PhD in Transparent AI Decision Support Systems for Sustainable Mobility

Introduction

Are you passionate about AI, sustainability, and transdisciplinary research? Would you like to bring together AI techniques and stakeholder insights to create transparent decision-support tools for tackling sustainable mobility challenges faced by businesses, governments and citizens?

Job Description

This PhD project is a part of The DECIDE project – Democratizing AI: Empowering Citizens through Transparent Decision-making. DECIDE is a large-scale, NWO-funded research initiative under the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). It brings together 10 Dutch universities, over 50 academic researchers, and 30 societal partners in an ambitious inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration. Our shared mission is to design and implement a new generation of transparent, citizen-empowering AI systems, with a focus on AI-supported decision-making that contributes to the empowerment and democratic participation of citizens.  

The DECIDE project addresses real-world challenges across domains such as healthcare, mobility, public governance, and healthy lifestyles. By co-developing strategies with societal stakeholders, DECIDE aims to create solutions that have tangible impact on society. 

As a PhD candidate, you will be part of a multidisciplinary team of PhD students and become part of a vibrant inter- and transdisciplinary research community. You will: 

• Collaborate across disciplines and with societal stakeholders to achieve real-world impact.  
• Participate in joint training programs on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research methods, citizen engagement, and ethical AI. 
• Contribute to cutting-edge research that bridges theory and practice. 

DECIDE is organized into 10 work packages (WPs): 

• SixWPs focus on disciplinary perspectives in psychology, education, computer sciences, law, and philosophy. 
• FourWPs address citizen-empowerment-scenarios (CES) in healthcare, mobility, public governance, and healthy living.  

This PhD project focuses on the development of transparent and explainable AI-based Decision Support Systems (AI-DSS) for sustainable mobility, in close collaboration with societal partners SmartwayZ (https://smartwayz.nl/). The aim is to empower citizens, particularly SMEs, entrepreneurs, and policy makers, by enabling them to understand, explore, and evaluate the consequences of mobility-related policy and business decisions.

The PhD project explicitly combines computational modelling and AI techniques with social science research methods to 1) develop AI-based simulation and decision-support models, and 2) empirically investigate how different stakeholders (e.g. SMEs, entrepreneurs, policy makers) understand, use, and are empowered by such systems, by actively participating in stakeholder workshops, interviews, surveys, and case studies.  

This position will be based in the Information Systems (IS) Group at the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). The candidate will be supervised by Dr. Yingqian Zhang, Dr. Hendrik Baier, and Dr. Plato Leung.  

The Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences (IE&IS) department combines disciplinary knowledge from the humanities, social sciences and technical sciences to solve the complex problems of industries and society. We collaboratively focus on and create responsible and effective innovations for the research themes: Humans and Technology, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability and Circularity, and Value of Data-Driven Intelligence.

Job Requirements

• A Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Data Science, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related field.
• A motivated candidate with a research-driven mindset and a genuine interest in solving real-world challenges in close collaboration with industry.
• Strong interest and skills in computational modelling, simulation, AI, and programming.
• Preferably with a background or demonstrated interest in the social science domain.
• Familiarity with or strong motivation to develop skills in empirical social-science research methods, including interviews, surveys, and case study research.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team.
• Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level).
• Proficiency in Dutch is preferable, as the role involves collaboration with local stakeholders.
  
  

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: 

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. 
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 - max. € 3,881).  
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. 
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. 
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.  
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is a leading international university within the Brainport region where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community.

The Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences (IE&IS) department combines disciplinary knowledge from the humanities, social sciences and technical sciences to solve the complex problems of industries and society. We collaboratively focus on and create responsible and effective innovations for the research themes: Humans and Technology, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability and Circularity, and Value of Data-Driven Intelligence.

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Yingqian Zhang (YQZhang@tue.nl), Hendrik Baier (h.j.s.baier@tue.nl), or Plato Leung (y.k.leung@jads.nl).

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices.ieis@tue.nl.

Curious to hear more about what it’s like as a PhD candidate at TU/e? Please view the video.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references. Kindly note that we may reach out to references at any stage of the recruitment process. We recommend notifying your references upon submitting your application.

Ensure that you submit all the requested application documents. We give priority to complete applications.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.

Please note

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.