EPSRC CASE studentship in runway scheduling

[Edmund Burke <ekb@Cs.Nott.AC.UK>]

       EPSRC CASE PhD Studentship with National Air Traffic Services Ltd
      in collaboration with the Smith Institute for Industrial Mathematics
                             and Systems Engineering


      Hybrid Meta-heuristic Approaches for Air Traffic Control Scheduling


             School of Computer Science & Information Technology
          Automated Scheduling, Optimisation & Planning (ASAP) group
                         University of Nottingham


The ASAP group
--------------
The main aim of the Automated Scheduling, Optimisation and Planning group
is to conduct research into models, heuristics and algorithms for
automatically producing high quality solutions to a variety of real
world scheduling and optimisation problems, including timetabling,
scheduling, logistics, space allocation and stock cutting. The group
focuses on adventurous basic research across a variety of scheduling
and optimisation domains while ensuring that its work remains
highly relevant to difficult problems occurring in industrial and commercial
environments. Indeed, one of the over-riding aims of the group is that its
research should underpin the development of tomorrow's scheduling and
optimisation systems.  With this goal in mind, the group maintains strong
links with, and attracts funding support from, a range of commercial and
industrial organisations.  Research carried out within the group has provided
the basis for commercially available systems in hospital personnel scheduling
and university examination timetabling. The group comprises five members
of academic staff, two administrators, eight postdoctoral research
assistants and 23 PhD students.


NATS Ltd
--------
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) provides a complete air traffic control
service to aircraft flying in UK airspace.  Safety is NATS' first and
foremost priority and it also aims to provide its service in an efficient
and expeditious way.  NATS manages all UK en route airspace and provides
air traffic control services at 14 airports including Heathrow, Gatwick,
Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. NATS' Department of
Analysis & Research provides analysis, consultancy and development
services throughout NATS, and also conducts a programme of research
supporting NATS' long term strategy. 


The Smith Institute
-------------------
The Smith Institute for Industrial Mathematics and System Engineering is
a Faraday Partnership and the leading intermediate organisation in the
UK coupling industry and academia in the key enabling disciplines of
mathematics and computing.  It is involved with 28 ongoing post-graduate
and post-doctoral research projects for which it offers dissemination,
technology translation and networking opportunities. The successful
candidate will become one of the Smith Institute Faraday Associates.


A Brief Description of the PhD project
--------------------------------------
Runways are a key bottleneck in the air transport system, and using them
with maximum efficiency is a key objective for air traffic control.  Air
Traffic Controllers at busy airports must sequence departing aircraft
carefully to achieve high runway throughput.  The departure
sequence depends on the separation minima that are mandated between
each pair of departing aircraft according to their sizes and routes to
ensure safety, while it respects fifteen minute slot windows that
are allocated to some aircraft. This PhD project will explore novel hybrid
meta-heuristics to address the problem and will concentrate upon
runway scheduling at Heathrow Airport.


The PhD Studentship
-------------------
The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend of 11,000 pounds
per year and home tuition fees will be paid by the grant.

Academic Supervisor:   Prof. Edmund Burke, Automated Scheduling, Optimisation
                       and Planning Group, School of Computer Science and
                       Information Technology, University of Nottingham

Collaborating company: John Greenwood, Team Leader Airport Tools,
                       National Air Traffic Services Ltd

Smith Institute:       Melvin Brown, Technology Translator


Application Process
-------------------
Interested candidates should send a CV which includes the names and addresses
of 3 referees to Alison Payne (alp@cs.nott.ac.uk) at the following
address:

School of Computer Science and IT, University of Nottingham, Jubilee
Campus, Nottingham NG8 1BB, UK.

Closing date: 30th May 2003.