Your function

Critical infrastructures are vital to society and the economy, including bridges, tunnels, and systems for energy and drinking water distribution. Disruptions can cause severe physical, social, and economic damage. In recent decades, offshore infrastructure—such as wind farms, subsea cables, and oil pipelines—has expanded. Recent geopolitical tensions and incidents at sea highlight the need to improve surveillance and protection, and to determine the optimal mix of manned and unmanned platforms in maritime military operations.

The project is focussed on the theoretical analysis of algorithms with applications as described above. Emphasis will be placed on computational complexity (e.g. NP-hardness), approximation algorithms (e.g. worst case performance analysis). Closely related topics are the traveling salesman and postman problem, periodic latency problems, and pinwheel scheduling.

There will also be opportunities to test the algorithms on real-life instances in order to obtain insights in the optimal deployment of manned and unmanned systems. Since we regard these problems from a military point of view, it is also natural to incorporate an adversary using the essentials of game theory.

Your duties

This is a project of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA) in Den Helder, and financed by the Ministry of Defence. There will be a supervisor from each of these parties. The position is at the VU but the candidate is expected to regularly visit the NLDA.

You will contribute to high quality research with the aim of publishing top level scientific articles and completing a PhD thesis. You will present your research at academic conferences and interdisciplinary workshops. Following specialized PHD courses is part of the PhD trajectory. Also, you will provide a contribution to the Department’s teaching programme, with the opportunity to obtain a PhD teaching qualification certificate.

Your profile

motivated to do high quality research with the aim of publishing top level scientific articles
proven expertise in, and affinity with, quantitative research methods e.g. optimization algorithms and complexity analysis for routing and scheduling problems
excellent academic writing and reflection skills
high proficiency of the English language
MA/MSc degree in Operations Research, Computer science, Mathematics, or closely related studies.

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

a salary of € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
an employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
solid pension scheme (ABP)
contribution to commuting expenses
optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

Operations Analytics

The department of Operations Analytics of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam studies how data can be transformed into better decisions for a variety of processes and operations.

Research efforts are aimed at analyzing data-driven decision-making problems arising in industry and society, in particular related to Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Sustainability and Networks.

By examining the mathematical structure and properties of these decision-making problems and by developing novel data analysis and optimization methods, the Department offers academic and practical insights on how to tackle contemporary challenges. Supported by government research grants and industry collaborations, the research output of the department is published in top-tier journals and valorized in master of science programmes in Transport and Supply Chain Management, in Econometrics and Operations Research, and in executive education.

School of Business and Economics
We at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) at VU Amsterdam bring together socially relevant teaching and research in the areas of business administration and economics. We focus on real-life issues that have a huge impact on society, economics and ecology: from robotics to big data, and from job market participation to change management.

Collaboration and cooperation, transparency and social responsibility are four keywords that embody our approach. Students, researchers and staff at SBE share real-world knowledge in order to devise solutions together to global economic and social challenges. In order to make a positive impact on the world, society and the lives of others.

Are you interested in joining SBE? You will work in a stimulating, dynamic and international environment with motivated colleagues dedicated to helping society make informed choices. SBE employs roughly 600 staff, with 7,250 students enrolled in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes and 1,700 executive students.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application and upload a short letter (maximum one page) in which you describe your abilities and motivation, accompanied by a curriculum vitae, and two references (names and e-mail addresses). Given the nature of the research topic and the close collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, a security screening will be part of the application process .

Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.

Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.

Operations Research Academic Jobs in Europe

Optimization in routing and scheduling for critical infrastructure protection