The Challenge

In the coming decades, the European railway sector is implementing several innovations to make railway systems more sustainable, reliable, interoperable, cost-effective and attractive for their users. Technologies such as fully autonomous, unattended train operation rely on the development and gradual implementation of several state-of-the-art sensing, signaling and safety technologies in several European countries. One of the major challenges is to gain the support of multiple stakeholders for innovations given the technical complexity and scale of their implementation. Smooth and effective deployment of these technologies therefore relies on smart implementation strategies that take into account the (societal) costs and benefits, as well as the timing and locations where these systems are deployed. To meet this challenge, a socio-technical approach needs to be developed that takes into account these challenging goals and requirements.

The PhD project focuses on (1) The development of methods and tools to evaluate the costs and benefits of technological innovations such as Automated Train Operations (ATO) for European railway stakeholders, and (2) The development and evaluation of migration strategies for the transition to more autonomous forms of railway operations. The research is supported by the European Joint Rail Undertaking of the European Union, which allows an international knowledge exchange with international railway partners.

Job description

As a PhD candidate, you will be responsible for carrying out an independent, full-time, 4-year research project that requires the integration of several research areas at the interface between engineering and management. As part of the research project, you will have the opportunity to evaluate your developed methods and tools in practice, together with several partners in the European railway sector. You will be assigned to the Asset Management & Maintenance Engineering (AMME) group, which is part of the Department of Design, Production and Management (DPM) of the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET). Together with our (inter)national partners and contacts, our group strives to develop state-of-the-art solutions to fundamental and practical challenges in the field of Asset Management and Maintenance Engineering.

• You have (or will shortly acquire) a master's degree in a relevant field such as Industrial Engineering and Management, Industrial Design Engineering, or other multidisciplinary fields.
• You have a broad knowledge base and research interests that include engineering, design, and technological, environmental, organizational, and asset life cycle management domains.
• You are able to do independent research and are willing to build on your writing and publication skills.
• You have excellent communication skills and are proficient in written and oral English; The ability to understand spoken and written Dutch is appreciated.
• You are willing to travel internationally to perform and disseminate research.

• An inspiring multidisciplinary and challenging international and academic environment. The university offers a fun and dynamic environment with enthusiastic colleagues where cooperation with other researchers is stimulated.
• Opportunity for (frequent) international research exchange.
• Full-time employment for 4 years with a starting salary of €2.541,- gross per month in the first year and increasing to €3.247,- gross per month in the fourth year.
• Tailor-made educational/development program of at least 6 months (30EC), including visits to conferences.
• An annual holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, and an annual year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• A solid pension scheme.
• A minimum of 29 holidays per year in case of full-time employment.
• Excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment, and a lively green campus.
• A professional and personal development program within Graduate School Twente.