Three positions for PhD students: Optimizing Demand-Responsive Electric Mobility Systems Under Uncertainty

The KU Leuven Institute for Mobility (LIM), together with the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), is looking for PhD students. We have three vacancies for fully funded doctoral students for four years. The research topic is practically-oriented and situated in the scientific domain of operations research (operational research (OR), decision making, automatic control, operations management, distribution logistics).

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Positions:

• Three four-year fully funded doctoral research positions at KU Leuven or LISER;

• (80%) scientific research in the field of operations research;

• (20%) educational tasks: seminars, workshops, thesis coaching, etc.;

• attending conferences, visiting international partners, etc.

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Topic: Optimizing Demand-Responsive Electric Mobility Systems Under Uncertainty

The MIM research group, partner in LIM, has more than 15 years of experience with applying operations research techniques to public transport planning and supply chain operations, as well as transport and traffic management. The Urban Development and Mobility group from LISER has expertise in electrified public transport planning and advanced analytics of urban mobility. The project aims to enhance the efficiency, coverage, and sustainability of mobility systems in suburban areas by designing and developing optimization-based strategies for on-demand services, optimally integrated with innovative charging technologies. We will develop advanced mathematical frameworks and algorithms that accommodate the distinct operational characteristics of these mobility services while addressing their charging infrastructure needs.

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Profile:

The candidate should have a master’s degree in engineering, business engineering, computer science, informatics or applied mathematics and have an interest in practical applications of quantitative or mathematical techniques and operations research. Basic programming skills are required (at least).

The working language of this project is English, and the candidate should be proficient in written and spoken English (also at teaching level). Requirements are listed here: https://set.kuleuven.be/phd/applicants/languagerequirements .

 You will become part of a dynamic international research group with other PhD students, all working on applying quantitative methods, including operations research and automatic control, on (closely) related practical problems. Within the project, you will get the opportunity to collaborate with other PhD students.

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Practical:

If you are interested in these vacancies, you should apply online, before April, 13:

https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60641004 

The starting date of this research position is preferably October 1, 2026, but other starting dates can be discussed.

More information about our research can be found here:

• https://www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/mim/imresearch/pps
• https://liser.elsevierpure.com/en/organisations/urban-development-mobility/
• https://www.kuleuven.be/lim

With questions, you can contact [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].

When applying, you should include a motivation letter, transcripts of your master’s degree with grades in English, your CV and clearly indicate your skills in operations research, programming, and/or quantitative optimization. Also include your preference for working at KU Leuven or LISER. The KU Leuven’s students will be enrolled to the Arenberg Doctoral School of KU Leuven. The LISER’s student will be enrolled to the Doctoral School in Sciences and Engineering of the University of Luxembourg.

Even if you graduate only in June or September 2026, you can apply.

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Project abstract:

Traditional bus services often operate on fixed timetables and routes that are too expensive to run in low-density areas, resulting in an infrequent service and long passenger waiting times. Demand-responsive mobility services have emerged as viable alternatives for these areas, including door-to-door ride-hailing and stop-based bus services that adjust routes based on real-time demand. As we strive to meet climate goals, electrification of these services is essential; however, deploying electric vehicles requires mid-service recharging due to a limited range, causing fleet downtime. Mobile charging systems offer a promising solution for this by enabling flexible charging that can reduce downtime and fixed costs, while increasing charging infrastructure utilization and mitigating peak grid impact. However, this introduces new challenges in jointly optimising route planning and charging operations, given the complex interactions between uncertain passenger demand, traffic congestion, vehicle charging needs and limited resources (fleet size, mobile and fixed charging infrastructure). This project aims to address these challenges by developing novel mathematical models and algorithms to support real-time routing and charging for both ride-hailing and demand responsive semi-flexible bus systems using fixed and mobile charging technology. The outcome will provide useful tools to support service planning and real-time operation management for mobility service providers.