Research Associate in Transport Modelling & Analysis

Description

Role: Research Associate in Transport Modelling & Analysis

Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £37,694 - £47,389 per annum

FTE and working pattern: 1

FTE, 35hrs per week, Monday – Friday

Contract: Fixed Term, 12 months

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Purpose of Role: We are recruiting a Research Associate with experience in transport, supply chain and logistics modelling to contribute to the development and use of MILES and MATRA to support a significant research portfolio. The team at Heriot-Watt maintains a suite of computational logistics and transport models known as MILES and MATRA, with the deployment of these algorithms allowing the team to model future green infrastructure, testing different decarbonisation solutions and analysing the effect on logistics patterns.

This allows us to engage with stakeholders in policy and industry to de‑risk investment in green initiatives such as battery‑electric delivery fleets, as well as providing a virtual environment to test large‑scale infrastructure such as in‑road charging networks and to assess the vulnerability of such systems to disruption and climate‑induced weather events.

The post‑holder will work closely with the existing software team to undertake development and analysis using MILES and MATRA and developing its links to other solutions from our multi‑institutional project teams, working collaboratively towards impactful outcomes that contribute to the goals of Transi

T, DARe and ACES projects.

• Delivery of novel research to directly address open research questions regarding decarbonisation of transport and infrastructure for future transport systems
• Conduct and disseminate original research aligned with the project and in collaboration with the multi‑institutional, multi‑disciplinary team
• Work closely with senior international stakeholders to deliver a challenge led programme of work
• Work as part of the broader Centre team to help organise events and/or support the work of the team as needed
• Contribute to outreach and impact engagement activities of the project
• Demonstrate initiative in making routine decisions in order to manage and achieve project deliverables and deadlines
• Participate in, and develop, networks and collaborations both internally and externally to the Division/School/University
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post

• PhD in relevant discipline (computer modelling of logistics or transport, agent‑based modelling, sustainable logistics, or energy transitions) or equivalent industry experience
• Experience of designing, coding and implementing agent‑based models (ABMs), using Java or Python based modelling platforms such as Repast Symphony or MASON, with an object‑oriented programming (OOP) approach.
• Operational Management and Operational Research. Proven experience in applying operational research techniques to address challenges in logistics, transportation and supply chain.
• Evidence of excellent oral and written communication skills
• Evidence of a developing publication record
• Experience or desire to work with those from other disciplines
• Evidence of excellent administrative and project management skills
• Evidence of self‑motivation and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent time management skills including the ability to prioritise workload

• Familiarity with sustainability, decarbonisation and resilience issues in the context of supply chain, transport and/or logistics systems.
• Expertise in Supply Chain Modelling, and/or simulation of complex transportation systems and the impact of different policies and interventions.
• Understanding of digital twinning (DT) approaches and ontologies
• Evidence of success in attracting research grants/external funding and delivering on externally funded research projects
• Evidence or knowledge to support international activities
• Evidence of a basic knowledge of the Higher Education context and regulatory framework

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Monday 13th April 2026
. Please submit…