PhD student position on shunting of long combination vehicles

This PhD student position gives a unique opportunity to do in-depth research and investigates into the challenges associated with reversing and low speed maneuvering of long vehicle combinations. The problem range over many academic disciplines, such as vehicle dynamics, driver behavior and control. The methods at hand includes both theoretical investigations as well as implementations and testing in real trucks.

Project description
This project will be part of a larger project investigating the feasibility of introducing long vehicle combinations to the national road network. Challenges of understanding, controlling, and automating long vehicle combinations is a reoccurring theme in the associated research groups Vehicle Dynamics and within various projects at Chalmers Revere.

The Vehicle Dynamics group is focusing on modeling and control of road vehicles. The work includes both deductive (mathematics-based) and inductive (experiments and testing-based) research, often in strong collaboration with the local vehicle industry.

Revere is a Chalmers-central research infrastructure providing support and maintained equipment and software for any vehicle-based research at Chalmers and towards external partners. The lab houses different types of vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats, and drones. This project aims to increase the autonomous capabilities and simulation tools related to the Revere truck platforms.

Information about the division and the department
At the Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), we conduct fundamental and applied research in areas such as safety, energy efficiency, and material optimization of sustainable technology solutions across all modes of transport.

The division of Vehicle Engineering and Autonomous Systems (VEAS) is one of seven divisions in the department. Our focus is on the engineering of systems with applications in vehicles and robots. Our strengths are the knowledge of finding solutions to authentic problems, often with the aim to provide innovative solutions to problems of industrial and societal relevance, by means of theory, modeling, simulations, and experimental work. The division has 9 faculty members, 13 Ph.D. students, and several post-docs and adjunct researchers. The main research areas are within energy-efficient, safe, and adaptive vehicles, and autonomous systems operating in unstructured environments.

Major responsibilities
Your main responsibility will be to pursue research within the project. You are expected to implement, test, and extend existing scientific ideas and concepts as well as invent new ones, and to communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing at leading conferences and journals. You will be guided by senior researchers at the involved departments. The position also includes teaching on undergraduate and master's levels as well as supervising master's thesis students.

Qualifications
To qualify as a PhD student in this project, you must hold a master's degree in a relevant field such as: applied mathematics, control theory, vehicle and driver dynamics modeling etc. You should have good grades and the ability to work independently. You must be creative, organized and like to put new ideas into practice. You should have the ability to discuss and communicate your work with people from different backgrounds. You must be highly motivated, with a strong curiosity and a genuine wish to constantly learn more and to develop your skills and knowledge further in the fields of research and research communication.

The position requires good verbal and written communication skills in English. Since the project includes vehicles and driver behavior, you should also have a strong general interest in such aspects. In order to express your ideas and put them into practice, you are expected to be proficient in simulation tools as well as well developed in programming languages. 

To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20220642 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis. 
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.
Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 
• A half-page summary of the paper "A two-point visual control model of steering" (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rob-Gray-6/publication/8038369_A_Two-Point_Visual_Control_Model_of_Steering/links/09e41509770b11f85a000000/A-Two-Point-Visual-Control-Model-of-Steering.pdf) and submit it with your application.

Application deadline: 30-12-2022

For questions, please contact:
Doc. Fredrik Bruzelius, VEAS
E-mail: fredrik.bruzelius@chalmers.se
Phone: +46317723628

Doc. Ola Benderius, VEAS
E-mail: ola.benderius@chalmers.se
Phone: +46317722086


*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***