PhD project: Resilient Network Concepts for Supply Logistics

Introduction

The Econometric Institute is looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate for a joint project of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, TNO in The Hague, and the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA) in Den Helder

Job description

This project addresses the effective design of a military supply logistics network, composed of transportation and communication links such as roads and rail, aerial drone routes, and nodes, such as temporary storage and transfer locations, aerial waypoints in an adversarial environment or warfighting situation. Kinetic threats can disrupt the supply by interrupting, damaging or destroying parts of this network (for instance by jamming aerial routes, or damaging transportation links), which are critical to the fighting forces. The visibility of the battlefield is increasing through satellite and drone imagery collection. A negative consequence to blue  (belonging to “friendly” forces) supply networks is that the adversary can see and attack logistics networks.
 

The blue military supply logistics networks need to deal with this increased visibility by reducing their footprint. Reducing the footprint means that supply networks need to be heterogeneous in their transport means, consider alternative energy sources, and that the operations must be less predictable in their chosen transport means and locations. Thus, the goal is to explore reduced predictability while sustaining the units to be supplied.
 

The military supply logistics network faces uncertainty, which is dependent on the adversary and their means. The military supply logistics networks need to consider different scenarios, requiring the that it function well in warfighting and other scenarios. Since the available resources are limited, the key challenge is:
 

How to develop a robust military supply logistics network in an adversarial / warfighting scenario, given limited resources?
 

The security situation in the world has changed rapidly since February 2022. Increasing threats also mean a reorientation for Defence: a renewed focus on warfighting, after decades of emphasis on peacekeeping and stabilization activities, in addition to the ongoing civil support to national authorities. Operating in a warfighting scenario is subject to major changes, due to societal developments, technology, international cooperation, new threats and vulnerabilities, etc. This leads to a need for new logistical operational concepts for land, with exploration of air and marine operations. These new operational concepts also require a possible adaptation of the supporting logistics concepts for supply, where the role of civil and military cooperation is explicitly part of the analysis. These logistics concepts must be resilient: robust, adaptive, and flexible.
 

The research questions can be tackled by combining techniques from the domains of Integer programming, (Stochastic / Robust) Combinatorial Optimization, Game Theory, and Network Theory, as well as Artificial Intelligence. Potentially, scenarios could be simulated using agent-based, discrete-event, or other techniques.

Derived sub-questions are:

• What are appropriate goals and measures for assessing the risks, robustness and effectiveness of a given military supply logistics concept in an adversarial and non-adversarial environment?
• What type of logistics supply chains (heterogenous supply networks that combine drones, and/ or land transportation) increase the resilience and survivability of the military supply logistics network in adversarial situations?
• How to model the military supply logistics concepts taking into account adversarial actions?
• What are optimal and robust network topologies for a supply logistics concept in an adversarial context? What are the characteristics that determine their effectiveness? How does the choice of logistic concept  change, depending on the number of personnel and assets and / or specific technologies deployed?

Job requirements

 General Requirements:

• Solid background in Operations Research or related fields
• Strong communication skills including the ability to speak and write fluent Dutch
• MPhil or Research Master’s degree in Economics or Econometrics is preferred
  • Candidates with an MSc or MA degree are required to successfully complete 1 year of courses at the graduate school they are part of (Research Qualifications at the Tinbergen Institute or courses at ERIM)
• Excellent study results for both the bachelor and master’s degree
• Interest in and strong motivation for scientific research explained in a statement of purpose.
• GRE test is required for all entering PhD students. Valid GRE (revised) General Test results are required from all PhD applicants (all 3 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing). Successful applicants typically perform among the top-10% of test-takers on the quantitative part of the GRE; applicants with a Q score below 160 will not be considered.
• Excellent command of English. Applicants whose native language is not English are therefore required to demonstrate English proficiency by:
  – proof that the language of instruction of their entire university education (bachelor and master programme) was English, or;
  – scoring at least 100 on the TOEFL iBT test or 7.5 on the IELTS test.
• Two (academic) reference letters, preferably from a thesis supervisor or research project supervisor
• Curriculum Vitae

In addition to the requirements mentioned above, the candidate should, be flexible and adaptive, and have good organization and planning capabilities.

Because the work is in the defense and security domain, a Certificate of No Objection (VGB) from the AIVD is required. For this reason, the candidate will undergo a security investigation.  More information about the security investigation can be found here: Veiligheidsonderzoek | AIVD.

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 November 2025 and you will be based at Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). This position is for 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.901 to a maximum of € 3.707 gross per month on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The PhD track lasts 3 (following an MPhil or Research Master) or 4 years (following an MSc). The intitial contract is entered into for the duration of 18 months.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

-        Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!

-        Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.

-        Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

-        Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

-        Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

-        Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) is a leading school in economics in the Netherlands. It has a strong international reputation and aims to do outstanding research. Moreover, it provides excellent education at the BA., MA. and Ph.D. levels. Much research at Erasmus School of Economics is policy relevant, has social impact, and offers a strong research culture, ample research resources, and comparatively low teaching loads.
www.eur.nl/en/ese

Group

This project is a joint project of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, TNO in The Hague, and the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA) in Den Helder.

There will be a supervisor from each of these parties, and the candidate is expected to regularly visit each of these institutions. Specifically, the candidate will spend 40% of his/her time at both Erasmus and TNO, and 20% of his/her time at the NLDA.

Department

The Econometric Institute is one of the leading research groups in econometrics in Europe. We offer an international and friendly study and research environment. PhD students are employees of the department and therefore enjoy full employment benefits, including a competitive salary. Recent graduates from Econometric Institute are placed in well-recognized universities, research institutes or industrial firms
worldwide.

Additional information

For questions on the project please contact one of the following people.

Dr. Wilco van den Heuvel (Erasmus University Rotterdam, promotor) wvandenheuvel@ese.eur.nl

Dr. Kerry Malone (TNO) - kerry.malone@tno.nl

Prof. dr. Herman Monsuur (Netherlands Defence Academy) - H.Monsuur@mindef.nl

For questions about the application procedure please contact:

Lindsey Pijpers (PhD Officer) – doctoraloffice@ese.eur.nl

Reference letters can be submitted to doctoraloffice@ese.eur.nl

Applying

We are looking forward to your application. Applications will be reviewed by the supervisors and recruitment committees. An interview could be part of the application process. Kindly note that we can only accept applications containing all the required documents and information. We look forward to receiving your application.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.

For questions regarding the application procedure please contact Lindsey Pijpers (PhD Officer) at doctoraloffice@ese.eur.nl