PhD International Position at University of Southern Denmark

The Department of Technology and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark in Odense, invites for applications to a 3-year PhD position on the topic of digital port operations and sustainable Roll-on-Roll-off (RoRo) shipping. The starting time is January 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter, and the location is at the main campus in Odense as well on the premises of industrial partners.

The successful candidate is expected to work actively in work package 5 (WP5) of the RoRoGreen Project funded by Innovation Fond Denmark (IFD) - Grand Solutions and conduct application-oriented research with a team of industry partners in the RoRo-shipping sector.

The aim of the RoRoGreen project is to bring Denmark and EU a step closer to competitive and sustainable RoRo-shipping via implementation of digital technologies for cargo stowage and port operations which can enable cost-efficient GHG emission reductions. Efficiency gains for port operations is expected to reduce emissions for cargo handling operations in terminals, and will together with quality stowage decisions, have a direct impact on vessel speed, as well as fuel consumption and the costs related to sailing.

WP 5 will assess current state of RoRo port operations and the business and environmental impact. To do so, port activities and emissions sources will be mapped and sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs) will be identified and developed. WP5 will also support other work packages in evaluating impact of developed / tested digital solutions, innovative work processes and alternative green / sustainable port technologies on set KPIs and future emissions. Data science and statistical methods, as well as Artificial intelligence (AI) are likely to be used for analysis of current state, building of a sustainability KPI system and assessment of new technology investments.

This PhD position is fully funded by the IFD.

Job description

• You will conduct research in the corresponding research area.
• You will work closely with key stakeholders in RoRO terminals and shipping companies in DK and Europe to map current state of digitalisation and cargo operations as well as business, sustainability KPIs and performance
• You will support project and industry partners in evaluating implementation feasibility and efficiency and emission impact of implemented / tested digital technologies
• You will do data gathering, data cleansing, modelling and analysis using state of art statistical / mathematical / simulation software using mainly open-source software like R, Python, SQL Server, etc.
• You will publish and present your work both at international conferences and in scientific journals with high impact.
• You will assist in teaching and project supervision activities.

• MSc degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Maritime or Logistics Studies or equivalent (equivalent to a Danish master's degree)
• Being familiar with or having a dedicated interest in exploring the domain of maritime terminal / port / ship operations and sustainability will be an advantage
• Comfortable with data science, statistics, AI and programming languages and willingness to learn new if needed
• Experience with building and executing quantitative models in business / industrial settings will be an advantage
• Very good written and oral communication skills
• Comfortable working both independently and within an international team
• Willingness to do applied science and support project team, industrial partners and overall research project progress
• Interested in longer term commitment to a growing research group
• Comfortable to work with students and to contribute to teaching / supervision of (master) students
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written

Employment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position (start salary amounts to approx. 3.378,- EURO per month incl. supplements).

Application procedure
The Faculty expects applicants to read the Faculty information for prospective PhD students and How to apply before applying.

The application must be in English and must include - the required forms must be found at the Faculty website:

• Completed TEK PhD application form for 5+3 applicants.
• Motivation letter stating your specific interest, motivation and qualifications for the project in question (max. 2 pages). Upload in the field called “Project description”.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae, describing research, publication and teaching experience, computational skills and including personal contact information.
• Verified copies of the official bachelor diploma and master's diploma and transcripts of exams, both original and translated into English.
• Completed TEK PhD form for calculation grade point average. Upload in one of the fields called “Publication”.
• An official document describing the grading scheme of the awarding universities (if not Danish). Upload in one of the fields called “Publication”.
• An official and verified written assessment of the thesis or dissertation project from the grade giving institution, if the thesis/examination project is evaluated by approved/passed. The statement must clearly state that the candidate has been among the top 30 pct. in the graduation class for the study programme.
• References, if any. You're welcome to use the form for reference letter at the Faculty website.
• List of publications and maximum 2 examples of relevant publications, if available. Please attach one pdf-file for each publication.