Phd Position Psychologically Validated Digital Twins Of Human Decision-Making In Urban Mobility (1.0 Fte)

making in urban mobility (1,0 FTE)

Job description

Digital twins of urban mobility are widely used to understand and predict traffic flow in and through cities, such as Utrecht, using agent- or activity- based modeling. Although successful, the psychological grounding of individual variation in these models, and therefore validity, is limited. The PhD research project will investigate how individual differences in decision- making can be modeled in digital twins of urban mobility (e.g., cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation in different urban settings) in a validated, more psychologically plausible way. The project offers an exciting opportunity for interdisciplinary research at the intersection of AI, Cognitive Science, Geosciences, and Computer Science. Moreover, there is active collaboration between Utrecht University, the research institute TNO, crowd simulation company uCrowds, and the municipality of Utrecht.

As a starting point, the PhD candidate will focus on city events: mobility around events such as a stadium or an in-town public festival. How do operational and strategic decisions affect mobility behaviour and choices here?Funding and Supervision TeamThe project is funded through Utrecht University's AI Labs and TNO. The PhD candidate is supervised at Utrecht University by an interdisciplinary team of AI researchers with additional backgrounds in HCI and Cognitive Science (Dr. Chris Janssen - daily supervisor; Dr. Leendert van Maanen - promotor), Computer Science (Dr. Roland Geraerts), and Geosciences (Dr. Bas Spierings). The PhD candidate will be based at the division of Experimental Psychology (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University). The candidate will also collaborate with Dr. Taoufik Bakri of TNO (The Hague), and spend on average one day per week at TNO. The candidate will also collaborate with uCrowds (via Dr. Geraerts) and the municipality of Utrecht. Finally, the Ph.D. candidate will also be embedded in the Helmholtz Research School and the Netherlands Graduate School of Urban and Regional Research (NETHUR).

Qualifications

The ideal candidate for the position:

Offer We offer a temporary position (1.0 FTE) for one year. Upon a positive performance, the appointment will be extended for three further years. The exact duration depends on whether the candidate chooses to spend 10% or 20% on teaching. In case of a higher teaching percentage, part of that time will also be spent on obtaining additional training and qualifications (e.g., complete parts of a University Teaching Qualification – BKO – trajectory). The gross salary starts at €2,541 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of €3.247 gross per month in the fourth and final year (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) gross per month for a full- time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. About the organization

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. Utrecht University is located in one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture. At the university, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability. You can watch the Utrecht University Campus Tour to get an impression of our university.

The faculty strives for diversity among its employees and students and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, as can be read in Utrecht University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.The faculty attaches great importance to the fact that its employees can be widely deployed in the university organization, now and in the future, to further professionalize the support of education and research. To encourage this, every employee is given the time and facilities – for example in the form of training – at some point in their career to participate in projects or work in other departments. Characteristics that the faculty considers important are involvement, the ability to collaborate and flexibility.The faculty is located at Utrecht Science Park near the historical city centre of Utrecht.

Additional information Additional information about this position can be obtained from Dr. Chris Janssen (Assistant Professor) at [email protected].

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

The intended start date is September 1st, 2023.

The application deadline is 31/05/2023