Postdoc in Agent-based Computer Simulation for Future Mobility Systems - DTU Management

You will be affiliated with the Intelligent Transport Systems section at the Department of Technology, Management and Economics (DTU Management) of the Technical University of Denmark. The position is part of a larger EU project entitled “FEDORA - Federation of network optimisation services, simulation foresights, and data alchemy for adaptable, agile, secure, and resilient multimodal traffic management”, funded by the EU Commission’s Horizon Europe Framework.

The successful candidate will work on two integrated research agendas:

• Building an enhance a state-of-the-art agent-based simulation model for assessing future mobility technologies in the Greater Copenhagen region.
• Explore the development of machine-learning based scenario discovery for future mobility policy design.

The simulation model is based on SimMobility open-source framework and creating a new version of the framework with extensions for selected future mobility systems and applying it to the urban Danish case is central to this position. SimMobility is based on activity-based mobility modelling theory, simulating agent-level behavior such as route, departure-time, and mode choice within an activity-based framework. The extensions will allow the evaluation of high-impact interventions including dynamic road pricing and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solutions.

FEDORA is also advancing the state-of-the-art in machine learning for transport simulation. A core innovation involves Bayesian metamodeling techniques to construct fast surrogate models of the simulation space, enabling efficient scenario analysis without incurring prohibitive computational costs. Unlike standard sequential sampling methods, the project will explore batch-based active learning, prioritizing diversity and informativeness in data selection.

The Postdoctoral position is aimed to start between 1 October 2025 with two year length. The successful candidates will work under the supervision of Associate Professors Carlos Azevedo and Ravi Seshadri. The Intelligent Transport Systems Section belongs to the Transportation Science division of the Department of Technology, Management and Economics (DTU Management) at DTU. The division conducts research and teaching in the field of traffic and transport behavior and planning, with particular focus on behavior modelling, machine learning and simulation.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your overall aim will be to strengthen the department’s competences within the application of advanced methods for activity-based simulation models and machine learning methods in transportation. You will work in close collaboration with colleagues, and with academic partners in Europe. Your primary tasks will involve formulating, estimating, and testing demand / choice models, implement them in a complex agent-based simulation framework and apply and calibrate them for the Greater Copenhagen Area.

• You will develop, apply and test agent-based mobility simulation frameworks for assessing new mobility solutions and policy impacts. 
• You will design and implement machine-learning algorithms that interact with your simulation framework for scenario discovery, building surrogate models of simulation outputs using probabilistic methods.
• You will collaborate with domain experts across transport modeling, machine-learning, and policy design to ensure scientific and practical relevance. 
• You will contribute to the open-source codebase and documentation for future reuse by the research and policy community.
• You will publish the new findings in the international peer reviewed literature.
• You will present your research at project consortium meetings and international conferences.
• You will communicate effectively with colleagues and be able to work as part of a team to achieve ambitious goals.
• You will be responsible for project milestones and deliverables.
• Teach and supervise MSc student projects

For this position, experience with simulation development and coding is essential. We expect the candidate to have:

• PhD in computer science, machine learning, operations research, transportation engineering or a related field.
• Programming skills in C/C++ and Python, along with experience working with simulation frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of probabilities and statistics.
• Ability to work in a UNIX environment.
• Demonstrated the ability to publish in the international peer-reviewed research literature
• Proven ability to work on interdisciplinary projects and communicate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• The ability to work in a project team and to take responsibility for their own research goals and project tasks.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills and proficiency in English.

Preferably, we are also looking for someone with:

• Experience with mobility simulation tools such as MATSim, SUMO, or similar platforms.
• Experience in high-performance computing or working with large-scale simulation environments.
• Prior work involving model calibration, optimization under uncertainty, or scenario analysis.
• Demonstrated interest in contributing to the field of policy making supported by simulation models

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility. 

Salary and terms of employment
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union.

The period of employment is two years. The starting date is 1 October 2025, or according to mutual agreement. The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Carlos Lima Azevedo at climaz@dtu.dk.

You can read more about DTU Management at www.man.dtu.dk. 

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 11 July 2025 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications 
• The contact details of two referees.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Management
DTU Management conducts high-level research and teaching with a focus on sustainability, transport, innovation and management science. Our goal is to create knowledge on the societal aspects of technology - including the interaction between technology and sustainability, business growth, infrastructure and prosperity. Therefore, we explore and create value in the areas of management science, innovation and design thinking, business analytics, systems and risk analyses, human behaviour, regulation and policy analysis. The department offers teaching from introductory to advanced courses/projects at BSc, MSc and PhD level. The department has 200+ employees with around half of staff coming from abroad. Read more here. 

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.