Doctoral student in Technology and Society with focus on traffic safety and advanced statistical methods  - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Subject description

The Department of Technology and Society, Transport and Roads Division has received funds for a European Research Council (ERC) project focusing on the development of a new method for analysing safety of infrastructure in future mobility scenarios, including vehicle automation. The project aims to build a realistic simulation environment to study how the infrastructure affects the interaction of different road users and model it in a mathematical way to predict severe events. The successful PhD candidate will work in strict contact with the Traffic Safety Virtual Reality Hub at Lund University.

Work duties

The tasks will be carried out both with senior researchers from Transport and Road and independently. Travel to different places in Sweden and abroad are included in the duties.

The overall purpose of the PhD position is to:

• contribute to developing new behavioral models of conventional drivers interacting with connected and automated vehicles and a new simulation environment at microscopic level where the models will be implemented.
• contribute to developing computational methods for accident prediction based on non-accident indicators and Extreme Value Theory or other advanced statistical methods able to predict extreme events. 

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements 

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant: 

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Technology and Society if the applicant has: 

• at least 30 credits at second-cycle level in a relevant subject

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Education in applied mathematics and statistical methods for traffic safety analysis.
• Experience in programming in Python, Matlab, and R. 

Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following: 

• Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
• An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• Written and oral communication skills.
• Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience. 

Other assessment criteria:

• Theoretical and practical knowledge in traffic safety that is relevant to the research area.
• Experience from collaboration with other disciplines. 
• Experience from independent data collection (quantitative and qualitative). 
• Experience of qualified analysis work in the field of transport.  

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment 

Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).