PhD Position - Experimental Research on Pedestrian Dynamics - Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH

Location: Germany, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Jülich

The movement as a pedestrian influences our daily life in many different situations. A deeper understanding of the underlying principles of pedestrian traffic can, among other things, help to improve comfort and safety in complex buildings, at major events or in traffic infrastructures. Both physical and psychological factors play an equally important role. The "Civil Safety Research" division of the Institute for Advanced Simulation is therefore inter alia involved in the dynamics of movement and behaviour in crowds of people. Laboratory experiments with large crowds of people represent a central empirical approach to researching pedestrian dynamics. Research and teaching are carried out in close cooperation with the Bergische Universität Wuppertal and the Ruhr Universität Bochum.

We are offering a

PhD Position - Experimental Research on Pedestrian Dynamics

Your Job:

You will be part of the EU-funded research project CrowdDNA where you will work in close cooperation with other researchers. The main goal of the project is to develop new technologies for computer-aided crowd management with which the safety, for example at large events, can be improved. Therefore, experimental data will be collected and simulations will be performed.
Our tasks within the project include measuring, understanding and linking movements in crowds on different scales (macroscopic to individual body movement) based on empirical data from controlled experiments.
Your tasks in detail:

• Conception and realization of experiments on pedestrian dynamics
  
• Application of different sensor technology for individual route tracking and 3D motion capture analysis
  
• Synchronization, fusion and analysis of the collected data
  
• Further and new development of methods for data analysis
  
• Close cooperation with a team consisting of physicists, mathematicians, engineers, sociologists and psychologists
  
• Presentation and publication of your results at international conferences and in peer reviewed journals

Your Profile:

• Master degree or comparable in physics, mathematics, computer science or comparable fields
  
• Interest in the conception and application of sensor systems as well as their technical implementation for the experimental setup
  
• Experience in programming (preferably Python)
  
• Ability to plan, organize and present complex processes
  
• High level of personal initiative
  
• Social and communicative competence for cooperation in and with interdisciplinary teams
  
• Very good oral and written English skills
  

Our Offer:

• An excellent scientific and technical infrastructure for outstanding research
  
• A highly motivated group as well as an international and interdisciplinary working environment at one of Europe`s largest research establishments
  
• Further development of your personal strengths, e.g. via a comprehensive further training programme
  
• Opportunities to participate in international conferences and project meetings
  
• Support and advice in the development of an individual scientific profile
  
• Various possibilities to combine work and family life (flexible working hours, home office)
  
• A position initially limited to 3 years
  
• Pay in line with 75 % of pay group 13 of the Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD-Bund). Pay higher than the basic pay may be possible
  
• Information on employment as a PhD student at Forschungszentrum Jülich can be found here http://www.fz-juelich.de/gp/Careers_Docs
  

Forschungszentrum Jülich promotes equal opportunities and diversity in its employment relations.
We also welcome applications from disabled persons.