Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) in Mathematical Modelling and Transport Analysis

The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics is offering a postdoctoral scholarship in mathematical modelling and transport analysis. The scholarship is full-time for two years, with access on 1 September 2025 or by agreement.

This scholarship is part of a research initiative to develop an activity-based transport model for the Umeå region. The model aims to analyse travel patterns, optimise transport flows, and provide data-driven decision support for sustainable mobility. The project is conducted in collaboration between Umeå University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology and involves cooperation with municipal and regional stakeholders.

Project Description
The transport sector is transforming significantly to achieve sustainability goals and reduce energy consumption. In this project, the activity-based transport model Scaper will be further developed to adapt to the conditions of the Umeå region, characterised by long-distance commuting, car dependency, and seasonal variations.

The project focuses on:

• Developing an activity-based transport model for analysing people's travel and activity patterns in the Umeå region.
• Using statistics and machine learning to estimate model parameters based on travel surveys and other available statistics.
• Studying how the location of workplaces, housing, and community services affects people's choices of travel and activities.
• Optimising transport infrastructure through quantitative models and simulations.

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to conduct research in collaboration with the project group according to a jointly agreed research plan, present results at international conferences, and actively participate in joint seminars and workshops.

The postdoctoral scholarship is based at the Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at Umeå University.

This postdoctoral scholarship is financed and administrated by the Kempe Foundations (project number JCSMK24-511). The stipend is tax-free and will be 750 000 SEK for two years, meaning 375 000 SEK per year.

Qualifications
To qualify as a postdoctoral scholarship holder, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirements must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the decision about scholarship recipient.

Priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.

Doctoral degree should be within applied mathematics, computer science, mathematical statistics, transport science, or similar subject areas. Documented knowledge and experience in mathematical modelling, statistics, as well as strong programming skills (e.g., C#, Python or Matlab) with application in data analysis and simulation are required.

It is also a merit to have:

• Experience with activity-based transport models or agent-based simulation methods.
• Experience in transport modelling, simulation methods, and geographic information systems (GIS).
• Experience in operations research and optimization.
• Experience in statistical methods and machine learning for data analysis.
• Experience working with large datasets and database management.
• Experience in transport science.
• Excellent proficiency in English, both oral and written.
• Ability to work independently and in collaboration with other researchers.
• Experience in collaboration with municipal and regional stakeholders.

Application
A full application should include:

• Cover letter in which you describe your research background and how it fits the described project (maximum three pages),
• Curriculum vitae (CV) with publication list,
• Verified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
• Verified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
• Copy of doctoral thesis and three relevant articles,
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim,
• Contact information to two persons willing to act as references.

The application should be written in English or Swedish, and attached documents should be in Word or PDF format. The application should be registered via Umeå University’s e-recruitment system Varbi and submitted by the deadline 31 May, 2025.

More information
Further details are provided by associate professor Jonas Westin, jonas.westin@umu.se.

More information about the department:
https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-mathematics-and-mathematical-statistics/

Welcome with your application!