FTDP scholarship funding

Each scholarship funding is for three years of a full-time PhD degree programme, and includes:

  • tuition fees
  • tax-free maintenance stipend of around £18,622 per annum (rising in line with URKI rates)
  • additional research costs of up to £1,600 per year

Other funded supports:

  • Funded secondments to industry and overseas universities.
  • Enhanced training and skills development from LJMU’s Researcher Development Programme.
  • Coaching and/or mentoring support.
  • Training to gain teaching qualifications (Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy).
  • Relevant activities by professional bodies, for example OR Society, CILT, IMarEST, IET.
  • Relevant subject-specific training, for example guest lectures, research sandpits, methodological training.

First cohort (3 students) to start in February 2024

  • 17 November 2023: Application deadline
  • 27 November to 1 December 2023: Interviews (in person or remote)
  • 4 to 8 December 2023: Successful candidates notified
  • 8 February 2024: Relocate to Liverpool and enrol.

Interested applicants please email Prof. Trung Thanh Nguyen with title “FTDP PhD scholarship” and include the following information:

  • Which of the following three topics (see below) you would like to apply for.
  • CV.
  • Covering letter detailing your suitability.
  • Contact details of two referees.

Project 1
Optimising the planning and operations of alternative fuel vehicles

Possible tasks:

  • Model investment in electric/hydrogen vehicles as a mathematical problem.
  • Model daily operational plans as a mathematical problem.
  • Solve the models taking into account environment/health impact and cost/profit.

Specific expertise required

  • Strong/demonstrable expertise in optimisation (exact/heuristics/meta-heuristics).
  • Demonstrable experience in programming and data analytics.

Preferred, but not mandatory, experience in:

  • discrete-event/multi-agent simulation
  • alternative-fuel vehicles
  • engagement with industry/external

Project 2
Machine learning or material analyses using intelligent sensors for Net Zero

Potential topics:

  • Utilise existing and new sensor data (via sensor installations, engagement, citizen scientists etc.) to understand the impact of air pollution indoor/outdoor on health/environment.
  • Insights into the sources of pollution and chemical compounds.
  • Machine learning to recognise/classify events from sensor data, predict impact, and recommend mitigations.

For any topic, identify links to freeport/transport-logistics infrastructure/development/ behaviours/Net-Zero strategies. Then provide optimal recommendations.

Specific expertise required

Strong, demonstrable expertise in one of the following:

  • Machine learning, large data handling/acquisition (e.g. via web APIs).
  • Lab-based material analyses (microscopy, chromatography, mass spectrometry, XRF etc).

Demonstrable experience ( preferably with large data) in:

  • programming
  • data analytics

Preferred, but not mandatory, experience in:

  • backend development and open source environments (Linux, GitHub, etcetera)
  • programming/working with microcomputers/microcontrollers (for example Raspberry Pi and Arduino) or other embedded systems.

Project 3
Digitalisation and cyber security for freeports

Potential topics:

  • New methods to enable cyber security risk analysis and quantification in UK freeports.
  • Resilience of UK freeports cyber-physic communities under cyberattacks.

Specific expertise required

Essential expertise in:

  • maritime operations or safety science
  • algorithm design
  • programming (Unity and PHP-based web development, using C# and Python)

Desirable experience in:

  • cyber security background and Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)
  • data analytics
  • familiar with protocols
  • risk assessment tools
  • 3D visualisation

Second cohort (3 students) to start in February 2025

Advert for this cohort will come out in 2024. Timeline for second cohort will be announced later.

If you are interested, email T.T.Nguyen@ljmu.ac.uk to register your interests.

Project 4
Optimisation and AI for a modal shift to freight rail

Required expertise include network/graph theory, data analytics, programming, and one of: optimisation, simulation or machine learning.

Project 5
Optimising the planning of clean, renewable energy

Required expertise include optimisation, programming, and data analytics. Experience in discrete-event/agent-based simulation and renewable energy are welcome.

Project 6
Benchmarking freeport/transport optimisation/decarbonisation

Required expertise include simulation, multi-criteria decision-making, data analytics, programming. Experience in external engagement is required.

Candidate Background

Besides the above specific expertise/experience, you should have strong critical-thinking, communication, inter-personal and organisational skills. You must work well independently and in a team. You will travel (UK/abroad) to visit/engage partners, present findings or collect data.

We welcome interest from applicants with non-standard qualifications who can demonstrate knowledge, experience and skills developed in the workplace.

The programme offers transferable skills/development training through our Researcher Development Framework.