PhD Candidate in AI-Supported Resilience Assessment of Climate-Neutral Transport Infrastructure / PhD Candidate in AI-Supported Resilience Assessment of Climate-Neutral Transport Infrastructure

PhD Position in AI-Supported Resilience Assessment of Climate-Neutral Transport Infrastructure

100%, Zurich, fixed-term

The Chair of Infrastructure Management, led by Professor Dr. Bryan T. Adey within the Institute of Construction and Infrastructure Management of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering, invites applications for a PhD student focusing on transport infrastructure resilience. This position is part of the EU Horizon project SHIFTIN, aimed at accelerating the transition towards climate-neutral, resilient, and biodiversity-friendly transport infrastructure by 2050.

Project Background

SHIFTIN is an innovative EU Horizon project dedicated to transforming European transport infrastructure by 2050. As vital components of mobility and economic activity, roads, railways, and ports significantly impact our environment, consuming vast resources and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, these infrastructures are increasingly vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as floods, landslides, and heatwaves.

To tackle these pressing challenges, SHIFTIN will showcase the integration of circular low-carbon construction materials, nature-based solutions, advanced monitoring technologies, and digital decision-support tools across four full-scale pilot projects along TEN-T corridors. This multifaceted approach will incorporate infrastructure monitoring, satellite and onboard sensing, IoT-enabled structural health monitoring, and AI-assisted analytics.

A Digital Twin-based Integrated Decision Support Platform will translate monitoring and modeling outcomes into comprehensive indicators for carbon, circularity, resilience, biodiversity, and costs, thereby supporting effective business cases, maintenance planning, green public procurement, and a broader adoption of sustainable infrastructure solutions across European transport networks.

Within this comprehensive project framework, the PhD research will specifically delve into AI-supported stress-testing and surrogate modeling for transport infrastructure resilience. The objective is to facilitate rapid assessments across various hazards, disruptions, recovery paths, and intervention strategies, which will ultimately enhance decision-making for climate-resilient transport systems.

Job Description

This doctoral position aims to push the boundaries of simulation-informed, AI-driven resilience assessments for transport infrastructure. The selected candidate will work collaboratively with diverse academic, industry, and public-sector partners throughout Europe. Responsibilities will include:

• Developing AI-powered surrogate models for infrastructure stress testing
• Integrating surrogate models with agent-based and network-based simulations
• Analyzing infrastructure interdependencies and recovery limitations
• Supporting resilience assessments across asset, corridor, and network scales
• Contributing to cost-benefit and decision-support analyses
• Addressing uncertainty, reliability, and explainability
• Combining results with digital twin and monitoring data
• Collaborating with the European project consortium

Profile

• A Master's degree in civil engineering, transport engineering, infrastructure systems, environmental engineering, computational engineering, data science, or a closely related field
• Strong quantitative and programming skills, preferably in Python, with experience in machine learning, statistical modeling, simulation, optimization, data analysis, or geospatial/network analysis
• Excellent written and spoken English skills
• Knowledge of German or another European language is an asset, but not required

Workplace

Join a vibrant academic community at ETH Zurich, renowned for its commitment to research excellence and societal impact.

We Offer

• Your job with impact: Join ETH Zurich, where your professional development is supported while contributing to positive societal change.
• Numerous benefits including public transport season tickets, car-sharing options, a wide array of sports activities offered by the ASVZ, childcare services, and attractive pension benefits.

We Value Diversity and Sustainability

ETH Zurich is dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity, and nurture a working and learning environment that respects the rights and dignity of all individuals. For more information on our commitment to creating a fair and open environment that allows everyone to thrive, please visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website. Sustainability is a core principle for us, and we consistently strive towards a climate-neutral future.

Curious? So Are We!

Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

About ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich stands as one of the world's leading universities in science and technology. We are celebrated for our premier education, cutting-edge research, and the effective translation of new knowledge into societal benefit. Our diverse community of over 30,000 individuals from more than 120 countries thrives in an environment that encourages independent thought and excellence. Situated at the heart of Europe, our connections span the globe as we collaborate to devise solutions for today's and tomorrow's challenges.