PhD Scholarship

Massey University

PhD SCHOLARSHIP in MODELLING, INFERENCE AND PREDICTION FOR DYNAMIC TRAFFIC NETWORKS

Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University Palmerston North, New Zealand

Applications are invited for a three year (full-time) PhD scholarship at Massey University within the Statistics & Bioinformatics Group in the Institute of Fundamental Sciences. The scholarship is funded by a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden grant recently awarded to Professor Martin Hazelton, to study modelling, inference and prediction for dynamic traffic models.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Traffic congestion is a worldwide problem. Models that describe the day-to-day dynamics of road traffic networks provide the means for development and testing of durable remedial measures, and hence play a critical role in transport management and planning. However, current day-to-day traffic models have been underused, partly because their theoretical properties are insufficiently flexible to capture many facets of real network behaviour, and also because we lack the statistical tools necessary for their effective practical implementation.

In response, our overall aim is to develop and analyse an extended class of stochastic dynamic models that is better able to capture the types of day-to-day spatial variation in patterns of traffic flow that are seen in practice, and to design appropriate statistical methods to ensure that model fitting and assessment is reliable.

The contribution of the PhD student can be adapted to match his/her strengths. For example, a PhD scholar with particular expertise in computer coding will play a pivotal role in model implementation and testing, and in the development of efficient algorithms for statistical inference. A student whose greatest strength is in mathematics, on the other hand, would contribute principally to the study of the theoretical properties of the day-to-day models and their application to network control.

The Associate Investigators on the project are Professor David Watling (University of Leeds, U.K.), Professor Guilio Cantarella (University of Salerno, Italy), Professor Hong Lo (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) and Professor Mike Smith (University of York, U.K.). The successful applicant will likely have the opportunity to visit some of these leading international researchers.

FUNDING:

The scholarship includes a tax-free stipend of NZ$25,000 per year for three years, and full payment of fees. Additional funding is available for travel.

ABOUT STATISTICS AT MASSEY UNIVERSITY IN PALMERSTON NORTH The Statistics Group at Massey University in Palmerston North is based in the Institute of Fundamental Sciences. See http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/departments/institute-of-fundamental-sciences/staff/statistics-and-bioinformatics-group.cfm for an overview. The Group is recognized for the strength of its PhD programme, which includes students drawn from around the world, providing a vibrant atmosphere for postgraduate research.

Palmerston North is the fifth largest city on New Zealand's North Island. It has the wealth of facilities you would expect to find in a major city, yet it is compact, friendly and accessible.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applicants should have an Honours 1 or 2(1) degree in Statistics (or an equivalent qualification), strong research potential, and be able to commence by the start of July 2015. Applications, including a curriculum vitae, academic transcript, covering letter and contact details of two referees should be sent to Prof Martin Hazelton, either by post to Institute of Fundamental Sciences Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand, or (preferably) by email to m.hazelton@massey.ac.nz. All applications received by 13 February 2015 will be considered.

ENQUIRIES:

For more information please contact Professor Martin Hazelton, ph (64) 6 3569099 x2483, email m.hazelton@massey.ac.nz.