PhD Studentship in Urban Systems Modelling

Post Status: Fixed-term Contract– Full-time and Fully-funded 

Research Group / Department / School: Transportation Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin 

Location: Simon Perry Building, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland 

Reports to: Prof Brian Caulfield and Dr Abhilash C. Singh 

Terms & Conditions: Provided below 

Hours of Work: Full-time Closing Date: 12 Noon (GMT), 30th June 2026

Post Summary 

The PhD studentship is part of the SEAI-funded CIRCUIT project (Causal Inference for Resilient Cities and Urban Integrated Transport), a four-year interdisciplinary research programme at Trinity College Dublin. The project develops advanced econometric and machine learning frameworks to analyse the causal relationships between transport behaviour, residential energy consumption, and environmental outcomes in urban systems. 

The successful candidate will undertake doctoral research focused on activity-based travel behaviour, household energy use, and sustainability policy, contributing to the development of causal inference and agent-based modelling tools. The PhD will be supervised within the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering and will involve close collaboration with postdoctoral researchers and project partners, as well as engagement with national stakeholders including SEAI, the Department of Transport, and local authorities.

Funding Information 

This PhD studentship is supported by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) under the National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Programme as part of the CIRCUIT project. A stipend of €25,000 per annum will be provided. A one-time fund for a laptop/PC for research use will be provided. Funding may also be provided to attend one international and one EU conference per year, subject to satisfactory performance. 

Essential Qualifications / skills / knowledge 

• A first-class or upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent) in civil (transport) engineering, economics, computer science, or a closely related discipline 

• Master’s degree in civil (transport) engineering, economics, computer science, or a closely related discipline 

• Excellent communication and writing skills in English (reflected by TOEFL/IELTS scores) 

• Prior research experience in transport, energy, sustainability, or quantitative social science.