PhD Position Climate-Neutral Port Calls under Physical and Infrastructure Constraints

Job Description

European seaports face the urgent challenge of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and a 55% emission reduction by 2030. A large share of port-related emissions, up to 80%, occurs during the port call itself: when ships approach, wait, maneuver, berth, and depart. While most current optimization approaches focus on scheduling and logistics, they largely overlook a critical factor: the physical reality of ports. Water depth, tides, narrow channels, berth limitations, and dredging operations strongly shape how ships move, wait, and consume energy. Ignoring these constraints leads to delays, congestion, higher fuel use, and safety risks.

This PhD position addresses the mentioned gap by developing new methods that explicitly combine:

• Physical port constraints,
• Dredging operations that maintain or modify them, and
• Port call processes that depend on them, all under uncertainty.

The research is part of the PortCall.Zero project, which aims to enable coordinated, efficient, and low-emission port call operations.

As a PhD candidate, you will investigate how physical and infrastructure constraints shape port call performance and emissions, and how these constraints can be better accounted for in planning and operations. Your research focuses on three closely linked perspectives:

1. Infrastructure state: Physical and nautical conditions such as water depth, tides, channel geometry, and berth characteristics.
2. Infrastructure use: How vessels interact with these conditions during port calls, including access windows, maneuvering limits, waiting times, and traffic dynamics.
3. Interaction with dredging: How maintenance and improvement dredging alter infrastructure conditions over time, and how these changes affect accessibility, vessel behavior, and operational performance.

Together, these elements are analyzed to understand and optimize their combined impact on port call efficiency and emissions. A core element of the work is the development and extension of OpenCLSim, an open-source Python-based discrete-event simulation framework. You will design integrated optimization and prediction modules that support both strategic planning (e.g. dredging depth and port accessibility trade-offs) and operational decision-making (e.g. coordination between dredging activities and port operations). Your developed methods will be validated through realistic use cases on port calls with water depth variation.

You will work closely with academic and industry partners, including ports and dredging companies. In particular, you will collaborate with Van Oord, a leading international marine contractor and project partner. If the progress of the simulation studies allows it, we aim to demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods through physical experiments with the Researchlab Autonomous Shipping (RAS) Lab at TU Delft. A next step towards practical implementation would be the field demonstration in a living lab setting together with project partners in the Port of Rotterdam area.

You will be embedded in an interdisciplinary and international research environment within the Hydraulic Engineering department at TU Delft.

Requirements

You are motivated to contribute to the sustainable transformation of port operations and enjoy working at the intersection of optimization, simulation, and real-world infrastructure systems. You are comfortable working independently, while also collaborating closely with academic and industry partners. In particular, we are looking for candidates with:

• An MSc degree in Civil Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Transport and Infrastructure, or any other related field
• Strong analytical skills and affinity with optimization, simulation, and data-driven methods
• Advanced skills in scripting with Python
• Affinity with (or at least interest in) port operations, navigational constraints, dredging, and maritime infrastructure
• Ability to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment both with scientific partners and stakeholders from industry
• Additional experience with agent-based (and/or) discrete-event simulation and AIS data is a plus

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. More specifically, TOEFL or IELTS English proficiency tests are required for all applicants except those whose MSc program was taught in English. The minimum requirement of a TOEFL score is 100 and IELTS is 7.0. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3059 - €3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Mark van Koingsveld, [email protected]

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 14 March 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Detailed CV
• Motivation letter
• Transcripts (both MSc and BSc)
• MSc thesis abstract
• Contact information of at least two referees

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Please note:

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