PhD Position in Planning Climate Resilient Mobility Networks

TU Delft; Nederland; Hybrid; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

TU Delft is offering a four-year PhD position in Planning Climate Resilient Mobility Networks as part of the Horizon Europe CLIMACT project. The PhD candidate will develop advanced modelling and optimisation methods to assess and improve resilience of public transport and urban mobility against flooding and heat extremes.

Based in the Department of Transport & Planning, the candidate will work with SUM Lab and ORBIT Lab, collaborating with European partners and cities.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field (Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Computer Science or related topics).
• Familiarity with climate adaptation, transport networks and behavioural science is valued.
• Ability to work in a project team as well as independently and take leadership and responsibility for research tasks.
• Willingness to communicate with scientific partners, companies and cities.
• Commitment to scientific excellence and impactful research, with excellent English communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop advanced modelling and optimisation methods to improve resilience of public transport and urban mobility networks under climate risks.
• Integrate climate projections, transport network simulation and behavioural modelling to assess system performance.
• Test methods through case studies and evaluate transferability across infrastructure, operations and governance contexts.

Skills

Leadership potential

English communication

Team collaboration

Independent research

Education

Master's degree in Applied Maths / OR / CS

Job description

PhD Position in Planning Climate Resilient Mobility Networks

Planning climate resilient mobility networks.

What is CLIMACT?

CLIMACT (Climate Adaptation through Collaborative Transferability) is a four-year Horizon Europe project coordinated by Dr. Shadi Sharif Azadeh, involving 17 partners across eight European countries. The project develops a transferable framework to assess the effectiveness, limitations, and long-term resilience of climate adaptation strategies across mobility, water-health systems, and agriculture. In the mobility domain, case studies in Lisbon and Greater Manchester examine how flooding and heatwaves affect public transport networks, and how infrastructure, operational decisions, and governance can strengthen resilience. CLIMACT aims to identify adaptation pathways that remain effective under future climate conditions and can be transferred across regions and sectors.

PhD Position

The aim is to develop advanced modelling and optimisation methods to improve the resilience of public transport and urban mobility networks under increasing climate risks, particularly flooding and extreme heat. The research will integrate climate projections, transport network simulation, and behavioural modelling to assess how infrastructure vulnerabilities, operational disruptions, and travellers’ responses affect mobility system performance. A central objective is to develop optimisation-based decision support methods that identify when existing adaptation measures reach their limits and determine robust adaptation strategies under evolving climate conditions.

The PhD researcher will develop and test these methods through case studies, examining the effectiveness and transferability of adaptation strategies across different infrastructure, operational, and governance contexts. The ideal candidate has a strong background in operations research, mathematical optimisation, and stochastic modelling. Experience with simulation, machine learning, or transport demand modelling is a plus.

The Department of Transport & Planning (T&P) of Delft University of Technology is coordinating this project. T&P is composed of 12 research labs addressing various transport challenges. The researcher will be associated with the SUM Lab at CEG and ORBIT Lab at TPM (SUM Lab (tudelft.nl)).

Job requirements

• A Master's degree in a relevant field, i.e., Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Computer Science and related topics.
• Familiarities with climate adaptation, transport networks, and behavioural science are highly valued.
• Ability to work both in a project team, but also independently and take leadership and responsibility for research tasks.
• Willingness and ability to communicate with other scientific partners, companies, and cities.
• Willingness to contribute to a stimulating research environment and interactions with project partners and stakeholders.
• Passionate about scientific excellence and impactful research.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral.

If your native language is not English and you do not hold a degree from an institution in which English is the language of instruction, you must submit proof of English proficiency from either TOEFL (minimum total score of 100) or IELTS (minimum total score of 7.0). Proof of English language proficiency certificates older than two years are not accepted.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional. Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conductedin close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3204 - €4051 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service , offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Faculty/Department: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

FTE: 1,0

Submission is possible until: 8 Dec 2026