Doctoral Research Fellow in Transport Modelling for Sustainability Transformation

About the position/work tasks

The University of Molde is looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate to become a part ofTRANSPLAN – Norwegian Centre for Sustainable Transport Planning, an eight-year national research centre dedicated to understanding the role of the transport system in the transition to a low-carbon society that also preserves nature within 2050. TRANSPLAN is one of three national centres funded by the Transport 2050 programme of the Norwegian Research Council and brings together leading Norwegian research institutions and transport centres to develop new knowledge for sustainable transport planning.

The aim of this PhD project is to develop modelling methods that improve the ability to analyse desirable future transport scenarios under deep uncertainty. A central research direction is the integration of strategic transport models, such as discrete selective modeling (DCM), with agent-based modelling (ABM), to investigate possible transport behaviour under different scenarios to achieve a low-carbon society in 2050. An important ambition in the project is to support scenario-based planning and backcasting. Instead of predicting a single future, the modelling framework shall contribute to identifying development pathways and actions that may promote desirable long-term societal outcomes. Research is expected to contribute both to methodological knowledge in transport modelling and to practical decision-making support for sustainable transport planning. The PhD position is linked to the Moldes PhD programme in logistics, and the candidate must comply with the programme's recording requirements (see necessary documentation to be submitted below).

We would like to welcome a research proposal on 3 to 5 pages, where you will describe how you will approach this research challenge within the framework of a PhD dissertation consisting of 3 to 4 published scientific articles.

Qualifications

Applicants should have a strong degree in transport, economics, engineering, operational analysis, data science, geography or a related field.

The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate strong analytical and quantitative skills, as well as interest in transport systems, travel behaviour, sustainable transitions and modeling under uncertainty. Experience with quantitative research methods, stated choice experiments, simulation modelling, agent-based modelling, transport modelling, economics or related approaches is considered an advantage. Candidates should have programming skills in Python, R or similar languages and be motivated to develop advanced modelling tools for sustainable transport planning.

Your Master's degree (or equivalent) must be at least one full academic year (60 study credits/ECTS) and must include an individual academic work, usually a master's degree project. The minimum average character of the master grade should be B or better on the ECTS character scale, or an equivalent character on other character scales. For applicants with degrees from some countries, this may require more than five years of higher education. See the GSU list of information relevant to the nationality of your degrees:https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education/lists-and-databases/higher-education-entrance-qualification-gsu

We focus on personal properties and very good skills in written and oral English.

We offer

The period of employment is three years.

The position is paid from the gross annual salary of NOK 550 800, of which 2 % is deducted from the State pension fund.

The employment shall be in accordance with the applicable Norwegian rules for temporary public sector employment and the guidelines for the recruitment of university and university fellows.

Application

Submit your application via job queue:https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/308701/phd-position-in-transport-modelling-for-sustainability-transitionsLet's see.  You must submit with your application:

• A description of the proposed research theme (maximum 5 pages). The description shall include:

  • title
  • outline of the research
  • research problems/research issues
  • theoretical framework
  • research method
  • an account of the news value of the research compared to existing scientific literature;

  
  Proposals that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. The quality of the project description will be the main criterion for ranking qualified applicants.

• CV (summary of education and work experience).
• Confirmed copies in English of diplomas, transcripts of characters and certificates which clearly show acquired degrees, number of credits and grades from both Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
• Master's or equivalent independent student work. If the task is not written in English or a Scandinavian language, a certified summary (abstract) in English must be attached.
• Any other scientific publications (e.g. conference articles) that the applicant wishes to evaluate.
• Name, position and e-mail address of three references which may be contacted regarding professional and personal qualifications.

Time limit for applying1. November 2026

Other

Variety and inclusion
The University of Molde believes that inclusion and diversity are a strength. If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in the CV or migrant background, at least one applicant from each of these groups will be invited to an interview. In order to be assessed as belonging to these groups and thus to be eligible for this positive specific treatment scheme, specific requirements must be met. Read more about the requirements on the Employer Portal. We encourage applicants to report on the job portal if they have disabilities, gaps in the CV or migrant background. This data is only used for anonymised statistics that state activities report annually.

Public Applicant List
According to the public law § 25 second paragraph, the candidate list may be made publicly available. The request for a derogation from the public application list must be justified in writing but cannot be guaranteed.