DTU Management’s Transport Division and the Joint Research Centre (JRC of the EU Commission would like to invite applications for a 3-year PhD position starting no later than 1 November 2025. 

You will join the Sustainable Smart and Safe Mobility Unit at the JRC in Ispra, Italy for the first 2 years, and the Intelligent Transport Systems Section at DTU, Denmark for the last year. You will work under the supervision of Prof. Francisco C. Pereira, Assoc. Prof. Carlos Lima Azevedo (DTU), Dr. Biagio Ciuffo and Dr. Georgios Fontaras (JRC).

You will work on research focused on developing machine learning algorithms to support the use of complex urban simulators in decision-making under uncertainty. This PhD project shifts the focus from optimality to relevance in urban land-use and transportation decision-making by exploring a wide range of possible scenarios, including unexpected and negative outcomes. By integrating machine learning, metamodeling, and causal representation learning, we aim to efficiently navigate high-dimensional decision spaces, leveraging open-source agent-based simulation tools to evaluate accessibility and environmental impacts of urban planning policies.

You should have an MSc background in Computer Science, Informatics Engineering, Mathematical Modeling, Computational Urban Science, Transport Modeling or equivalent, or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree and with an interest in simulation and machine learning.

This position is funded under the DTU-JRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership. 

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your primary responsibilities are: 

• Become familiar with advanced concepts and existing literature in relevant ML and robust decision-making.
• Become familiar with the complex SimMobility simulation tool and develop the needed extensions for this project.
• Implement and test the new methodology of your PhD project
• Create ground-truth datasets for training, validation and test of the methodology
• Participate in international conferences.
• Take advanced classes to improve academic skills.
• Carry out teaching, teaching support and BSc./MSc. co-supervision as part of the overall PhD contract.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) in Computer Science, Informatics Engineering, Mathematical Modeling, Computational Urban Science, Transport Modeling or equivalent or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree. Additional qualifications include: 

• Good programming skills in Python, Julia, R or similar, and familiarity with C, C# or C++.
• Curiosity and interest in future urban challenges and decision-making under uncertainty.
• Ability to translate conceptual models to their mathematical formulation and to test them with numerical and simulation experiments.
• Excellent communication in English and interpersonal skills for working in a multi-disciplinary team environment.
• Willingness to engage in group work with a multi-national team;
• Able to work independently;

Approval and Enrolment  
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and you will be enrolled in the PhD degree programmes at DTU’s Department of Technology, Management and Economics. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education . 

Assessment
The selection is made in two phases: first at DTU and then at JRC. The assessment of the applicants will be led by Francisco C. Pereira, Carlos Lima Azevedo (at DTU),Georgios Fontaras and Biagio Ciuffo (at the JRC).

Eligibility criteria
In accordance with Article 2a) of the GH Rules, candidates should, at the start of the employment contract with the JRC:

• have the nationality of a Member State of the EU or a country associated to the Research Framework Programmes or being resident in a EU Member State since at least five years.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

The JRC provides independent, evidence-based knowledge and science, supporting EU policies to positively impact society. JRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships  (CDP) is an initiative of the JRC to establish strategic collaborations with higher education institutions that is characterised by research excellence and international reputation. The purpose of CDP is to train a new generation of doctoral students in science and technology. A specific focus lies on the science-policy interface.

Salary and appointment terms
At DTU the appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. 

The period of employment at DTU is 1 year (3rd year). 

For the period spent at the JRC, doctoral students are offered a grant-holder category 20 contract. The period of employment at the JRC is 2 years (1st and 2nd year). You can read more about JRC’s grants at https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/jrcsh/files/jrc_grantholder_rules.pdf .

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Francisco C. Pereira at camara@dtu.dk  (DTU) and Biagio Ciuffo at Biagio.CIUFFO@ec.europa.eu  (JRC).

You can read more about DTU Management at www.man.dtu.dk  and about the JRC at joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU. 

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 31 July 2025 (23:59 Danish time) . Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file . The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. 

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

The Intelligent Transportation System Section belongs to the Transport division of the Department of Technology, Management and Economics (DTU Management) at DTU. The division conducts research and teaching in the field of traffic and transport behaviour and planning, with particular focus on behaviour modelling, machine learning and systems modelling and simulation.

DTU Management conducts excellent research in the intersection between management, technology and economics. We develop solutions in close cooperation with companies and public authorities. Our research aims at strengthening welfare, productivity, and sustainability within the society. A key element is the role of technology and its interaction with industry and individuals. Explore more at  www.man.dtu.dk .

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.