TUD Dresden University of Technology, as a University of Excellence, is one of the leading and most dynamic research institutions in the country. TUD has established the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) “Data-driven agile planning for responsible mobility” (AgiMo), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). This interdisciplinary center, involving four universities and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), will conduct research on 20 research topics with 25 PhD candidates within the next years. The following main research goals are pursued by this Center: (1) develop a new set of consistent scientific methods for mobility planning and management, (2) integrate a new set of modular metrics for responsible mobility, (3) embed the planning methods into the open data AgiMo Digital Twin, (4) develop participatory planning methods based on the technical outcomes from the digital twin to create future scenarios for responsible mobility that are technically well-grounded and at the same time represent stakeholder preferences. The integrated Research Training Group (RTG) will provide doctoral researchers with an attractive qualification program, foster networking, enable internationalization and mobility, and create a collaborative environment. TUD and the CRC embody a university culture that is characterized by cosmopolitanism, mutual appreciation, thriving innovation and active participation. For TUD, diversity is an essential feature and a quality criterion of an excellent university. Accordingly, we welcome all applicants who would like to commit themselves, their achievements and productivity to the success of the whole institution.
The Collaborative Research Center "AgiMo", funded by the DFG, offers a position, subject to the availability of resources, as
Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x)
(subject to personal qualifications employees are remunerated according to salary group E 13 TV-L)
starting October 1, 2025. The position is limited until June 30, 2029. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz - WissZeitVG). The position aims at obtaining further academic qualification (usually PhD).
Job ID: TRR408-C1
Investigators: Prof. Dr. Steven Travis Waller, Chair of Transport modeling and simulation, and co-supervised by at least one additional professor, plus an international tutor of the CRC
Description of the PhD topic (subproject C1 - New metrics for transportation system appraisal): Transportation systems must deliver “function” (i.e., traditional performance-related metrics), “form” (i.e., livability), and “fairness” (i.e., equity, environmental justice, etc.), on a timeline that aims towards “forever” (i.e., sustainability). This project aims to develop responsible transport appraisal methods that consider multiple performance metrics simultaneously, with a special emphasis on fairness to weigh different circumstances, constraints, and considerations. To achieve these research objectives, we will develop appraisal portfolios differing by their fairness perspectives and focused population groups. Then, we will implement bi-level network design optimization and sensitivity experiments for each portfolio design problem to explore the outcomes for correlation and causation between the metrics, groups, and network changes, and establish Pareto optimal conditions that enable planners to make informed and responsible trade-offs among conventions and population groups.
Tasks: Independent and cooperative qualification through scientific research within the project; training in the technical tasks of the individual dissertation topic through study of the literature and in making the objectives more precise; working on the individual PhD study project with its focus on transport modeling, network design, and data analytics in collaboration with other CRC members (fellow students and supervising professors); implementation of the planned research program, evaluation and interpretation of the results, elaboration and presentation of the research; participation in lectures, workshops and summer schools according to the guidelines of the RTG curriculum; supporting scientific graduation work (Bachelor/Master/Diploma) in the subject-specific research field; regular reporting on research progress to the supervising professors; publishing the results of the research work individually and in concert with others; cooperative maintenance of internal exchange platforms (database, information pages, etc.); summarizing the results of the individual doctoral study project in a dissertation within the due time of 3 years and 9 months. Successful candidates will work together with approx. 3 doctoral researchers and 5 post-doctoral researchers at the Chair of Transport Modelling and Simulation and together with the other universities and chairs being part of the CRC.
excellent or very good university degree (diploma, master's degree) in transport or related study programs (e.g., civil engineering, industrial engineering, computer science, etc) with a solid foundation in transport modeling, optimization, and/or data analytics.
General Requirements: We are looking for first-class graduates with expertise in the CRC-addressed PhD subjects, high interdisciplinary desire to learn and willingness to cooperate, openness for internationalization and diversity, very good verbal and written English communication skills as well as the absolute determination to submit the dissertation after 3 years and 9 months of research. Desired requirements specific to this project include:
TUD strives to employ more women in academia and research. We therefore expressly encourage women to apply. The University is a certified family-friendly university. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. If multiple candidates prove to be equally qualified, those with disabilities or with equivalent status pursuant to the German Social Code IX (SGB IX) will receive priority for employment.
Please submit your detailed application including a cover letter detailing your research interests stating the job-ID “TRR408-C1” along with your curriculum vitae, academic transcripts with marks, a letter of recommendation and your publications (if applicable) by July 30, 2025 (stamped arrival date of the university central mail service or the time stamp on the email server of TUD applies), preferably via the TUD SecureMail Portal https://securemail.tu-dresden.de by sending it as a single PDF-file to katrin.gloeckner@tu-dresden.de or to: TU Dresden, TRR 408, Herrn Prof. Dr. S. Travis Waller, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany. Please submit copies only, as your application will not be returned to you. Expenses incurred in attending interviews cannot be reimbursed.
Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, as well as further information about data protection is available to you on the website: https://tu-dresden.de/karriere/datenschutzhinweis.
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