The impact of driver tacit knowledge on route planning in an urban environment.

We are recruiting new Doctoral Researchers to our EPSRC funded Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) PhD studentships starting 1 October 2023. Applications are invited for the project The impact of driver tacit knowledge on route planning in an urban environment.

Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) of approximately £19,668, including inner London weighting, plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of 42 months (3.5 years).

You should be eligible for home (UK) tuition fees there are a very limited number (no more than three) of studentships available to overseas applicants, including EU nationals, who meet the academic entry criteria including English Language proficiency.

You will join the internationally recognised researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering research and PhD programmes | Brunel University London

The Project

The project seeks to understand and quantify the impact of delivery driver tacit knowledge on route efficiencies across an urban environment. Using quantitative analysis of delivery manifests and location data, together with cognitive reasoning informing drivers’ decisions when navigating routes (qualitative analysis), the research explores how driver tacit knowledge can contribute to optimised and transferable urban route planning, with the aim of ensuring efficiencies in meeting delivery schedules and reductions in negative externalities such as pollution and congestion in cities.

Please contact Dr Susan Grant at Susan.Grant@brunel.ac.uk for an informal discussion about the studentships.

Eligibility

Applicants will have or be expected to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree in an Engineering, Computer Science, Design, Mathematics, Physics, Economics or a similar discipline. A Postgraduate Masters degree is not required but may be an advantage.

Skills and Experience

Applicants will be required to demonstrate their ability to show their skills in qualitative methodologies required (Interviewing skills) and quantitative methods. Experience in programming/ algorithm building and have a high level of English proficiency.

You should be highly motivated, able to work independently as well as in a team, collaborate with others and have good communication skills.

How to apply

There are two stages of the application:

1.Applicants must submit the pre-application form via the following link https://brunel.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/epsrc-dtp-23-24-pre-application-form-brunel-university-lon-3 by 16.00 on Friday 26th May 2023.

2.If you are shortlisted for the interview, you will be asked to email the following documentation in a single PDF file to cedps-studentships@brunel.ac.uk within 24hrs.

Your up-to-date CV;
Your Undergraduate degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) essential;
Your Postgraduate Masters degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) if applicable;
Your valid English Language qualification of IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in each section) or equivalent, if applicable;
Contact details for TWO referees, one of which can be an academic member of staff in the College.

Applicants should therefore ensure that they have all of this information in case they are shortlisted.

Interviews will take place in June 2023.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Susan Grant - Susan‘s research interests lie in the area of supply chain knowledge networks. She is currently involved in a number of collaborative projects with researchers across management and engineering disciplines in the area of global supply chain management, and has published widely in the area. Susan holds a PhD from Henley Management College and has been involved in the Lean Aerospace Initiative at Cranfield School of Management specialising in lean supply chain management within the domestic and international aerospace markets. Susan is a lecturer and Course director on the MSc Engineering Management within the School of Engineering and Design and a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).