About the project
Every day, thousands of staff, patients, and visitors travel to hospitals, creating congestion, delays, and emissions. This project reimagines hospital transport through intelligent, shared mobility. You’ll design algorithms for optimal routing, scheduling, and pricing, building simulations that cut costs, reduce carbon, and make hospital travel smarter, faster, and more sustainable for everyone.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities generate immense daily travel demands from staff, patients, and visitors. For instance, University Hospital Southampton (UHS) employs over 13,000 people, manages more than 1,500 outpatient appointments per day, and accommodates around 400 emergency patients daily, creating significant transport activity to and from the site.
Increasing the proportion of travellers using shared transport could substantially cut emissions, reduce congestion, and improve the hospital environment. Currently, patients with mobility needs rely on non-emergency hospital transport, which is costly for healthcare authorities and often inefficient, with long waiting times before or after appointments.
This project proposes an integrated, shared transport service open to all users, where staff, visitors, and patients without mobility needs pay to travel, while those requiring mobility assistance continue to access the service for free. The research will involve designing and coding algorithms for optimal routing, scheduling, and pricing, using stochastic optimisation to balance cost, efficiency, and service quality.
The developed models will be evaluated through detailed simulations, also implemented by you, to test real-world performance and scalability. Collaboration with hospital authorities will be central to the project, providing data, feedback, and opportunities for practical validation. You'll therefore need strong communication skills to engage with non-expert stakeholders and understand existing transport systems. This research aims to develop a data-driven, sustainable mobility solution that enhances accessibility, reduces emissions, and improves efficiency in hospital transport networks.
This project is part of the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for Sustainability (SustAI), a 4-year integrated programme (iPhD). You'll be part of a dynamic and diverse cohort, benefiting from expert mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration. The programme includes comprehensive training in sustainability, AI and machine learning, and digital design, preparing you for a career at the forefront of research in this area. You'll have access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources, fostering an environment of innovation and excellence.
The School of Electronics and Computer Science is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
