Postdoctoral position at SINTEF Optimization

SINTEF Digital is searching for Postdoctoral candidate at SINTEF Optimization

The Optimization group at SINTEF Digital is looking for a professional and dedicated postdoctoral candidate. The candidate will be working within the basic research project “Design and Experimental Analysis of Novel Integrated Optimization Methods” (AXIOM) funded by the Research Council of Norway. Keywords are discrete optimization, matheuristics, cooperative methods, parallel and heterogeneous computing, GPU, vehicle routing, inventory routing. The duration of the position will be two years, with the intention to make it a permanent position if all parties are interested.

About SINTEF Optimization:

The Optimization group currently consists of 17 researchers and software engineers. It is one of eight groups within the Department of Mathematics and Cybernetics. For the past 20 years, we have been developing optimization methods, software prototypes, libraries, and components. We have built expertise at an international level and have a good publication record. The group conducts basic and applied research on discrete optimization for planning, scheduling, routing, sequencing, and timetabling. Our main market areas are transportation: road, railway, maritime, aviation; healthcare; sports; energy; and finance. We develop our own software libraries that have been refined over many years and contain a range of different solution methods (exact and approximate), but we also utilize commercial solvers. We commercialize our results, either through existing solution vendors, spin-off companies, or directly to end users. Our revenues come from users in industry and the public sector, often supported by Norwegian or EU funding bodies.

The AXIOM project: SINTEF has two partners: 1) Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management at NTNU (project owner) 2) Molde University College. Collaboration with world leading research groups from Portugal, Canada, USA, Italy, Brazil is an integral part. The main objective is to design novel integrated methods for solving complex discrete optimization problems. Expected results are innovative methods that combine elements from exact methods and metaheuristics and utilize cooperative search, task parallelism, and data parallelism. AXIOM has four work packages (WPs). WP1 starts from exact methods and analyzes how these methods can be extended and improved using heuristics. WP2 investigates how exact methods are best utilized within a metaheuristic framework. WP3 develops cooperative search methods that fully utilize all processing units of modern PCs and are flexible and scalable. In WP4 experimental data are collected, analyzed, and synthesized into new knowledge and understanding. The candidate will mainly work within WP3.

Qualifications: As a postdoc in AXIOM, your responsibilities will involve development of cooperative search methods for vehicle routing problems. We are looking for candidates with a PhD in applied mathematics, operations research, or computer science. Fluency in English is expected, along with excellent communication and presentation skills. Moreover, you should be curious, inventive, have a proactive attitude, and be a good team player.

Expertise: We require a solid background in combinatorial optimization. We seek candidates with expertise in several of the following areas:

  • Parallel computing (task and data parallelism, heterogeneous computing)
  • Mathematical programming and decomposition methods
  • Heuristics, metaheuristics, and matheuristics
  • Cooperative search
  • Vehicle routing and inventory routing

Software development skills:

  • We are looking for candidates with excellent programming skills (C#, C++),
    GPU programming in particular (CUDA).

We offer:

  • Challenging research tasks in a project team of international experts.
  • A good work environment with skillful, experienced, and creative research
    colleagues.
  • Well-established national and international scientific and industrial networks.
  • Competitive salary (subject to qualifications).
  • A large degree of autonomy, and flexible working hours.
  • Social benefits (pension plan, insurance, possibility for kindergarten, etc.).

Duration: The duration will be two years, with the intention to make it a permanent position if all parties are interested. Start date: July 1 2018.

To apply, click here.