A. (Ali) Nikseresht

A hydrogen-powered future is not just a vision; it's a necessity for a sustainable and clean energy transition.The Netherlands particularly is well positioned to be the future hydrogen hub of Europe.This is why the Dutch government has made great investments in the R&D of the hydrogen economy. This PhD project is also funded by this program. The overall project is formed through the ‘Hydrogen Transport, Offshore and Storage’ (HyTROS) consortium, which is a public private collaboration with 11 universities, 2 research institutes, 2 academia of applied sciences (HBO) and 19 industrial partners, of which 4 are co-applicant and 15 are co-funders. The consortium contains all TSO’s and DSO’s in the Netherlands that will transport hydrogen and future storage operators, as well as supply industry for on- and offshore pipeline installation, inspection and maintenance.

Our role in this consortium is to develop a hydgoran market for a promising hydrogen economy. This is to analyze the challenges around upscaling of the hydrogen market, the necessary infrastructure development, and the system integration between the future hydrogen and power grid to enable a stable energy system for the future.

As such, we are seeking highly motivated students interested in this topic, with demonstrated academic ability, those who possess a commitment to interdisciplinary research on significant information technology and management issues, and those who desire to pursue an academic research career in this field. You will be part of the Business Information Management (BIM) section within the Department of Technology & Operations Management at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

Applicants must have strong quantitative training, with preference given to candidates who have earned an MSc, MPhil or Research Master in economics, computer science, engineering, econometrics, statistics, or a related field. Successful candidates have preferably strong backgrounds in economics, optimization, AI, and proficiency with Python, or other programming languages.

As a Ph.D. student, you will gain the training and experience necessary to conduct independent research through course work in information systems, economics, econometrics, machine learning, optimization, and large-scale data analytics. You will work closely with the advisors to define, develop, and execute your own research. The Ph.D. dissertation will be defined by the student with inputs from the advisors, and thus requires creativity, self-direction, and a passion for scientific inquiry.