We are hiring! Tilburg University's Zero Hunger Lab is looking for a PhD candidate in Data-Driven Food Security Intelligence and Decision Support. We are looking for someone with a background in operations research, mathematics, or a similar field, and with a strong motivation to make a real impact in the humanitarian sector.
This project is a collaboration between the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Zero Hunger Lab, aiming to advance the next generation of food security intelligence systems by moving toward continuous, real‑time monitoring, nowcasting, and anticipatory analysis of hunger and vulnerability. A central objective is to understand how unconventional and “passive” data streams can complement survey‑based indicators to provide timely, robust, and decision‑relevant estimates of food insecurity under conditions of uncertainty and data scarcity.
The research will explicitly address multiple operational use cases, including:
* Real‑time monitoring and nowcasting of food insecurity between survey rounds
* Advanced and anticipatory warning of acute deteriorations
* Dynamic targeting and prioritization under budget and capacity constraints
*
Resource allocation and scenario analysis in rapidly evolving crises
More details can be found here: https://tiu.nu/23829 . The application deadline is May 25. If you have any questions, please reach out to Marleen Balvert (M.Balvert@tilburguniversity.edu) and Thomas Breugem (T.Breugem@tilburguniversity.edu).