PhD Position Optimizing Multi-actor Transport and Logistics Systems

Job Position(s): PhD Position Optimizing Multi-actor Transport and Logistics Systems

TU Delft is hiring a PhD researcher for the PhD Position Optimizing Multi-actor Transport and Logistics Systems, based in Delft, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. This role sits within the Transport and Logistics section of the Department of Engineering Systems and Services, where the researcher will develop mathematical models and scalable algorithms that capture how competing and cooperating actors make decisions across large-scale logistics networks. It is a strong fit for an early-career researcher with a sharp foundation in mathematical optimisation and a genuine interest in where operations research meets game theory.

About the Role

The PhD Position Optimizing Multi-actor Transport and Logistics Systems is a temporary, full-time research contract at 38 hours per week, with an application deadline of 22 November 2026. Day-to-day work involves formulating mathematical programming models, designing decomposition-based solution methods, and running computational experiments on large problem instances drawn from transport and logistics planning contexts. The researcher operates within an interdisciplinary, international team and is expected to produce peer-reviewed publications in leading operations research and transportation journals throughout the PhD.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop game-theoretic and optimisation models that account for multiple interacting decision-makers with conflicting objectives in transport and logistics systems.
• Design and implement scalable solution algorithms using techniques such as column generation, branch-and-price, and Benders decomposition for computationally demanding problem instances.
• Write and submit research findings to top-tier journals in operations research, transportation science, and logistics.
• Present work to interdisciplinary audiences at academic conferences and within the department, translating technical results for non-specialist stakeholders.
• Contribute to the broader research agenda of the Transport and Logistics section by engaging with ongoing projects that extend beyond the core logistics domain.

What You Bring

• A completed MSc in operations research, applied mathematics, econometrics, computer science, industrial engineering, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience with mixed-integer programming and familiarity with optimisation solvers in practice.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Julia, Java, or C++.
• Excellent academic writing and communication skills in English.
• Knowledge of game theory, bi-level optimisation, or decomposition algorithms is a genuine advantage for this PhD Position Optimizing Multi-actor Transport and Logistics Systems.

Why This Role

TU Delft carries more than 180 years of engineering research behind it and consistently places its graduates and researchers into consequential roles across industry, government, and academia worldwide. This PhD Position Optimizing Multi-actor Transport and Logistics Systems sits at a genuinely open methodological frontier, where MILP-based planning tools have well-documented limits and game-theoretic extensions remain largely unsolved at scale. TU Delft’s active focus on smart mobility and AI-driven systems means this research connects directly to applied problems that are attracting serious institutional and industrial attention.

Apply now for the PhD Position Optimizing Multi-actor Transport and Logistics Systems at TU Delft before the 22 November 2026 deadline.