PhD Candidate in reinforcement Learning in Agent-based models

School of Architecture and Built Environment at KTH

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Transport Science

Goal - to develop a dynamic agent-based model to investigate travel behavior change within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The model incorporates a behavior-to-attitude feedback mechanism, whereby repeated behavioral choices influence individual attitudes over time. This feedback loop is facilitated by the application of soft interventions, such as subsidies, rewards, nudging, gamification, which aim to encourage sustainable travel choices.

The agents in the model are designed as intelligent agents who can update their behavior based on rules or learning, operating under conditions of bounded rationality, reflecting realistic cognitive limitations in decision-making, while employing strategies of utility maximization and/or regret minimization. Through adaptive learning, agents adjust their responses to incentives and social norms to simulate evolving behavioral patterns rather than static reactions.

The simulation captures how individual-level decisions aggregate into system-wide travel demand patterns, highlighting the interplay between psychological determinants (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control) and structural incentives.

Supervision: Fariya Sharmeen is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master’s degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues
• a relevant degree, for instance in applied math, transport science, computational science, machine learning or AI
• documented programming skills, for example, to compute machine learning models and AI systems
• understand theory driven models, e.g. activity travel behaviour modelling
• effectively formulate research questions and creatively seek solutions
• collect data from open source database, mining social media data
• work effectively in a multidisciplinary international team
• communication skills in English, as this will be required in day-to-day work

Highly desirable:

• documented experience and skills in data science
• interest in building integrated models to aid complex decision making processes
• critical thinking

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree: Doctoral Degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years’ time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. 

As a doctoral student, you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement . Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) Sweden .

Union representatives

Contact information for  union representatives.

Doctoral Student’s network (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for  PhD chapter .

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH’s recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must include the following elements:

• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above) . Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified .
• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Other information

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant’s consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

 

 

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Apply here
Type of employment

Temporary position

Contract type

Full time

Full-time equivalent

100%

First day of employment

According to agreement

Salary

Monthly salary according to KTH’s doctoral student salary agreement

Number of positions

1

Location

Stockholm

County

Stockholms län

Country

Sweden

Reference number

PA-2026-0832

Published

12.Mar.2026

Last application date

16.Apr.2026

Contact

Fariya Sharmeen, Sharmeenkth.se

+4687908367