Graduation Project: Time-dependent many-to-many shortest-path planning
If you’re a fan of Dijkstra’s, read on! While the famous Dijkstra algorithm is the fastest algorithm for shortest pathfinding in a general graph, in special cases we can do better by relying on assumptions for the input graph. At ORTEC, we repeatedly compute many related shortest paths on a static graph: the road network. For example, when computing a distance matrix to be used to optimize delivery routes for 1000s of customers, we compute millions of pairwise shortest paths. Using clever algorithms, we’re proud to say that we can compute such matrices in just a few seconds!
the challenge
In this project, you will investigate how we can improve our algorithms to consider traffic congestion in shortest-path computations. Concretely, when congestion is to be expected (e.g. during peak hours), it could be better to take a different route to avoid it. We would like to compute such time-dependent shortest/fastest paths for any time of the day, for many combinations of origin and destination, all while keeping computation times low. Can you help us make this possible using advanced data structures and algorithms?
who you are?
You are a master's student in computer science, operations research, or related field
You have strong engineering skills, including provable experience programming in compiled languages, and you can implement basic data structures and algorithms and programming concepts like caching, parallelization, etc
Practical experience implementing dynamic programming algorithms or running computations on GPU is a pre
You are currently living in the Netherlands and you are studying at a Dutch University
You communicate fluently in English, verbally, and in writing
You are available for 6 months for 32-40 hours a week
what we offer?
Entrance to the most passionate powerhouse in applied mathematics. We share a drive to use our problem-solving skills to improve our planet, from the world at large to our own backyard.
Inclusion in a company founded by graduate students back in 1981, which today still fosters its students by:
Excellent supervision during your graduation project.
Good internship allowance, laptop, and other office facilities.
An open, kind, and fun culture.
Young ORTEC, an association that organizes all kinds of activities for juniors, mediors, and graduate students at ORTEC, including Thursday afternoon drinks at our own bar “ORTap”.
The next steps
Did we pique your interest? Then upload your CV, motivation letter, and grade lists (BSc and MSc in one PDF if applicable). The recruitment process will consist of two online assessments, a first interview, and a second interview with a case.
What to expect
We will help you to thrive in your field of expertise. We offer development programs, tailored to your individual needs and function requirements, including opportunities to attend courses and seminars. We offer challenging, practical hands-on experience. We operate in a flat organizational structure that keeps communication lines short. The atmosphere is open, informal, cooperative, and positive. We employ over 1100 people in the Netherlands (HQ), Belgium, Germany, France, the U.K., Romania, Italy, the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Poland, Denmark, and Singapore. Visit our website www.ortec.com to learn more about our solutions and clients’ experiences.
Please do not use this vacancy as an acquisition opportunity.