***Apologies for cross-posting***



On behalf of Dr Egidio Quaglietta and Prof Rob Goverde:



Please find below an advert for a PhD scholarship from TU Delft.



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Four-year PhD vacancy on the impact assessment of train-centric railway signalling systems at the Department of Transport and Planning, Delft University of Technology.
The Digital Rail Traffic Lab at the Department of Transport and Planning, Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) is glad to announce a PhD vacancy for the EU H2020 Shift2Rail funded project MOVINGRAIL. The PhD position has a total duration of four years and will be investigating potentials of train-centric railway signalling technologies such as ERTMS/ETCS Level 3 and Virtual Coupling.
1.      Work Description
To face the ever-increasing need for railway transport capacity, train-centric signalling technologies such as ERTMS/ETCS Level 3 and the new concept of Virtual Coupling are being investigated to overcome traditional fixed-block train separation and go towards a "moving-block" operational setup. In moving-block operations, vital track-side equipment (e.g. signalling, track detection sections) are replaced by onboard devices for train integrity monitoring and dynamic braking supervision so to reduce train separation to a braking curve and move as cars do on the road.
The EU H2020 Shift2Rail funded project MOVINGRAIL will be delivering breakthroughs for the deployment of train-centric signalling by defining operational implications, developing testing methods for ETCS Level 3 as well as assessing impacts of Virtual Coupling. The PhD will be involved in the following activities:

  *   Analyse and define novel operational principles to enable safe train separation under train-centric signalling operations.
  *   Contribute to the identification of strategies for testing train-centric signalling components.
  *   Support the evaluation of future train-to-train and train-to-ground communication architectures enabling automated cooperative control of train platoons, also looking at advances in the field of automated cars.
  *   Assess multi-criteria impacts of train-centric signalling systems for different market segments (e.g. rural, regional, high-speed railways) considering capacity, service punctuality, energy consumption, transport demand, capital and operational expenditure. Assessment will also include financial-operational risks to develop and bring train-centric technologies to the market.
Such activities will be performed in cooperation with other prominent universities and transport companies in Europe which are partners of the MOVINGRAIL project.
2.      Candidate requirements
The candidate has preferably a MSc in Civil, Management, Electronic or Industrial Engineering. Necessary requirements are:

  *   Acquaintance with railway operations, and/or signalling technologies and/or rail infrastructure and procedures.
  *   Experience with qualitative/quantitative methods for project and risk assessment such as cost/benefit analysis, multi-criteria analysis, risk matrices.

  *   Basic programming skills in .NET languages (preferably C++), Matlab and/or other programming languages.
  *   Fundamental knowledge of transport simulation and basic experience with simulation software tools for railway operations such as RailSys, OpenTrack, and/or car traffic (e.g. AIMSUN, PTV VISSIM/VISUM).
Knowledge of data management and statistical techniques and/or operations research represent preferential titles for this position.
In general, the candidate shall have a very good command of the English language, shall be open to work in a team within an interactive and stimulating environment. The candidate shall have advanced problem-solving skills and be interested in contributing to scientific research. Proactiveness, independence and reliability in effectively and timely delivering tasks are a fundamental prerequisite for this position. Enthusiasm and passion for the railways are very valuable factors for the candidate given that the PhD will be performed in the railway sector.
3.      General information
The vacancy is within the Digital Rail Traffic Lab at the Department of Transport and Planning, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Delft University of Technology. The PhD will last for a total of four years with a starting date in early January 2019.
4.      Application
To apply for this position please send a CV and a brief Cover letter (no more than 500 words) to Prof. Rob Goverde, email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>, as soon as possible.
5.      Contacts
Any query or information about this position can be sent to Prof. Rob Goverde, email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> and Dr. Ing. Egidio Quaglietta, email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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Regards



Ronghui

Professor Ronghui Liu
Professor of Networks and Transport Operations
Director of International Activities
Institute for Transport Studies (ITS)
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Tel :     +44 (0)113 343 5338
Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
www.its.leeds.ac.uk/people/r.liu<http://www.its.leeds.ac.uk/people/r.liu>



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