PhD in Optimization of Emergency Services under Decentralized Capacity Sources

RSM; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 31,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) invites applications for a PhD position on the optimization of emergency services under decentralized capacity sources. The project examines CFRs and platform-based ambulances with mathematical modelling and game-theoretic approaches.

Reporting to ERIM, the PhD offers collaboration with industry partners and focuses on impact, publication, and international relevance. The deadline for applications is 15 January 2027, with a 1 FTE position.

Qualifications

• Master in operations research, operations management, mathematics, industrial engineering, computer science or similar.
• Strong command of English and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop mathematical models (ILP, MDPS, Game Theory) to optimize emergency services.
• Coordinate with industry partners in Kenya, Indonesia, Sweden and the Netherlands.
• Analyze performance, incentives, and dispatch decisions; support resource allocation.
• Publish findings and contribute to practical and theoretical advancements.

Skills

Good communication in English

Education

Master in operations research / OR / related fields

Job description

• PhD in Optimization of Emergency Services under Decentralized Capacity Sources

PhD in Optimization of Emergency Services under Decentralized Capacity Sources

Position

ERIM FT PhD vacancy form

Visible since

Monday, 2 November 2026

Deadline

Friday, 15 January 2027

FTE

1 fte

Reference

6004

Abstract

Emergency response systems are critical for saving lives, yet many struggle to maintain quick and reliable service. In High-Income Countries (HICs), rising demand and staff shortages put pressure on response times, while in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), the lack of centralized coordination leads to significant delays. This research addresses these global challenges by exploring innovative capacity sources, such as the use of lay-person volunteers as community first responders (CFRs) and consolidation of independent ambulance providers through an emergency platform. These capacity sources operate independently from the emergency service and their location and availability is therefore unpredictable and uncontrollable.

This project investigates how to integrate and manage decentralized, unpredictable capacity sources. The existing methodology in literature on emergency systems cannot capture this level of capacity-side uncertainty and new models need to be developed. The project will address challenges related to the estimation of performance, providing incentives for commitment, optimization of dispatch decisions, and resource allocation. The research will use mathematical modelling, including Integer Linear Programming, Markov Decision Processes, and Game Theory, to quantify performance and optimize operational processes in the presence of uncertain capacity. Partnerships with emergency providers in Kenya, Indonesia, Sweden and the Netherlands will ensure the embedding of theoretical advancements in real-world settings. By combining academic innovation with practical relevance, this project creates a solutions for addressing pressing challenges in emergency care.

Operations Management, Emergency Response, Public Sector, Platform Economy, Community First Responders.

Topic

Setting

Emergency response systems increasingly rely on independent, unpredictable capacity sources such as commercial ambulances operating on emergency platforms and Community First Responders (CFRs) who volunteer through smartphone applications. These responders are not scheduled, positioned, or controlled by the emergency service. Their location, availability, commitment, and capabilities fluctuate, creating a fundamentally different type of uncertainty than the demand-side uncertainty traditionally studied in emergency service research.

This shift creates major operational challenges. Emergency platforms in LMICs depend on commercial ambulances that strategically choose when and where to be available, driven by revenue considerations rather than system-wide performance. CFR systems in HICs rely on volunteers who decide whether to accept alerts based on personal convenience and perceived value, resulting in acceptance rates well below 50%. In both cases, emergency services cannot use demand-side pricing, cannot force responders to relocate, and therefore cannot guarantee coverage in low-demand areas.

Academic research has only begun to explore these issues. Work on CFRs focuses mainly on dispatching for cardiac arrest, while research on emergency platforms has only just started to appear. The ride-hailing literature offers useful analogies, but its core mechanisms—surge pricing, access limitations, selective service areas—are ethically unacceptable in emergency care. This leaves emergency services without the analytical tools needed to integrate decentralized capacity sources effectively.

The PhD project will address this gap by developing new operational models that capture how decentralized responders behave and how emergency services can influence and coordinate them. The project will combine game theory, information design, machine learning, and optimization, using real-world data from partners in Kenya, Indonesia, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Research Problem

Emergency services lack the analytical and operational frameworks needed to integrate independent, unpredictable responders whose behavior cannot be directly controlled. This limits their ability to estimate performance, influence responder decisions, and dispatch heterogeneous responders effectively.

Central Research Question

How can emergency services most effectively integrate and manage independent, unpredictable capacity sources to improve response times and reliability?

Approach

Mathematical Modelling, Machine Learning, Simulation, Optimization, Game Theory.

Required profile

We seek a candidate who has:

• A master in operations research, operations management, business analytics, mathematics, industrial engineering, computer science or similar
• Good communication skills in English

Required by ERIM

Applications will be evaluated as they come in.

This PhD position is part of the Vidi project awarded to dr.Pieter L. van den Berg.Besides this PhD project, the project will also fund a PostDoc position. During the PhD project, you are expected to work together with the PostDoc as well as the industry partners.

Societal relevance

To ensure the societal relevance of the project, you are expected to collaborate with industry partners in the emergency response sector. The envisioned supervisory team has a strong record on having practical impact with high quality research.

Scientific relevance

The Supply Chain Management group at RSM has a strong track record of publishing research in highly ranked management journals. In addition to undertaking research visits, PhD students are actively encouraged to participate in all major international conferences, and are supported in their travel to disseminate their research findings.

See the following two papers for an impression of the type of research conducted in this project.

Erasmus University Rotterdam aspires to be an equitable and inclusive community.

We nurture an open culture, where everyone is supported to fulfil their full potential.

We see inclusivity of talent as the basis of our successes, and the diversity of perspectives and people as a highly valued outcome.

EUR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, functional impairment, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique.

We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools.

RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade.

RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future.

Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers.

RSM is an equal opportunity employer and explicitly encourages applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, and nationalities.