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We invite applications for fully funded Ph.D. positions starting in
September 2018 in Montreal in the domain of Operations Research, as well as
in the intersection between Operations Research and Machine Learning. These
positions aim at advancing our collective capabilities to solve hard
optimization problems and our understanding of how external data sources
and real-time data can be used to improve the decision-making process.

* Research Topics
Research topics may be aligned with the interests of the students. Several
pre-defined research projects are also available (some of them in
collaboration with industrial partners). Topics may generally include the
following:
- Large-scale optimization for dynamic (combinatorial) planning problems
(e.g. Benders decomposition, Column Generation, Lagrangian Relaxation)
- Optimization under uncertainty (e.g. stochastic programming, robust
optimization, improvement of uncertainty sets and scenario generation
through external data)
- Improvement of (à priori and real-time) planning through integration of
external data sources via machine learning
- Development of Operations Research based algorithms to efficiently solve
machine learning problems

Research may be fundamental, applied, or a mix of both. Applications may
include domains such as Logistics and Transportation (e.g., vehicle sharing
systems, facility location, traffic management), Telecommunications and
Revenue Management (e.g., assortment planning; retail space optimization).

* Research supervision and environment
The students will work under the supervision of Dr. Sanjay Dominik Jena,
professor at the Department of Management and Technology (
mantech.esg.uqam.ca) at the Management School of Université du Québec à
Montréal (École des Science de la Gestion, UQAM). Sanjay Dominik Jena is
also member of the worldwide renowed, Montreal-based research center
CIRRELT (www.cirrelt.ca) and the Canada Exellence Research Chair in Data
Science for Real-time Decision-making (www.cerc-datascience.polymtl.ca).
Students may be co-supervised by other members of these research centers
and will be registered either at the joint Ph.D. program in Management (ESG
UQAM, HEC Montréal, McGill and Concordia) or at the respective university
of the other supervisor(s).

Montreal is a dynamic Metropolis, located in the province of Québec,
Canada. The city is bilingual (French/English) and known for its
international atmosphere. Montreal is known for its vibrate research
environment, hosting 5 major universities and several research centers in
the domains of Operations Research and Machine Learning. The successful
candidates will be working in one of the above-mentioned research centers.

* Candidate profile
Students are expected to carry out top-level research. They will develop
efficient solution algorithms to difficult planning problems such as those
in the above-listed domains. Candidates should have a Masters degree (or
equivalent) in Computer Science, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics,
or a related field. They should demonstrate good programming and
mathematical skills. Experience in mathematical programming, machine
learning, or data analysis is an asset. Candidates should possess a good
level of written and oral English. Even though they may eventually learn
French during their stay, French knowledge is not obligatory.

* Application procedure
Interested candidates should send their application package electronically
to Sanjay Dominik Jena (sanjay.jena@cirrelt.ca). The application should
contain the following documents:
- A statement of motivation to perform a Ph.D. in one of the domains
mentioned above in Montreal, your research interests, your programming
experience, as well as your preferred starting date
- Detailed curriculum vitae and list of publications (if any)
- Grade records of Bachelor and Master programe; national competition ranks
(if applicable)
- Reference letters or contact details of references (one of them should be
the supervisor of the candidate's Master studies)
- results of GRE or GMAT (if available)

If you have further questions regarding these positions, possible research
topics, etc., please contact Sanjay Dominik Jena (sanjay.jena@cirrelt.ca).
For a start in September 2018, admission deadline is end of January 2018 at
most of the universities. We therefore encourage to apply early, since, if
considered for the entry at a Business school, a GRE/GMAT will be required
which takes some time of preparation.

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We invite applications for a fully funded PhD position in Operations Research and Machine Learning. The PhD should start no later than May 2018.

Title: demand models and schedule design for air lines

Operations Research has been successfully optimizing air line industry processes for more than sixty years. The topic of "schedule design" provides tools to decide which market to serve, with what frequency, and how to schedule flight legs to meet these frequencies. Mathematically, this requires to model demand and customer preferences, and then find the set of flight legs to operate that maximizes the predicted profit.

Two recent trends challenge the traditional approaches to schedule design. First, the air transportation industry moved from a monopolistic to a very competitive environment, which calls for a new generation of demand models. Second, the amount of data made available by information technologies opens new opportunities to better take into account the uncertainty of demand. These new stochastic models notably enable to evaluate and control risk when optimizing the flight legs schedule.

The objective of this PhD is to set up new approaches to schedule design that responds to these challenges.

* Research supervision and environment
Scientific supervisors: Frédéric Meunier and Axel Parmentier

This PhD takes place in the context of the Operations Research and Machine Learning ch air between Air France and the Ecole des Ponts Paristech. The candidate will share its time between the Cermics, the applied mathematics center of the Ecole des Ponts Paristech, and the Operations Research department of Air France .

Ecole des Ponts Paristech is one of the top French universities, and Paris provides a startling research environment in mathematics and computer science.

* Candidate profile
Students are expected to carry out top-level research. They will develop efficient solution algorithms to difficult planning problems. They must have a master degree in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related field. They should demonstrate good programming skills. Knowledge of mathematical programming is required, experience in stochastic optimization, machine learning, or game theory is an asset. Even though they may learn French during their stay, French knowledge is not mandatory.

* Application procedure
Interested candidates should send their application package electronically to Axel Parmentier (axel.parmentier@enpc.fr). The application should contain the following documents:
- Cover letter explaining the motivation for the PhD, your research/career interests, as well as your preferred starting date
- Detailed curriculum vitae with list of publications (if any)
- Grade records of Bachelor and Master programs
- Reference letters or contact details of references (one of them should be the supervisor of the candidate's Master studies)

Applications are opened from now. The position is limited to three years. If you have further questions regarding this position, please contact Axel Parmentier (axel.parmentier@enpc.fr).
Position will remain available until filled.

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Dear Colleagues,

There is a job opening at Tesco that may interest recent PhD graduates and Post-Doc researchers.

Kind regards,

Dr. Murat Oguz

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A postdoc position is available at Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) in the Combinatorics and Optimization team of the Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu - Paris Rive Gauche, supported by the ANR Project CAPPS (Combinatorial Analysis of Polytopes and Polyhedral Subdivisions).

This is a 18 months position. The starting date is expected to be before September 2018, but it can be negotiated. The salary depends on the candidate's experience (at least around 2100€/month).

Applicants should possess a PhD in mathematics or computer science and research experience pertinent to some of the research topics of the project. The successful applicant will conduct research on combinatorial aspects of convex polytopes with Arnau Padrol and other members of the ANR CAPPS (https://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~arnau.padrol/CAPPS).

Interested candidates should send their application to arnau.padrol@imj-prg.fr, preferably by the end of 2017. Please include your CV, a short research statement and a publication list. Letters of recommendation are optional, but contact information of at least two references should be provided. They might be eventually requested to provide a letter.

For further inquiries contact arnau.padrol@imj-prg.fr (https://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~arnau.padrol/).

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Dear Colleagues,

a Postdoc position for a highly motivated researcher will be available to join the lab MIND (www.mind.disco.unimib.it), Department of Information, Systems and Communication, University of Milano-Bicocca (www.unimib.it).

The call will be opened very soon on the University web site.

The research fellow will work on topics that revolve around the development of analytics techniques and optimization models for smart tourism.

Candidates are required to hold a Master degree (Laurea Magistrale) in Computer Science, Operations Research, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics or related fields.

A background in machine learning and data mining and programming skills will be appreciated.

The position is full time starting from January 2017 to July 2019.

For further information, please contact Prof. Enza Messina at messina@disco.unimib.it with subject POSTDOC SMART TOURISM

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Please refer to the link: https://www.unipi.it/ateneo/bandi/assegni/pra2017/inf/20dic2017/index.htm

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The Computer Science, Modeling, and System Optimization research
Laboratory (LIMOS - UMR CNRS 6158) at the University Clermont Auvergne,
Clermont-Ferrand, France, invites applications for a full-time PhD
position in Combinatorial Optimization.

The position is funded by the
French National Research Agency (ANR) for three years and is related to
the research project "Optimal Routing and Spectrum Assignment of
Realistic FlexGrid Elastic Optical Networks" (FLEXOPTIM) led by Dr.
HervC) Kerivin from LIMOS. The FLEXOPTIM project aims at developing
efficient off-line/on-line algorithms for the Routing and Spectrum
Assignment (RSA) problem on large-scale Spectrally Flexible Optical
Networks (SFONs) and at integrating them into a global Software-Defined
Networking (SDN) framework. This interdisciplinary project brings
together experts in mathematical optimization from LIMOS and experts in
optical-network architecture and control from the Institut Mines-Telecom
(IMT-Atlantique, formerly Telecom Bretagne) in Brest, France. An
explicit collaboration with Orange Labs is planned during the project.

The PhD research project involves investigating the combinatorial and
optimization aspects of the RSA problem, developing algorithms to solve
realistic large-size instances of such a problem, and playing an active
role in the assessment of the functionality and efficiency of the
devised methods on a dedicated Orange-Labs platform. The successful
applicant must have a strong background in applied mathematics and
computer science. We are seeking an exceptionally talented and motivated
student with a good knowledge in theoretical and experimental
mathematical optimization such as combinatorial optimization, polyhedral
combinatorics, decomposition methods for large-scale problems, and
optimization under uncertainty, as well as skills in C/C++ programming
language; some experience with optimization software such as Cplex and
Gurobi would be an asset. Given the field of application of the
research project, a genuine interest in networking is required.

The
PhD candidate will work in the Combinatorial and Continuous Optimization
team of LIMOS under the supervision of Dr. HervC) Kerivin. He/she will
also work closely with researchers from IMT-Atlantique where regular
meetings will be held. The successful applicant is expected to carry out
cutting-edge research, deliver presentations at international
conferences, and publish in top-tier journals and conference
proceedings. The PhD scholarship includes a competitive salary and
travel support. In addition, a teaching assistantship with extra payment
may be available. Throughout the three years, the PhD candidate will be
provided with specialized scientific and career development training
offered by the Doctoral School of Engineering Sciences at University
Clermont Auvergne.

The earliest start date is November 01, 2017 but
the position will remain open until an appropriate candidate is found.
Applicants must have earned a master's degree in Operations Research,
Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or related fields by the start
date of the position. Besides the aforementioned scientific
requirements, the successful applicant must demonstrate a high level of
proficiency in spoken and written English. Knowledge of French is not
required but would be an asset.

Review of applications will begin in early October 2017 and will continue until the position is filled.
Applications received by October 15, 2017 will be given full
consideration. Applications must contain

* A cover letter,
* A curriculum vitae or resume,
* Copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts,
* A 1-2 page research statement describing how the applicant's qualifications and research interests would fit the project,
* A copy of the applicant's master's thesis,
* Up to three publications if it applies,
* The names and contact information of academic references, one of which should be the applicant's master's thesis supervisor.

All application materials must be submitted in English to Dr. Hervé Kerivin at kerivin@isima.fr with the subject line "FLEXOPTIM PhD scholarship (applicant's name)", preferably as a single PDF file. If the original academic transcripts are not in French or English, the translated transcripts must have the university's official stamp on them.

If you have further questions regarding this position, please contact Dr. Hervé Kerivin at kerivin@isima.fr with the subject line "FLEXOPTIM PhD scholarship".

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Applications are invited for postdoctoral research fellowships and for PhD scholarships in the Mathematics Department of the London School of Economics and Political Science. The positions are funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant “Scaling Methods for Discrete and Continuous Optimization” held by László Végh.

The project focuses on problems and methods on the interface between discrete and continuous optimization. A key goal is to further our understanding of strongly polynomial computability, including making progress towards finding a strongly polynomial algorithm for linear programming. Please see a brief summary of the project on the webpage http://personal.lse.ac.uk/veghl/scaleopt.html

The job advertisment for a postdoc position (officially called "research officer") is available at http://tiny.cc/scaleopt The length of the position is 1 year with possible extensions; the starting date is flexible. The closing date for applications is 8 December 2017 (23.59 UK time), strictly enforced.

Applications for PhD positions should be submitted via the LSE PhD application system. Please visit the departmental PhD application website at http://www.lse.ac.uk/maths/Degrees/PhD_and_MPhil.aspx for application guidance. The application deadline for PhD positions in this project is 28 February 2018, but late applications may also be considered.

For both postdoc and PhD positions, please contact László Végh at l.vegh@lse.ac.uk before submitting your application. Informal enquiries are welcome.

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The Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University seeks
candidates for a tenure-track faculty position in Operations Research,
preferably at the Assistant Professor level, beginning in September 2018.
Applicants are expected to have a Ph.D. in Operations Research or a related
field at the time of appointment, a demonstrated potential for outstanding
research, and strong teaching skills.

The specialty of the candidate may be in the broad area of Optimization
with connections to Business Analytics and Machine Learning. The ideal
candidate will be able to contribute to the school’s analytical approach to
business education, and engage in cross-disciplinary research activities
within the Tepper School and Carnegie Mellon University.

Applicants should submit an application letter, curriculum vitae, up to
three publications or working papers, research and teaching statements, and
three recommendation letters. Questions about the application can be
addressed to Mr. Philip Conley at orgroup@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-6212

To receive full consideration, applications must be submitted by December
8, 2017.

Application Procedure: Faculty applications and all supporting documents
must be submitted to: http://apply.interfolio.com/45280

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Dear Colleagues,

Apologies for possible cross-posting.

The research group OASYS (Optimization and Analytics for Sustainable EnergY
Systems) at the University of Málaga (Málaga, Spain) is currently looking
for talented and entrepreneurial candidates to fill a PhD position and a
postdoctoral position on the topic Advanced Analytics to Empower the Small
Flexible Prosumption of Electricity.

Both positions are linked to an Excellent Science project awarded by the
European Research Council through an ERC Starting Grant.

The PhD candidate must possess a master degree in computer science,
control/electrical engineering, applied mathematics and/or statistics,
engineering, or equivalent academic qualifications. Preference will be given
to candidates with skills in statistical and mathematical modelling, big
data management techniques, optimization and software development. Knowledge
of data-handling and programming software (Python, R, Matlab, etc.) is an
advantage. Furthermore, good command of the English language (orally and in
writing) is clearly a plus.

The Postdoctoral Researcher is expected to possess a PhD or equivalent,
preferably in operations research, control engineering, computer science,
mathematics, or statistics. Preference will be given to candidates with a
strong background in optimization theory and mathematical programming. The
ability to code and solve large-scale optimization problems using
programming languages like Python and optimization solvers like Cplex on
High-Performance Computing Facilities is clearly an advantage. Excellent
command of the English language, both orally and in writing is required.

The appointments involve a competitive salary, healthcare and social
security insurance.

Detailed information on the positions we are offering and on the application
procedure can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/jnmmgo/recruitment

Applications should be received no later than December 3, 2017.

I would appreciate it very much if you could spread the link to the
positions within your network.

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The Operations and Systems Management group at University of Portsmouth is seeking to recruit a Senior Research Associate to work on the EU-funded CLIC project starting in January 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The focus of the work will be to design, develop and validate a multi-actor, multi-criteria decision support system able to identify cost-effective public participation rates in co-financing mechanisms for cultural heritage.

The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Operations Research or Public finance or Geographical spatial development or any related area. It is required to have some knowledge of designing computerised implementation of decision support algorithms. Some European foreign travel is required.

Informal enquiries can be made to Prof Alessio Ishizaka (Alessio.Ishizaka@port.ac.uk)

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Dear Colleagues,

A fully funded PhD position in Multiobjective Optimisation is available at the University of Auckland.

The PhD project will be part of the research project "Novel Decomposition Techniques for Multiobjective Optimisation". The successful candidate will work on the integration of decomposition techniques such as Dantzig-Wolfe and Bender's decomposition in multiobjective optimisation methods, and their potential applications. The PhD candidate will be working with Dr Andrea Raith (Engineering Science, University of Auckland), and Associate Professor Richard Lusby (Danish Technical University, Copenhagen, Denmark).

Scholarship: The upcoming scholarship will provide $27,500 per annum, and covers fees up to $7,500 per annum. The PhD candidate has the opportunity to visit Richard Lusby at Danish Technical University. The university also provides support that can be used towards conference travel and other research expenses.

For details on the application process, please refer to the project description on the University of Auckland findathesis page (project 10385334): https://www.findathesis.auckland.ac.nz/research-entry/10385334

Applications will be reviewed from 1 October 2017 until the position is filled.

Questions can be directed to Andrea Raith a.raith@auckland.ac.nz

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The Department of Combinatorics and Optimization
(https://uwaterloo.ca/combinatorics-and-optimization/) at the University of
Waterloo (https://uwaterloo.ca/) invites applications for two tenure-track
faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor. Associate or Full
Professors with tenure will be considered in special cases that enhance the
research and teaching needs of the Department. Applicants should have
research interests in one of the following areas: Algebraic Combinatorics,
Continuous Optimization, Cryptography, Discrete Optimization, and Graph
Theory. Emphasis will be given to candidates in the areas Continuous
Optimization and Cryptography.

A Ph.D. degree and evidence of excellence in research and teaching are
required. Successful applicants are expected to maintain an active program
of research, to attract and supervise graduate students, and to participate
in undergraduate and graduate teaching. The salary range for the position
is $105,000 to $155,000. Negotiations beyond this salary range will be
considered for exceptionally qualified candidates. The effective date of
appointment is July 1, 2018.

Interested individuals should apply using the MathJobs
(https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10660) site. Applications should
include a curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, and up to
three reprints/preprints. In addition, at least three reference letters
should be submitted.

Inquiries may be addressed to combopt@uwaterloo.ca or to Jochen Koenemann,
Chair, Department of Combinatorics and Optimization, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1. Closing date for receipt of
applications is December 1, 2017.

The University of Waterloo respects, appreciates and encourages diversity
and is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. We welcome
applications from all qualified individuals including women, members of
visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities. All
qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens
and permanent residents will be given priority in the recruitment process.

Three reasons to apply:
https://uwaterloo.ca/faculty-association/why-waterloo.

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The Algorithms group in Microsoft Research—Redmond invites applications for
1. a postdoctoral researcher position, broadly in the area of Algorithms,
including coding theory, optimization, and algorithmic game
theory/economics. The position can be for either 1 or 2 years. Anticipated
start date: July 1, 2017.
2. A researcher position (all levels), broadly in the area of Algorithms,
with special consideration being given to candidates in optimization and
related areas (online algorithms, resource allocation, scheduling, routing,
graph cuts, network design, etc.).

Microsoft Research offers a special opportunity to work at the cutting edge
of algorithms research, as well as have impact on the next generation of
computing technology. We strongly encourage candidates excited by this
unique proposition to apply.

Please apply online at https://careers.research.microsoft.com/ and also
have the materials (including letters) emailed to algoapp@microsoft.com.
Mention either Nikhil Devanur or Sergey Yekhanin as the MSR contact.

To ensure that they receive full consideration, please send all the
application materials, including letters, on or before November 30, 2017.

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For complete information see the linked pdf file. A brief fummary from the file follows:

Transportation networks have an increasing share of border-crossing services. The conditions
to implement such services are often different in neighbouring countries. For resource planning,
this may make it necessary to change between resources at the border. In the case of railway
networks, for example, this might apply to different electricity systems which require a change
of locomotive, different track gauges which require suitable wagons, or labour agreements as
well as different technical skills which might require staff changes. The challenge is to provide
decision makers with suggestions on how to find optimal resource allocations to deal with these
differing regulations in the best possible way. Ideally, it is also possible to make suggestions
for additional investments into more flexible resources, such as locomotives that are suited for
different electricity systems or training of employees.
The PhD candidate shall develop mixed-integer optimization models for the above problem setting
of an optimal resource allocation and investment for border-crossing transport services, focussing
on a suitably chosen subset of resources to plan. The optimization models should form a hier-
archy in the sense that they represent the given problem in different levels of detail, for example
with respect to the planning horizon (strategic, tactical or operational view), or with respect to time
and space resolution. This enables the development of solution algorithms based on adaptive re-
finement or suitable decomposition approaches based on Benders decomposition, for example.
The mathematical work on these models will then focus on structural analysis, for example iden-
tifying combinatorial subproblems or drawing upon graph theory and polyhedral analysis. Data
uncertainties, for example in demand forecasts or in the form of delays, might require robust or
stochastic model extensions. The PhD candidate will spend secondments for technical and sci-
entific training at DB Cargo Polska in Zabrze, Poland. The PhD degree will be awarded by FAU
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.

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The Deutsche Post Chair – Optimization of Distribution Networks at RWTH Aachen University is recruiting a postdoc to strengthen its team. The contract is for 2 years (starting at the earliest possible date) with the option to be extended.

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PhD and Postdoc Positions (Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorial Algorithms)

The Information Theory team at Aalto University carries out research in a variety
of subfields within discrete mathematics (coding theory, design theory, graph theory,
information theory) and computer science (combinatorial algorithms). In particular,
studies on classification of fundamental combinatorial structures have been pursued
(P. Kaski & P.R.J. Ostergard, Classification Algorithms for Codes and Designs, Springer,
Berlin, 2006).

Algorithms for clique (independent set) search play a central role in the research,
and the team has developed the Cliquer software
https://users.aalto.fi/~pat/cliquer.html
Possible topics for study and research include exact and heuristic algorithms for the
maximum clique problem and other (NP)-hard problems as well as application of these to
construction, enumeration, and classification of various types of discrete structures.
A 500-core compute cluster owned by the team is a dream come true for anyone wanting to
push the limits of what is computationally doable. CERN hunts new particles, we hunt
new mathematical structures.

[The information within brackets is for the postdoc position.]
An applicant for the PhD [postdoc] position should have a Master's [PhD] degree
in mathematics or computer science, excellent programming skills (C), good skills
in English, and documented knowledge in some subfields of discrete mathematics or
computer science related to the topics mentioned above. The entry level salary is
2422 EUR [3517 EUR] before taxes. The employee is assumed to act as a teaching assistant
[teacher] for one course per year. The preferable starting time is January 2018 but can
be somewhat adjusted; the position is filled for a maximum of 4 [1.5] years with an
option of extension for the postdoc position.

Any inquiries should be sent by email to patric.ostergard@aalto.fi
The application should be sent to the same address as soon as possible
but no later than on November 30, 2017. Please submit the following documents:

-a CV and (if applicable) a list of publications,
-copies of university grade transcripts and diplomas,
-the names of two persons who are willing to provide a letter of reference,
if asked, and
-for the PhD position only: a motivation letter,
-for the postdoc position only: a research plan.

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The Department of Mathematics at LSE seeks to appoint an Assistant Professor. For this post, we are particularly interested in candidates with expertise in a subject area related to the Mathematics of Operations Research. The successful candidate will have an established track record or trajectory of research at a level of international excellence, will be able to teach mathematics at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and will have a commitment to excellence in teaching. The successful candidate will contribute to the general work of the department, including the teaching of a range of courses. She or he will maintain an active programme of research in mathematics and will have a clear, well developed and viable strategy for future outstanding research. She or he will have a PhD in a mathematical subject (or be close to completing one) by the intended start date of 1 September 2018.

For further information about the post, other benefits that come with this job, and shortlisting criteria, please see the "how to apply" document, job description, and person specification which are available at www.lse.ac.uk/LSEJobs. Salary is competitive with Departments at our peer institutions worldwide and not less than £53,004 (GBP) per annum inclusive. The closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday 26 November 2017 (23.59 UK time).

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PhD position in Algorithms & Optimisation (Univ. of Liverpool, UK)


A fully funded PhD position:

A fully funded 3-year PhD position is available at the Computer Science Department of the University of Liverpool, UK.
The Department is the world-leading research centre in Computer Science with a particular strength in theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. The department offers a strong research environment, spanning a wide range of research topics such as complexity theory and algorithms, distributed computing and computer networks, verification and formal methods, automata and computability theory, computational game theory, data mining, machine learning and natural language processing.

The successful candidate will do research in the areas of algorithms, optimisation and machine learning, designing new approaches and their analyses for simulation-based planning techniques with applications to online retail. This project will be in cooperation with Shop Direct, the second largest retailer in the UK. The candidate will be supervised by Professor Piotr Krysta ( https://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~piotr/ ) and will become a member of the Algorithms and Optimisation research group at the Department of Computer Science: https://intranet.csc.liv.ac.uk/research/optimisation/people.html.

This PhD project will study a Loan Pricing Problem (LPP), in which a customer browses pages of an online retailer and is interested to purchase a new product. The retailer offers the customer payment options: a list of appropriately priced loans. These offers are based on the customer's past history, and are carefully chosen and personalised, to maximise the customer's lifetime value. How can we model and efficiently solve this problem based on the customer's history? LPP can be approached by simulation-based planning techniques via Markov decision processes. We will use our expertise in this area and in combinatorial pricing and the design and analysis of algorithms to build a learning model for LPP based on data from Shop Direct. Our goal is to develop a novel framework of meta-algorithms which would automatically generate efficient algorithms to solve LPP based on the historic data. We will use both experimental and theoretical analysis of the performance of our algorithms. Our toolkit will involve state of the art techniques in simulation-based planning, machine learning, approximation algorithms and optimisation.

This PhD project is an exciting opportunity to delve into an important and timely research area on a border of algorithms, optimisation and data analysis with a renowned team of researchers and a modern high-tech internet retailer Shop Direct based in Liverpool. The project will help expose the PhD candidate to contemporary theoretical developments in these research areas as well as their direct deployment in industrial practice. A PhD within this project will prepare the candidate to undertake academic research career and industrial research and development IT career.

The position will be based in University of Liverpool's Department of Computer Science and supervised by Professor Piotr Krysta, and co-supervised by Dr. Rahul Savani (Economics and Computation group) and Dr. Frans Oliehoek (Data Mining and Machine Learning group), with a close cooperation with Shop Direct's Data Science Department.

Prior Experience:
We look for ambitious and highly motivated candidates with good first degree (BSc or MSc) in Computer Science, Mathematics or closely related subject, and with a strong interest and background in algorithms and optimisation, and programming skills. A mathematically oriented mind is desired. The applicant must have good communication skills, both verbal and in writing (English), be self-motivated and helpful team member.

How to Apply:
Applications should be made formally by following the University of Liverpool's standard process. Details can be found
here: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/computer-science/postgraduate/phdstudy/applications/ Applications should list
Prof. Piotr Krysta as the potential supervisor and choose the option "School funded PhD" when asked how you will
fund the PhD. Applications must contain a cover letter, a curriculum vitae or resume, copies of undergraduate and
graduate transcripts, a 1-2 page research statement describing how the applicant's qualifications and research
interests would fit the project, a copy of the applicant's bachelor or master's thesis and the names and contact
information of academic references.

Funding Notes:
This PhD studentship will be for 3 years at GBP 20,000 (tax-free) per year.
a) If UK/EU this will relate to Full Fees & Maintenance (current fee £4,195)
b) If overseas/international applicants this will relate to Full Fee and a small maintenance (current fee is £18,900).

Applications are admitted until 24 November 2017, or until a suitable candidate is found thereafter. The selected candidate can start this position immediately, but the latest starting date for this fully-funded PhD position is 1 March 2018. Please send your informal inquiries to Prof. Piotr Krysta (pkrysta@liverpool.ac.uk).

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For a postdoctoral position in an externally funded research project, we
seek applicants with research interest and expertise combining simulation
modeling and meta-heuristics, machine learning, or computational
intelligence in the context of management science, operational research, or
operations management.

You should have, or be close to completing, excellent Masters and PhD
degrees in management, engineering or computer science (or in a related
subject area), with initial publications in preparation for leading
scholarly journals. Corporate experience from applied research and
consultancy projects is valued, particularly in the domains of revenue
management and/or logistics and transport. You should have excellent
verbal/written communication skills, a strong quantitative background, and
computer programming experience (e.g. Java, R, Python, etc.).

You will be expected to primarily work in an externally funded project on
calibrating and validating agent-based simulations for business decision
support. There will be opportunities to develop further research projects
within the Department Management Science.

The application deadline is Thursday 16 November 2017; interviews will be
conducted on Thursday 28 November 2017. This position is open to all
nationalities.

Please find more information and apply here:
https://hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=A2079

If you require any further information, please contact
Catherine Cleophas
c.cleophas@lancaster.ac.uk

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A PhD studentship in optimization is available at the Dept. of Management Science, University of Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow, UK, with an immediate start date if preferable (but latest by 1st March 2018). The project is entitled "Optimization of Offshore Renewable Energy Arrays for Minimal Life-Cycle Costs".

Funding is available to cover 3 years of tuition fees plus a tax free stipend (£14,653 for 2017-18, and projected to increase to £15,020 for 2018-19 and £15,395 for 2019-20). The studentship is open to candidates from any nationality (UK/EU/international), however, the fees will be covered at the UK/EU level only (there is about £10k extra fee for non-EU international students).

The application deadline is 14th November 2017.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

A fundamental difficulty in developing offshore renewable energy (ORE) sites is that the uncertain environmental conditions make accurately assessing the life-cycle costs of a site a challenging problem. In particular, logistical operations throughout the life of a site are subject to uncertain operating conditions, and it is therefore difficult to plan and schedule these operations, and to estimate the resulting durations and costs. Similarly, the generating potential throughout the operation of a given site is dependent on the realised weather as well as the availability of each asset, and uncertainties in each of these make it difficult to accurately predict the profits to be gained from energy production. Decisions on aspects such as the size, layout and composition of a site are therefore difficult to accurately quantify and compare.

This project will aim to develop optimisation models to identify the best strategy for designing an ORE site. A complimentary PhD project in the Dept. of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering at Strathclyde will take an alternative approach to the problem, and as both projects progress in parallel, mutual developments will feed into both projects. This will provide a cross-disciplinary approach to a challenging research problem with potential industry impact.

FUNDING AND ELIGIBILITY

Funding is available to cover 3 years of tuition fees at the UK/EU level, plus a tax free stipend of £14,653 for 2017-18, and projected to increase to £15,020 for 2018-19 and £15,395 for 2019-20. The student will be given opportunities to attend a conference and/or specialized training every year.

The PhD project requires a highly numerate graduate with interests in renewable energy. Candidates should have at least a strong Honours degree or equivalent (a strong 2:1 Honours degree, or a B.Sc. degree with 3.3 GPA in a 4.0 system), or preferably a Master’s degree in a quantitative discipline such as industrial engineering, operations research, mathematics or computer science (amongst others). Experience in programming and fundamental knowledge in optimization are not essential but highly desirable. Candidates who are not native English speakers will be required to provide evidence for their English skills (such as by IELTS or similar tests that are approved by UKVI, or a degree completed in an English speaking country).

Applications are admitted until 14th November 2017, or until a suitable candidate is found thereafter.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your complete applications at:

https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/postgraduateresearchopportunities/businesspgropportunities/managementsciencepgropportunities/simulationandoptimisationofoffshorerenewableenergyarraysforminimallife-cyclecosts/

Candidates are expected to submit a cover letter, CV, any university degree certificates and transcripts, English test results (if applicable), two recommendation letters (or contact details of two referees, if letters are not available to them), and any other supporting documents.

More information about the department can be found here: http://www.strath.ac.uk/business/managementscience/

Informal enquiries about the project to Dr Euan Barlow (euan.barlow@strath.ac.uk).

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The Department of Mathematics of the University of Padua has 1 opening for a fixed-term 3-year postdoc in Operational Research.

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The University of Camerino has an opening for a Postdoc in O.R. on the project: "Tailored Rehabilitation for the Engagement and Empowerment of Chronically Disabled People".

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This research is devoted to the analysis and implementation of methods and models for optimal inventory management and optimal replenishment for drugs. The research will concern the analysis of advanced methods based on machine learning which, thanks to contextual information, are capable of delivering optimal as well as robust decisions.

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Applications are invited for Two Postdoctoral Positions in Operations Research at Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Each position is for a period of 12 months with the possibility of renewal. The start date is negotiable.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in Operations Research, Management Science, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or related fields before the start date. Interviews are on-going and will continue until the positions are filled.

Applicants with interests in Large Scale Optimization, Machine Learning, and Data Analytics as well as the application of optimization methods (integer, non-linear, and/or semi-definite programming) in transportation and/or energy are highly desirable.

Interested applicants should send a CV (with sample publications if the papers are not available online) to Prof. Joe Naoum-Sawaya jnaoum-sawaya@ivey.ca or to Prof. Bissan Ghaddar bghaddar@uwaterloo.ca.

Multiple Ph.D. Positions are also available.