McGill University PhD Opportunities
Join Our Innovative Research Team! We are on the lookout for exceptional PhD candidates who are driven by curiosity and innovations and have strong interests in sustainable mobility, resilient infrastructure, feedback control, quantum computing, and human-AI interactions. Launch your fully-funded PhD journey with us in January or September 2026, where you will not only contribute to cutting-edge research but also shape the future of technological and societal development. ​
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McGill University ranks 27th according to both the latest QS World Rankings​ and the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). For why Montreal is considered a top student city in the world, see here and here.
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PhD Position 1 on Planning, Design, and Control of Future Mobility Systems
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A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in civil/electrical/mechanical engineering, operations research, or a related field.
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Research interests in automated on-demand mobility (surface and aerial), transport electrification, and infrastructure resilience.
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Mathematical and system thinking and hands-on experience related to: mixed-integer programming, reinforcement learning, feedback control, system dynamics, agent-based simulation, event-based simulation, and/or network/geospatial analytics.
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Skills in Python, Java, VBA, and/or cloud computing.
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Excellent command of English for academic writing and communication.
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PhD Position 2 on Multi-Agent Simulation and Network Optimization
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A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in civil/industrial/systems engineering, applied mathematics, applied physics, computer science, or a related field.
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Research interests in applying advanced computing in prescriptive or descriptive decision-making for transportation systems planning and engineering
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Experience or knowledge in systems modeling, simulation, and analysis.
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Familiarity with reinforcement learning, deep artificial neural network, generative AI, and Bayesian models, particularly in transportation systems applications.
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PhD Position 3 on Human Behaviors & Human-AI Interactions in Transportation Systems
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A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in transportation science, human factors, cognitive/behavioral psychology, bioengineering, human-computer interactions, urban design, or a related field.
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Research interests in surveys and interviews, discrete choice modeling, and human-AI interactions.
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Systematic and hands-on experience related to one or more of the following areas: survey analysis, preference elicitation, human-computer interactions, and large language models.
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Skills in Power BI, Qualtrics, SQL, Python, R, VBA, Unity, and/or QGIS.
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Excellent command of English for academic writing and communication. Basic proficiency in French is an added advantage.
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​​How to Apply
Please ensure you are eligible to apply based on the information on the McGill Admission Portal and the departmental admission details and deadlines. Before apply, please consider notifying Prof. Jiangbo Yu with an email titled “PhD Applicant-[Last Name, First Name].”