Phd Studentship: Modelling ship selection and operational usage decisions under uncertainty - towar

Operational Research

Location: Highfield Campus

Closing Date:  Monday 13 February 2017

Reference: 825717PJ

Project title: “Modelling ship selection and operational usage decisions under uncertainty - towards a better understanding of GHG emissions in international shipping”.

Academic supervisors: Patrick Beullens and Huifu Xu

Application deadline: 13 February 2017

Start date:October 2017

Sponsorship: For UK or EU students, competitive funding is available at the level of £67k for 3 years to cover university fees, RCUK-level stipends, and cohort training activities.

Description: We target a strong PhD candidate with an appropriate mathematical or engineering qualification at MSc level and a drive to be engaged in multi-disciplinary research on energy efficiency in shipping. The ideal candidate will have a background in the mathematical modelling and analysis of decision making under uncertainty, and have an interest in big data science and game theory/coordination with applications in supply chain settings. A background in shipping is welcome but not required.

Rationale: International shipping contributes ±2.4% of global GHG emissions, which without change may increase to 18% by 2050. IMO’s EEDI and Rightship’s EVDI provide theoretical GHG ratings for new and existing ships. As GHG efficient ships consume less fuel for the same amount of transport work and should thus in principle be more economical, the hope is that these indices stimulate the markets to self-select towards a preference for GHG efficient ships. However recent research shows little evidence of this.

It is well-known that these indices assume standard conditions, whereas fuel consumption and thus emissions are highly dependent on key operational factors (speed, deadweight carried, hull condition, weather) which may deviate significantly from these standard assumptions. A necessary precursor to identifying which incentives are (in)effective in driving the charter market industry towards reduced emissions is a better understanding of how key players arrive at their decisions about which ships are (to be) selected to undertake which economic tasks, and how they are (to be) operated performing those tasks. Actual emissions are determined by decisions made by independent parties, each having the objective to maximise the value of their firm, and being subject to various levels of uncertainty and risk.

Setting: The candidate will reside at Mathematical Sciences of the University of Southampton and be supervised by an inter-disciplinary team: Dr. P. Beullens and Prof H. Xu (Mathematical Sciences), Prof. D. Hudson (Shell Professor at CMEES, Fac. Of Engineering and the Environment), and Mr D. Connolly (Shell International Shipping and Trading Company, Ltd.) The candidate will be part of a cohort following the training programme Understanding Maritime Futures LTDS at the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI).

Please get in touch with the lead supervisor p.beullens@soton.ac.ukfor any queries you might have, and complete your application online at http://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/how-to-apply/postgraduate-applications.page.

Further info on sponsorship: This sponsorship has been awarded by the SMMI as part of a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship “Understanding Maritime Futures: Opportunities, Challenges, Threats.” In order to get the scholarship, candidates must proceed through a competitive selection process which includes shortlisting in February 2017 and an interview in March 2017.