Open PhD position at Universitat Pompeu Fabra

We are seeking a motivated candidate for a 4-year PhD position in Operational Research at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.

The research project

The student will be financed through the research project “Fairness and social well-being in optimisation models”. The overarching theme of this project is incorporating ethical aspects into mathematical models for public resource allocation and labour organisation. Specifically, the project aims to include fairness and social well-being considerations in optimisation models through two research lines: fairness in public budget allocation models and workers’ well-being in service industry optimisation models.

The IP of the project is Alberto Santini, associate professor of Operational Research at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Among his publications, the ones that most align with this project are the following:

• Malaguti, E., Paronuzzi, P., & Santini, A. (2026). Algorithms and Complexity Results for the 0–1 Knapsack Problem with Group Fairness.
• Mandal, M. P., Santini, A., & Archetti, C. (2025). Tactical workforce sizing and scheduling decisions for last-mile delivery.
• Delle Donne, D., Santini, A., & Archetti, C. (2025). Integrating Public Transport in Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery: Column Generation Approaches.
• Santini, A., Viana, A., Klimentova, X., & Pedroso, J.P. (2022). The probabilistic travelling salesman problem with crowdsourcing.

We also particularly encourage interdisciplinary research with professors in adjacent areas (e.g., the Data Science Centre).

Requirements

• Candidates will have completed a Master’s degree in Operational Research, Computer Science, Mathematics, Computer Engineering, Economics, or other areas closely related to operational research and mathematical optimisation. Master’s students who are expected to complete their degree by Summer 2026 are also eligible to apply.
• All candidates will be evaluated based on their academic accomplishments, previous research experience, and fit with the project.
• Candidates must have excellent English and scientific writing skills.
• Candidates with proven experience in programming and data science are particularly appreciated.

What we offer

• A four-year contract with a minimum salary of around 25000 euros per year. This minimum can be increased through financing from other sources, without any additional burden for the student, pending approval from the human resources department.
• The student is expected to focus solely on research and will not have any teaching or administrative duties. If the student wants to gain teaching experience as a TA, this can also be arranged and is paid separately.
• The scholarship comes with generous funding to cover research expenses, such as travelling to conferences or stays abroad.
• Complete fee waiver.
• UPF offers plenty of opportunities for career growth, including research and soft-skills seminars.
• The university also has a comprehensive language-learning programme and numerous student associations.

Timeline

• Please complete the form as soon as possible and, in any case, before October 19. Remember to include your CV and a recommendation letter.
• We will be reviewing applications and scheduling interviews continuously. During the interviews, we will explain how to submit your application through the official university system. This system will close on October 22.
• Around two weeks after the end of the application procedure, a ranked list of candidates will be published, and the highest-ranked candidate will be offered the position.
• In case of declining candidates, the position will be offered according to the ranking.
• The contract can start between January and June 2026. The start date can be negotiated within this range (or, in exceptional cases, shortly after).

More information

• Universitat Pompeu Fabra is a young, research-oriented, world-class university. It is usually ranked number one in Spain and in the top 20 young universities worldwide.
• The Department of Economics is considered among the most prestigious in Europe and worldwide (ranked 24th worldwide in the QS ranking). It is highly international, with professors from over twenty countries and PhD students from around the world.
• Furthermore, working in Operational Research, you will have frequent contacts with many other groups, such as the Data Science Centre at the Barcelona School of Economics.
• Your reference campus is UPF’s Ciutadella campus, located next to a large park (and zoo) and close to both the city centre and the beach.
• Barcelona offers a very high quality of life with its active cultural life, an extensive public transport system, and innumerable opportunities for outdoor and sportsy activities.

For any other information, please contact Alberto Santini.