Website University of Twente
Job description
This PhD position is part of the RE:Match.D project, which aims to develop a digital matchmaking method that integrates semantic material data, design-for-circularity principles, and hub logistics to enable large-scale high-quality reuse within regional infrastructure ecosystems (primary focus: Twente region; validation area: Brabant).
The reuse of infrastructure components (such as road paving stones, concrete edge stones, sewer pipes) is receiving increasing attention, but scaling remains challenging: supply and demand rarely match in terms of time, location, and specifications, and documentation is often incomplete. Hubs can serve as regional nodes by sorting, storing, refurbishing, and redistributing recovered materials to bridge these gaps, while digital systems create transparency and coordination mechanisms for numerous stakeholders.
You will collaborate with a strong multi-party consortium including the University of Twente (UT), Tilburg University, Saxion, regional networks (such as Pioneering, Midpoint Brabant), several municipalities in Twente and Brabant, as well as industry partners including platform provider DuSpot and demolition/infrastructure contractors.
The academic supervisory team consists of dr. ir. Marc van den Berg, dr. ir. Rob Bemthuis, and dr. Hans Voordijk.
Your research is positioned at the intersection of circular economy, reverse logistics, information systems, and decision support. It will simultaneously produce scientific output and practical tools that consortium partners can apply in real-world living lab projects.
**Research Challenges**
In this PhD project, you will help design, evaluate, and digitally enable regional hubs for the reuse of recovered infrastructure materials. Your research encompasses four interrelated research and development tracks:
1. Understanding the nature of hubs: reviewing existing and emerging construction/circular hubs, translating lessons learned into a hub framework applicable to regions such as Twente and Brabant.
2. Making hubs viable through business models and value propositions: analyzing how hubs can operate sustainably in practice, including governance, services, revenue/cost structures, and their impact on layout and capacity.
3. From ‘single hub’ to ‘hub network’: modeling and comparing regional hub configurations (centralized, decentralized, hybrid) to understand trade-offs in coordination, transportation, and reuse performance under different scenarios.
4. Developing a digital warehouse management system for reuse hubs: designing and prototyping a hub inventory system that supports real-time visibility and interoperable data exchange with external matching tools and project partners.
In these activities, you will work closely with municipalities and companies in real living labs, participate in workshops and consortium meetings, and ensure your results are practically usable (and not just publishable).
offer requirements
We are looking for an enthusiastic, highly motivated, and passionate researcher who meets the following conditions:
– Master’s degree in (civil) engineering, construction management, industrial engineering, supply chain/logistics, operations research, computer science, information systems, or a related field.
– Strong skills or clear interest (demonstrated through projects, publications, or experience) in one or more of the following areas:
– Reverse logistics and circular supply chains in the built environment
– Business model analysis and multi-stakeholder governance
– Simulation and modeling (agent-based modeling, discrete-event simulation, network modeling)
– Data modeling/interoperability (e.g., ontologies/semantics, data standards, API-based exchange)
– Decision support systems and prototyping (dashboards, information systems, user-centered design)
– Empirical research in real-world settings (case studies, interviews, co-creation, living labs)
– Motivated and able to work both in an academic environment and in a large consortium with multiple partners.
– Strong interpersonal skills, able to collaborate with engineers, planners, and industry stakeholders.
– Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of written and spoken Dutch is an advantage for collaboration with industry partners.
– For non-Dutch education applicants whose high school and university education was not in English: IELTS overall score of at least 6.5, TOEFL iBT at least 90, or Cambridge CAE-C.
offer benefits
We encourage high responsibility and independence, while collaborating with colleagues, researchers, other university staff, and consortium partners. We adhere to the salary conditions of the Dutch Universities Collective Labour Agreement (CAO).
Conditions include:
– Full-time 4-year PhD position, with a qualifying assessment in the first year;
– Excellent supervision in an inspiring research environment and first-class facilities;
– Personal development plan through the University of Twente Graduate School.
In addition:
– Gross monthly salary in the first year €3,059, increasing annually to €3,881 in the fourth year;
– Attractive benefits: 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, solid pension scheme;
– 29 days of leave per year (full-time employment);
– Twente Graduate School training program, jointly established by you and your supervisors in a suitable education and supervision plan;
– Green campus, free use of sports facilities, international scientific community;
– Family-friendly institution offering paid and unpaid parental leave;
– University of Twente (UT) formal employee status, including pension, healthcare benefits, and favorable secondary employment conditions as stipulated in the CAO-NU agreement.
To apply for this job please visit utwente.nl.