD position for 5 years;
• A full-time gross salary ranging from € 2,541 to €3,247 in scale P;
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• A pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

In addition to the employment conditions from the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. These include agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment through the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we encourage you to grow.

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 societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

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 problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects. For an impression, visit Working at the Faculty of Science. 

The Department of Information and Computing Sciences is nationally and internationally known for its research in Computer Science and Information Science. The Department provides and contributes to the undergraduate programs in Computer Science, Information Science, and Artificial Intelligence and a number of Research Master's programmes in these fields. It employs over 200 people, soon to be divided into four divisions: Interaction, Algorithms, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, and Software Systems.