100%, Zurich, fixed-term
The Chair of Infrastructure Management, led by Professor Dr. Bryan T. Adey at the Institute of Construction and Infrastructure Management within the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering, is seeking a PhD student. This position focuses on developing methodologies for intervention effectiveness analysis to enhance urban road safety as part of a larger EU project.
The new EU Horizon project aims to advance safe active mobility by introducing a human-centered, evidence-based approach that integrates actual and perceived safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and micromobility users. It moves beyond traditional crash-focused methodologies to capture near-misses, dynamic interactions, and embodied safety experiences that influence behavior and mode choice.
This project combines multi-source traffic, infrastructure, vehicle, and health data with immersive eXtended Reality (XR) experimentation and explainable Artificial Intelligence to analyze safety-critical situations that are rare, underreported, or ethically complex to observe in real traffic. Explainable AI ensures transparency and interpretability, fostering trust, transferability, and policy relevance.
The insights gained will be translated into harmonized assessment methodologies, predictive models, and validated indicators. This will enable a robust evaluation and comparison of regulatory, infrastructural, technological, and behavioral interventions among stakeholders in the Safe System Approach. Special emphasis will be placed on interactions among users with varying masses and speeds, including e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, and e-scooters, pertinent to both personal mobility and urban logistics. Large-scale pilots in four European cities will validate these methods in real traffic, support cross-city learning, and ensure applicability under diverse safety, infrastructure, and cultural conditions.
Given the complexities involved in planning safe urban transport systems, this initiative recognizes the challenges presented by interventions that have long-lasting implications, significant financial investments, and the need to meet diverse and changing user requirements. Modern data collection and analysis techniques are well-suited to address these complexities, utilizing high-resolution data (e.g., high-frequency measurements from vehicle sensors and computer-vision imagery) to offer near real-time insights. However, effective operationalization of this data to identify high-risk areas, propose targeted infrastructure interventions, and assess their success remains a critical challenge due to the novelty of these data sources and evolving urban mobility patterns.
This doctoral program aims to enhance the current state of safety analysis in transport infrastructure. Working closely with academic, industry, and public authority partners across Europe, the candidate’s core responsibilities will include:
ETH Zurich, located in the heart of Europe, is one of the world’s leading universities specializing in science and technology. Known for its excellent education and cutting-edge fundamental research, ETH Zurich facilitates the direct transfer of new knowledge into society. With over 30,000 individuals from more than 120 countries, our university fosters independence and inspires excellence, addressing today’s and tomorrow’s global challenges.
In alignment with our core values, ETH Zurich champions an inclusive culture. We advocate for equal opportunities, value diversity, and nurture a working and learning environment that respects the rights and dignity of all staff and students. Sustainability is also at the forefront of our priorities, as we consistently work towards a climate-neutral future.
We invite you to apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.
Location : Zürich
Country : Switzerland