"PhD Position Optimzation of Interdependent Telecom and Urban infrastructures"

Job Description

Challenge: Uncovering the interdependency between telecommunications networks and urban infrastructures

Change: Developing data analysis and modelling methods to understand the interdependency

Impact: Better design to enhance telecom and urban performance

The functioning of cities depends more than ever on urban infrastructures like transportation networks, power grids, water networks, Internet of Things sensors, and analytics platforms that gather data from those infrastructures, as well as telecommunications networks. To fully support the operation of cities, telecommunications networks also need to evolve, offering, e.g., ubiquitous connectivity and decentralised data-center capabilities to optimize urban performance. This project aims to explore how telecommunications networks and urban infrastructures interdepend and co-evolve, and to identify network designs that can further enhance global telecommunications and urban performance.

This exciting PhD project presents several scientific challenges, including developing advanced models for interdependent or co-evolving telecom and urban infrastructures driven by real-world data, surpassing state-of-the-art synthetic models; collecting and integrating diverse datasets, including entity matching; and combining expertise from, e.g., network data science and telecommunications to address the above modeling and design questions.

You will be part of a leading team in network data science within the Multimedia Computing Group (MMC) in Computer Science. We share a drive to understand and optimize complex systems ranging from social, technical, to economic systems. The supervision team consists of Dr. Huijuan Wang from MMC and Dr. Eric Smeitink from KPN and the Network Architectures and Services Group.

The PhD position is part of NExTWORKx, the strategic partnership between the telecom and ICT service provider KPN and Delft University of Technology.

In your role, you will collaborate with partners and external collaborators from, e.g., NExTWORKx and other projects on critical infrastructures. Fostering an inspiring, friendly, and supportive environment, we meet regularly, share ideas and knowledge, and you will receive the support you need to evolve as a scientist.

Job Requirements

In order to be successful, you bring:

• MSC in Computer Science, Physics, Engineering, mathematics or related disciplines with a strong background in data analysis, mathematical modeling and algorithms
• Good programming skills in Python/C/C++
• Good oral and written skills in English
• Enjoys working in an international and inter-disciplinary research group

To thrive as a PhD candidate, it’s crucial to have a strong research mindset driven by curiosity and passion for your topic...

Conditions of Employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3059 - €3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School...

Additional Information

If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Dr. Huijuan Wang, via H.Wang@tudelft.nl.

Application Procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 28 February 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter (1 page)
• Degree transcripts

You can address your application to Dr. Huijuan Wang.