Postdoc in Resilient and Equitable Mobility Systems

Karlstad University; Göteborgs kommun; On-site; SEK 438,548 - 657,822; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive employee benefits

Support for parental leave

Swedish language courses

Job summary

Karlstad University is seeking a Postdoc in Resilient and Equitable Mobility Systems in Gothenburg. This temporary position focuses on developing frameworks for mobility systems using a range of data and modelling techniques.

The successful candidate will have a strong PhD background and be proficient in computational methods. The role offers a dynamic work environment along with comprehensive employee benefits and support for relocation.

Qualifications

• PhD in complex systems, transport systems, or a related field.
• Strong methodological training.
• Experience in mobility systems modelling.

Responsibilities

• Develop frameworks for resilient and equitable mobility.
• Model adaptation of individuals and groups to disruptions.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary research teams.

Skills

Independent research

Computational modelling

Data analysis

Scientific communication in English

Education

Doctoral degree in complex systems or related field

Tools

Python

R

Job description

Postdoc in Resilient and Equitable Mobility Systems

Our goal is to focus on competence, knowledge and collaboration in order to play an important, demonstrable role in social development.

About the research project

The position is part of the DYNAMO project, which develops next‑generation dynamic synthetic populations that are scenario‑conditioned and suitable for stress‑testing mobility systems under disruptions. The work combines mobile‑phone data, census and urban data, activity‑based and agent‑based modelling, generative sequence models, transport networks, digital twins, resilience indicators and equity‑sensitive analysis. The project explicitly seeks to move beyond static “average‑day” demand modelling toward dynamic, behaviourally rich and policy‑relevant simulations of how different groups adapt under changing conditions.

The project is carried out in collaboration with the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU, Denmark) and Universidad del Desarrollo / ISI Foundation (Chile/Italy), contributing expertise in human mobility modelling, resilience science and empirical disruption analysis using large‑scale mobile phone data from Chile.

Who we are looking for

The successful candidate will contribute intellectually to the theoretical development of the project and help connect empirical mobility data and computational modelling with theories of complex systems, network dynamics, resilience, disruption response, adaptation, inequality, or urban systems.

Mandatory requirements

• A doctoral degree in a relevant field such as complex systems, network science, transport systems, urban science, computational social science, applied mathematics, physics, computer science, geography, urban planning, engineering, data science, resilience studies or a closely related field.
• The degree must normally have been awarded before the start of employment.
• Doctoral training with a strong theoretical or methodological component.
• Interdisciplinary training that bridges theory, computation and empirical data.
• Training in one or more of the following areas: complex systems theory, network science, resilience theory, disruption modelling, mobility systems, urban analytics, computational social science, agent‑based modelling, causal inference or spatial data science.

Mandatory experiences and skills

• Documented ability to conduct high‑quality independent research.
• Strong computational, mathematical or modelling skills relevant to complex mobility systems, including the ability to implement and validate models using empirical or synthetic mobility data.
• Experience with quantitative modelling, simulation, data analysis or computational methods.
• Very good ability to write and communicate scientific results in English.
• Experience with at least one of the following: agent‑based modelling, activity‑based travel modelling, geospatial data analysis, mobility data analysis, generative modelling, transport simulation, network modelling or data fusion.
• Ability to work both independently and in interdisciplinary research teams.

Experience that will strengthen your application

• Experience with agent‑based modelling, network modelling, dynamic systems, spatial interaction models, activity‑based travel modelling, transport simulation or digital twins.
• Experience with mobility data, mobile phone data, GPS data, smart‑card data, census data, transport networks, public transport data or other large‑scale urban datasets.
• Experience with resilience, disruption, evacuation, crisis response, climate adaptation, infrastructure vulnerability, accessibility or equity analysis.
• Experience with open science, reproducible workflows, version control, containerised pipelines, data/model documentation or FAIR data practices.
• Programming experience in Python, R, Julia, Java, MATSim, GIS tools or related software.
• Experience working across disciplines or with stakeholders in transport, urban planning, public policy, emergency preparedness or infrastructure planning.

What you will do

• Develop computational and conceptually grounded frameworks for resilient and equitable mobility systems.
• Advance agent‑based, network‑based or complex systems models of mobility under disruption.
• Contribute to the design of dynamic synthetic populations and behaviourally plausible mobility agents.
• Model how individuals, groups and networks adapt to disruptions, including sudden events and fore‑warned hazards.
• Develop or test indicators for robustness, recovery, vulnerability, accessibility loss and equity impacts.
• Work with large‑scale mobility, transport network, census, land‑use or other urban data.
• Contribute to open, reproducible research workflows, model documentation and scientific publications.
• Collaborate with researchers in mobility data science, urban analytics, human mobility, resilience, digital twins and policy analysis.
• Help connect the project’s empirical, computational and theoretical components, and mentor junior researchers or students where appropriate.
• Implement and validate models related to dynamic synthetic populations, activity‑based mobility patterns, disruption response and resilience or equity indicators.

Contract terms

The position is a temporary full‑time employment for two years, with the possibility of a one‑year extension. The position requires physical presence throughout the entire employment. A valid residence permit must be presented by the start date, otherwise the offer may be withdrawn.

What we offer

• As a postdoc at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits.
• A dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.
• Swedish courses to help you settle in if Swedish is not your native language.
• Access to Chalmers’ comprehensive employee benefits catalogue.
• Support for parental leave, subsidised day‑care, free schools, healthcare and more.

Application procedure

Applications should be written in English and attached as PDF files. The maximum size for each file is 40 MB and the system does not support ZIP files.

Required documents

• A comprehensive CV, including a complete list of publications.
• Details of previous teaching and pedagogical experience.
• Attested copies of completed education, academic grades and courses taken, and other certificates if applicable.
• Up to three selected publications or manuscripts relevant to the position.

Contact

• Sonia Yeh, Professor, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences – Email: [e-mail], 031-772-6716
• Jorge Gil, Associate Professor, Urban Analytics and Informatics – Email: [e-mail]
• Frances Sprei, Professor, Unit head, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences – Email: [e-mail], 031-772-2146

Application deadline

We welcome your application no later than 2026‑08‑11. Shortlisting is planned for late August, with first interviews expected around 1 September.