[DMANET] 4-year PhD position at Eindhoven University of Technology (Alexandra Lassota)

Dear colleagues, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share the PhD position advertisement below with any master’s students you know who might be interested. Thanks a lot in advance! Alex ______________________________________________________ In the Combinatorial Optimization group at Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands), there is a vacancy for a 4 year PhD-position. This PhD position is supervised by Alexandra Lassota (https://www.tue.nl/en/research/researchers/alexandra-lassota) and Frits Spieksma (https://www.tue.nl/en/research/researchers/frits-spieksma). The vacancy can be found at: https://www.tue.nl/en/working-at-tue/vacancy-overview/phd-in-algorithms-and-complexity-for-discrete-optimization-problems The vacancy closing date will be the 31.05.26, or until the position is filled. The preferred starting date is August or September 2026. *Project Description This project focuses on investigating theoretical properties and the computational hardness of discrete optimization problems, with a focus on structured cases in problems from operations research such as scheduling and integer programming. While many of these problems are classically NP-hard, specific formulations often have exploitable structures that enable efficient solution methods. This research aims to identify such tractable structures, develop corresponding algorithms, and sharpen the boundaries between polynomial-time solvability and inherent hardness. Beyond theoretical insights, the project seeks to translate these advances into practical algorithmic frameworks for combinatorial optimization. Improvements in solving structured discrete optimization models have wide-ranging implications across applications including supply chain management, resource allocation, fair division and voting rules, among others. *Job Description You will work under the supervision of Alexandra Lassota and Frits Spieksma in the Combinatorial Optimization group within the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at TU/e. Your responsibilities include to perform scientific research on the topic of the above-mentioned project, and to publish and present your results at international venues. For a small percentage of your time, you will be asked to assist with educational tasks (course support and supervision of students). *Job Requirements - You have a bachelor and master degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, or Econometrics. - You have a strong background in Combinatorics and Complexity Theory. - You have good communication skills and like occasional travels. - You are creative, ambitious, as well as self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented. - You have a good command of the English language (knowledge of Dutch is not required). *Conditions of Employment A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: - Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. - Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 - max. € 3,881). - A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. - High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. - An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities. - An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. - A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. *Application We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button on the website. Besides personal and contact information, you should upload the following documents as PDFs: - Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position. - Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of two references. Kindly note that we may reach out to references at any stage of the recruitment process. We recommend notifying your references upon submitting your application. - BSc and MSc transcripts Do not upload any other documents. We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled. ********************************************************** * * Contributions to be spread via DMANET are submitted to * * DMANET@zpr.uni-koeln.de * * Replies to a message carried on DMANET should NOT be * addressed to DMANET but to the original sender. The * original sender, however, is invited to prepare an * update of the replies received and to communicate it * via DMANET. * * DISCRETE MATHEMATICS AND ALGORITHMS NETWORK (DMANET) * http://www.zaik.uni-koeln.de/AFS/publications/dmanet/ * **********************************************************