EngD position: Optimizing Spatial Design of Utilities in Urban Underground
Cities increasingly struggle to place buried infrastructure in the subsurface. Network operators expect that the surface below 50% of their streets needs to be opened to upgrade electric networks, maintain sewer, and install new energy networks. In this crowded underground, significant design challenges emerge, but also opportunity arise to reorganize the underground. How can we strike a balance between an optimal layout solution from a technical viewpoint, and an affordable and feasible construction plan for future (utility) streetworks?
Challenge
When engineering utility lines, designers need to adhere to technical design requirements regarding their placement (including location, trace, depth, and minimum distances to buildings and other utilities). This becomes challenging as new energy networks, water retention solutions, and other buried objects compete for the same underground space as existing networks. Excavation methods become more expensive, and construction works become more prone to surprises, delays, and damages. To keep utilities performing, minimize disruption, and limit excavation damage, municipalities like Gemeente Amsterdam, want to organize their subsurface better. They already are improving the (3D) registers of their underground infrastructures, but further want to understand how design tools can support layout planning. Their goal is to exploit design algorithms to achieve this.
This culminates in the following goal of this EngD, which is to:
Develop an algorithm that automates the design of street cross-section layouts for utility construction projects.
During this project, you work with a supervision team of Dr. Farid Vahdatikhaki and Dr. Léon olde Scholtenhuis (UT) and Gemeente Amsterdam (Marco Scheffers) to gain knowledge about design principles for utility engineering, identify design objectives, and algorithms for multi-utility placement, and validate this on realistic cases. The planned start date for the project is March-15, 2025.
Information and application
Please send your application using the instructions below before January 17th. Your submission is considered eligible if it includes (only and no less than) the following documents:
• Recent CV (including relevant academic, and (if any) professional experience)
• Motivation letter (max 1.5pg) explaining your interest and relevant background knowledge for the project.
• Overview of M.Sc. degree: including thesis project title, thesis abstract, and grade list
Please contact the selection committee for more information about the project or your eligibility. You can reach them via email on l.l.oldescholtenhuis@utwente.nl (Léon olde Scholtenhuis) and f.vahdatikhaki@utwente.nl (Farid Vahdatikhaki).
The interviews will take place in the week of 27 January 2025.
About the organisation
The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) engages in education and research of Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. We enable society and industry to innovate and create value using efficient, solid and sustainable technology. We are part of a ‘people-first' university of technology, taking our place as an internationally leading center for smart production, processes and devices in five domains: Health Technology, Maintenance, Smart Regions, Smart Industry and Sustainable Resources. Our faculty is home to about 2,900 Bachelor's and Master's students, 550 employees and 150 PhD candidates. Our educational and research programmes are closely connected with UT research institutes Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.
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