Aarhus BSS Graduate School, Aarhus University invites applicants for a PhD Scholarship in Economics in connection with the research project “ComRoute: Combinatorial approach to exact solution of routing problems” within the PhD Programme in Economics and Business Economics.

The position is available from 1. February 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter).

The overall research project

The research project “ComRoute: Combinatorial approach to exact solution of routing problems“ is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.

The project and the PhD dissertation should address exact solution and combinatorial studies of the Vehicle Routing Problem, and in particular, the Capacitated Arc Routing problem, with non-standard approaches. These can involve Constraint Programming or Logic-Based Benders Decomposition, and, in particular, combinatorial and network-oriented methods such as those used in this paper: New lower bound for the Capacitated Arc Routing Problem - ScienceDirect

The project falls in the field of Operations Research and is led by Professor Sanne Wøhlk.

Job description

The PhD project is to be carried out as part of the research project. You will work independently as well as with other researchers analyzing problems, designing and implementing algorithms, presenting research results, and writing scientific papers. Doing coursework and teaching is also part of the PhD position. The PhD student´s role in the research project will depend on the chosen candidate and his / her own PhD project description related to the topic of the overall project. Hence, you must write a project description on how you would carry out the research within the frames of the overall project. During the project you will complete a PhD education as described in the rules and regulations for the PhD programme.

If you are interested in the position and want to know more, please contact Sanne Wøhlk (sanw@econ.au.dk) to learn more about the project.

Your qualifications

We are looking for motivated candidates who can work independently as well as be a part of an
international team. The successful candidate is expected to work towards a PhD degree in Economics, with a view to completing a doctorate within the contract period. The candidate will be enrolled in the PhD programme at the Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University and must meet the conditions defined for admission to the graduate school (see below for link to application guide).

The ideal candidate has experience with Arc Routing Problems with a solid foundation in combinatorial optimization and network problems (matchings, flow problems etc.). In addition, the candidate has knowledge of Logic-Based Benders Decomposition and Constraint Programming as well as solid programming skills. However, we welcome all applicants.

Place of work

Fuglesangs Allé 4, 8210 Aarhus V

Formal requirements

You can read more about how to apply in the application guide and find the rules and regulations of the PhD education here.

The following criteria are decisive in the assessment of the candidates:

• the applicant’s academic qualifications (assessed on the basis of the qualifying degree)
• the quality and relevance of the project proposal
• the applicant’s level of academic aptitude and assessed ability to complete the project within the framework of the PhD programme

You can read more about the assessment procedure and committees appointed by the dean here.

Applicants are very much encouraged to supply documentation as to how they rank compared to their class (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). This may for example be in the form of a letter from your University stating either how you rank as an individual student compared to other students the year you graduated ("ranks as no. 6 out of 111" or "ranks as among the best 8 percent") or if that is not possible, general information from your University as to how grades were distributed in the year of your graduation, will be appreciated.

Please note that Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to evaluate the applications on the basis of the documentation received before deadline, and you will not necessarily be asked for further documentation. Furthermore, Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to reject application that do not comply with the limitations as stated in the application guide (see link above).

Terms of enrolment

PhD students at Aarhus BSS Graduate School are always enrolled. The enrolment happens in accordance with the Ministerial PhD Order no. 1039 of August 27, 2013 and the terms stated in the Rules and Regulations for the PhD programmes at Aarhus BSS Graduate School. Both can be found here.
If relevant: If you are enrolled in part A of the 4- or 5-year schemes you will receive a SU PhD Scholarship according to the rules set out in the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme (SU, in Danish). In addition, you will be offered to undertake paid work of up to 280 hours during your part A enrolment period.

Terms of employment

If you are offered employment at Aarhus University in connection with enrolment in the 3-year scheme, the appointment is made in accordance with the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities as well as the circular on the Collective Agreement for Academics Employed by the State (in Danish). The job content and qualification requirements are described in further detail in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

You can read more about the 3-, 4- and 5-year scheme here.