PhD Position in Real-Time Multimodal Construction Transport Optimization & AI-Driven Decision Support (MULTIPLIER Project)

We are looking for a highly motivated and curious PhD candidate to contribute to the next generation of real-time, AI-driven decision support for multimodal construction logistics. The successful candidate will join the Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences (IEMS) section of the High-tech Business & Entrepreneurship (HBE) department at the University of Twente and will be in collaboration with Pervasive Systems Research Group at EEMCS Faculty.

This PhD position is part of the MULTIPLIER project, a large cross-disciplinary initiative addressing one of the key challenges of the Dutch construction transition: scaling prefabricated modular housing while drastically reducing logistics-related emissions.

With the ambition to deliver up to 50,000 prefab houses per year, modular construction creates large, predictable transport flows. MULTIPLIER leverages this as a demand-side trigger, while inland waterway transport (IWT) serves as the supply-side multiplier, offering scalable capacity and significant emission reduction.

The project focuses on end-to-end planning, connecting prefab factory production schedules with urban construction projects through an AI-driven decision-support system that synchronises production planning, IWT capacity, terminal availability, and urban delivery constraints.

The consortium includes University of Twente, Hogeschool Utrecht, prefab housing factories Plegt-Vos and HDO Groep, IT solution providers (Cape Groep, Bureau Voorlichting Binnenvaart), logistics and terminal partners (Peterson Nederland, Port of Twente, Metropolitan Hub System), municipalities (Amsterdam, Leiden, Den Haag), , Logistics Overijssel and Logistics Navigators. The academic supervision team includes Dr. Engin Topan and Dr. Rob Benthuis.

MULTIPLIER integrates operational data, optimization, and hybrid AI into a decision-support environment that advises when inland shipping is feasible, and how to bundle, schedule, and synchronise multimodal prefab logistics in zero-emission contexts. This requires an end-to-end planning.

In this PhD project, you will:

• Develop real-time optimization and hybrid AI models for end-to-end multimodal transport planning under uncertainty.
• Design synchronization, consolidation, and matchmaking algorithms that align prefab factory production schedules with IWT capacity, terminals, and urban delivery windows.
• Model multi-level planning decisions, connecting early feasibility assessment and quotation with tactical release planning and real-time operational dispatching.
• Incorporate urban and site-specific constraints, such as quay availability, zero-emission zones, access windows, and reverse logistics flows.
• Build explainable, scenario-based decision support that helps planners decide when and how IWT can be applied effectively.
• Work closely with a large multi-actor consortium, including factories, logistics providers, ports, and municipalities.
• Contribute to Living Lab pilots that demonstrate real-world applicability and scalable logistics impact.

We expect the PhD candidate to deliver the main deliverables to the consortium before 31 December 2028. In the remaining time of this position, the PhD candidate can write and finalize the thesis.

We are looking for an ambitious, highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher with:

• A Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Transport Engineering or a related field or a related field;
• Strong skills or interest, and proven experience in:
• optimization, particularly integer programming, e.g., vehicle routing and packing problems and heuristics;
• simulation;
• data-driven modelling;
• decision support systems;
• AI (reinforcement learning, machine learning).
• Motivation and ability to work both academically and in a large multi-partner consortium environment;
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with engineers, planners, and industrial stakeholders;
• Excellent command of written and spoken English. Command of written and spoken Dutch is an advantage for collaborating with industry partners;
• Preferably, experience in transport and logistics planning, multimodal networks, construction logistics, or decision support systems.

We encourage high responsibility and independence, while collaborating with colleagues, researchers, other university staff and partners. We follow the terms of employment by the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO). Our offer includes: a full-time, 4-year PhD position with a qualifying evaluation in the first year; excellent mentorship in a stimulating research environment with excellent facilities; and a personal development program within the Twente Graduate School. It also includes:

• Gross monthly salary of €3,059 in the first year, increasing each year up to €3,881 in the fourth year;
• Excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• 29 holidays per year in case of full-time employment;
• A training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;
• A green campus with free access to sports facilities and an international scientific community;
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);
• A full employee status at the University of Twente (UT), including pension, healthcare benefits, and favourable secondary conditions as outlined in the CAO-NU collective labour agreement for Dutch universities.

The HBE department is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive working culture. Our aim is that all job applicants are given equal opportunities. When we select candidates for employment, it will be on the basis of their competence and ability. To support workforce diversity, we are open to offering flexible working conditions on an individual basis to support work-life balance, which may include contract of employment, working hours and location, or child care arrangements. The HBE department fosters an inclusive, collaborative research culture and supports flexible working arrangements. It specializes in bridging data-driven decision-making, operations management, and human-centered design to solve real-world challenges in production and logistics.

Are you interested in joining our team? Please submit your application before 25 January, 2026 and include:

• A cover /motivation letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications, and motivations to apply for this position;
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV), if applicable, a list of publications and references;
• A course list with grades (both BSc and MSc);
• An IELTS-test, Internet TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT), or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE). Applicants with a non-Dutch qualification and who have not had secondary and tertiary education in English can only be admitted with an IELTS-test showing a total band score of at least 6.5, TOEFL Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) showing a score of at least 90, or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE).

Additional information can be acquired from

• Dr. Engin Topan – e.topan@utwente.nl
• Dr. Rob Bemthuis r.h.bemthuis@utwente.nl