AI Hub PhD Studentship – Modelling human mobility within Cities and machine learning approaches

Information on the School/Research Group

The PhD will be based within the Urban Analytics subject. It is part of the Smart Cities spoke of the AI4CI Artificial Intelligence Hub (https://ai4ci.ac.uk). The PhD student will work alongside PDRAs at Glasgow and at UCL. The external supervisor is Professor Adam Dennett at CASA, UCL.

**The AI4CI PDRA will act as the second Glasgow supervisor**

Project details

Individual-based activity models, such as MATSIM, have experienced significant uptake due to increased data availability and enhanced computational power. However, there is a need for improvement in activity scheduling to achieve a more accurate representation of an individual’s daily activities. This PhD research will explore the use of diverse datasets and machine learning approaches to enhance the representation of daily activities within an individual-level activity model. These will be embedded within an existing MATSIM application to test out a number of potential scenarios within Glasgow, for example, what is the impact of the introduction of congestion charges or reducing capacity on the M8 on accessibility and inequalities within the city? 

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Applicants will have a good Masters degree (or overseas equivalent)
• Applicants will have a demonstratable interest in the topic under investigation.
• Applicants can study part-time or full-time

Please note that all applicants must also meet the entry requirements for the Urban Studies, PhD. 

This PhD would suit a candidate with a strong computational background as this PhD will involve programming.

Application process

Applicants must apply via the Scholarships Application Portal (please see Scholarships Application Portal – Applicant Guide for more information), uploading the following documentation:

• AI Hub PhD Studentship application form (in Word format)
• Academic transcripts (All relevant Undergraduate and Master’s level degree transcripts (and translations, if not originally in English) – provisional transcripts are sufficient if you are yet to complete your degree).
• Contact details for two referees (where possible your referees should include an academic familiar with your work (within the last 5 years). Both referees can be academics but you may include a work referee, especially if you have been out of academia for more than 5 years). Please note, a CoSS PGR Funding Reference template will be sent to your referees for completion)*.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) (academic where applicable)

*Please note that when you enter your referees contact details on the Scholarships Application Portal and send the reference request, your referees are expected to provide their references by the closing date of the Scholarship (below). It is strongly recommended you complete this as soon as possible, as late or incomplete applications will not be considered.