About the Project
This project is one of a number in competition for a studentship from the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Bath. If successful, this studentship is expected to commence 04 October 2027.
An alternative start date may be possible if agreed with your intended supervisors and the Doctoral College.
Project Background:
This PhD will develop AI methods for building dynamic world models of urban traffic systems from distributed roadside cameras and sensing infrastructure. The project will investigate how observations from multiple viewpoints can be fused into coherent spatial representations that capture vehicle movements, interactions, and evolving traffic conditions across large-scale transportation networks.
Research may encompass multi-camera tracking and re-identification, geo-spatial mapping, 3D scene understanding, multimodal vision-language models, traffic anomaly detection, and explainable AI reasoning. A key objective is to enable AI systems that can not only detect what is happening in a traffic environment, but also explain why events occur and predict how traffic situations may evolve.
The outcomes are expected to contribute to next-generation traffic monitoring, digital twins, network management, safety analysis, and intelligent transportation systems.
Candidate requirements:
Applicants must have, or be about to obtain, a UK Honours degree 1st or 2.1, or international equivalent. A master’s level qualification would also be advantageous. Applicants should have a science, math, or engineering background and be competent in coding and machine learning.
Non-UK applicants, who are not currently studying in the UK, must meet the programme’s English language requirement before the application deadline – no exceptions will be considered.
Enquiries and Applications
Informal enquiries are encouraged. Direct these to Dr Nic Zhang - qz254@bath.ac.uk
Please follow the below instructions carefully.
You must make a formal application via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
Please note that you can apply for a maximum of two PhD projects on this programme.
In the ‘Funding Your Studies’ section, you must select ‘University of Bath URSA’ from one of the drop-down menus.
In the ‘Your PhD project’ section, you must quote the project title in the PhD project title field, and you must quote the lead supervisor’s name in the field ‘Name of intended supervisor at University of Bath.’
If you are applying for two projects, you must quote the project title for your second choice project in the field ‘Project 2 Title’ and the lead supervisor’s name in ‘Name of intended supervisor for 2nd choice project at University of Bath.
You must ensure that you follow the above steps correctly. Failure to complete these steps will cause errors in the automated processing of your application and may mean that you are not considered for a particular project.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We value a diverse research environment and strive to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated and respected. We encourage applications from under-represented groups.
If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.
The Disability Service ensures that individuals with disabilities are provided the support that they need. If you state if your application that you have a disability, the Disability Service will contact you as part of this process to discuss your needs.
Keywords
Computer Vision, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Traffic Analytics, Multi-Camera Tracking, Geospatial AI, Vision-Language Models, Multimodal AI, Traffic Anomaly Detection, Digital Twins, Spatial Intelligence, Smart Cities, Sustainable Transportation, World Models.
Funding Notes
Applicants will be considered for a studentship. The Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Bath has studentships available for Home and Overseas students. However, in line with UKRI policy, the number of studentships available to Overseas students are capped. Studentships cover tuition fees, provide a £1k per annum training support fee, and a maintenance stipend (£21,805 2026/27 rate). International students will be required to cover the cost of a Student visa and Immigration Health Surcharge from personal funds.