Fairness in Operational Research with Application to Nurse Rostering
Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD Studentship based in the Logistics and Management Mathematics Group, Department of Mathematics, University of Portsmouth, UK.
Deadline for Applications: 1 August 2012.
The starting date of this project is 1 October 2012.
Project Description
The nurse rostering problem presents a combinatorial optimisation problem in which shifts must be assigned to nurses who are subject to a large number of workforce related constraints. Traditional approaches to solving the nurse rostering problem have mainly focused on the minimisation of the number of constraint violations across all the nurses. Nevertheless, the individual nurses have different implicit preferences and availabilities. Hence, these rosters generally fail to ensure that individual nurses are treated fairly and the workload is shared fairly amongst nurses. Incorporation of fairness in solution approaches is a new emerging topic which has not yet been studied sufficiently, although it is an issue that is expected to have a big impact on the quality of computer generated rosters. The successful student will investigate novel fairness models and solution approaches to solve various aspects of fairness in hospitals. This is an important research topic bringing together expertise from different domains including Operational Research and Artificial Intelligence.
Funding
The studentship will cover tuition fees at home/EU level and a tax-free bursary of £13,590 per year for 3 years. This studentship is only open to UK/EU students.
Research Environment
The successful candidate will join an active and vibrant research group, together with other PhD students at various stages of their studies. Supervisors and students in the Department have frequent contact, leading to a conducive working environment. The applicant is also expected to participate in workshops and seminars, and in the publication of journal and conference papers as part of his/her research degree.
Further details of the department and research group can be found here:
http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/academic/maths/
http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/academic/maths/research/mmg/
Entry Requirements
Students should have at least the equivalent of a UK first class honours degree (ideally a first class), or at least an upper second class honours undergraduate or Masters degree in Operational Research, Mathematics, or a closely related area. They should have very good programming skills. Students with a good knowledge of Operational Research and good programming experience are especially encouraged to apply.
Further Information
Informal enquiries may be addressed to:
Dr Djamila Ouelhadj, tel: +44 023 9284 6355, e-mail: [log in to unmask], or Dr Dylan Jones, tel: +44 023 9284 6362, email: [log in to unmask].
How To Apply
An online application form with guidance notes can be accessed via http://www.port.ac.uk/phdapplication
Applications will only be considered on receipt of a completed application form. You can attach supporting documents to the application form, e.g., a CV, personal statement, and references. Applications should include a letter of application explaining your reasons for applying for the position and your initial thoughts on the research area, a detailed CV (including expected or actual degree class), together with the names and contact details of two academic referees who can be contacted prior to interview.
Please quote the title of the post and supervisor, Dr. Djamila Ouelhadj and Dr Dylan Jones, in your application form.
Immediate interviews will take place for suitable candidates.