PhD on AI Supply Chain Optimization Agent

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow.

With over 110 (assistant, associate and full) professors, almost 300 PhD and EngD students, about 1500 Bachelor students and 1000 Master students, the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (M&CS) is the largest department of the TU/e. By performing top-level fundamental and applied research, and maintaining strong ties with industry, M&CS aims to contribute to science and innovation in and beyond the region.

Short description

Are you passionate about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Operations Research (OR)? Would you want to do research inside a leading AI Institute? Would you want to do research together with a major supply chain optimization software vendor? Would you want to develop an AI Supply Chain Optimization agent? If so, you may be our new PhD student in the “Learning and Explaining Supply Chain Optimization” project.

Job Description

Advances in OR have led to a broad industrial adoption of mathematical optimization technology to solve supply chain optimization problems. Despite that progress, a main remaining challenge is on making sure that the mathematical definition of the supply chain optimization problem matches the real-world problem. This is a task that lies with supply chain optimization experts, but has proven to be highly challenging, both before and after initial deployment of the resulting technology. Before initial deployment it can be hard to know you identified the right decisions, constraints, and objective functions. After deployment the real-world problem may diverge from the initial problem, making that the developed optimization technology no longer solves the real-world problem. We aim to develop combined AI and OR technology to help human supply chain optimization experts in getting to the right optimization problem and from that getting to the right optimization technology. This will support seamless deployment and adoption of the optimization technology, where human planners who review the proposed plans are in agreement on feasibility and quality of these plans.

The overarching objective of the “Learning and Explaining Supply Chain Optimization” project is to come to better and more robust supply chain optimization technology that is trusted by human planners so that high quality plans get fully adopted in practice. Improved supply chain optimization technology that is trusted by human planners leads to better plans with better adoption. This increases the obtained benefits from supply chain optimization by i) having better plans that use scarce resources in a more robust and efficient way, leading to more robust supply chains, shorter delays, less waste, and lower carbon footprint and ii) improving its introduction and adoption, so that business practice follows the proposed plans and potential benefits materialize. You would be working with three other PhD students in the project, so that you can benefit from each other’s expertise and research results.

You would be doing your research together with the DELMIA Operations Planning and Optimization (OP&O) R&D team and inside the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute (EAISI). DELMIA OP&O is part of Dassault Systèmes (3DS) and is a market leader in solutions for modelling, planning, and optimization of business operations, providing solutions for planning of supply chains, manufacturing, logistics, workforce, or rail operations. 3DS is a science-based global leader in software solutions pioneering virtual worlds to improve real life. Customers of 3DS come from a wide range of industries and include major accounts, startups, as well as governments. EAISI brings together all AI activities of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). It is an institute where 400 academic staff and 600 PhD candidates from various departments and research groups do fundamental and applied AI research on the combination of and interaction between the domains of Data Science, Engineering Systems, and Humans & Ethics. EAISI focuses on AI systems where the physical, digital, and human worlds come together and aims to get to a better understanding, better designs, better models, and better decisions. One of the founding departments of EAISI is the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, at which the proposed research shall be executed. You would be working with EAISI’s Scientific Director prof.dr.ir. Wim Nuijten.

Job Requirements

• Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence, Operations Research, Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field.
• Excellent coding skills (e.g. Python, PyTorch, Tensorflow).
• Proficiency in written and spoken English (C1 level).
• Desire to conduct excellent research and publish in high quality conferences and journals.
• Ability and desire to collaborate and work in teams.
• Ability and desire to work in an industrial software development environment.
• Ability to be self-propelling and drive your own research.
• Ability and desire to support teaching and to co-supervise bachelor and master students.

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 2,901 max. € 3,707).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager prof.dr.ir. Wim Nuijten (w.p.m.nuijten@tue.nl).

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HR Services (HRServices.MCS@tue.nl).

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including education history, relevant courses (including grades), research experience (if available), a list of your publications (if available), and the contact information of three references.
• Transcript of records for Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
• Electronic copy of Master thesis.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.

Type of employment: temporary position | Contract type: full time | Number of positions: 1 | Full-time equivalent: 1.0 FTE | City: Eindhoven | County: Noord-Brabant | Country: Netherlands | Reference number: 2025/369 | Published: 2025-08-12 | Last application date: 2025-09-14