Press Release #9 – TU Delft and ProRail researchers receive prestigious European railway PhD awards

Delft, the Netherlands, June 2026 – Two recent PhD graduates from the Railway Engineering section at TU Delft have been awarded the 2026 Best PhD Thesis in the Field of Railways awards, presented jointly by ERRAC (European Rail Research Advisory Council), Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (ERJU) and Eurnex e.V.

The annual awards recognise outstanding doctoral research that contributes to the advancement of the European railway sector. This year, TU Delft researchers received both the Gold and Silver awards from a field of 20 candidates representing universities and research institutions across Europe.

The Gold Award was presented to Dr. Chunyan He for her dissertation, Thermomechanical Analysis of Wheel–Rail Contact: Modeling, Validation, and Application, supervised by Dr Zhen Yang and Prof. Zili Li. Her research advances understanding of wheel–rail thermal contact, damage mechanisms and their implications for railway safety and maintenance through a combination of numerical modelling, experimental validation and application-oriented studies.

The Silver Award was presented to Dr Wassamon Phusakulkajorn for her dissertation, AI Solutions for Maintenance Decision Support in Railway Infrastructure, supervised by Dr Alfredo Núñez Vicencio and Prof. Zili Li. Her research focuses on the application of artificial intelligence to support infrastructure monitoring, condition assessment and maintenance decision-making in the railway sector.

Both award-winning PhD projects were closely linked to research carried out within Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking programmes. Dr He’s work contributed to the objectives of the R2DATO (Railway Digital Twin for Asset Health Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance) project, while Dr Phusakulkajorn’s research was undertaken within the framework of IAM4RAIL (Innovative AI-enabled Asset Management for Rail). These projects aim to accelerate the digital transformation of railway infrastructure management and maintenance across Europe.

The awards also reflect the long-standing collaboration between ProRail, as a beneficiary of Europe’s Rail projects, and TU Delft, as an associated research partner. Through joint research activities, access to operational data and close collaboration between academic and industry experts, the partnership has created a strong environment for developing innovative railway solutions and training the next generation of railway researchers.

The 2026 awards continue an impressive track record for TU Delft’s Railway Engineering section. Previous recipients include Dr Chen Shen, winner of the 2025 award for research on vibration-based railway track condition monitoring and Dr Yuanchen Zeng, winner of the 2023 award for research on train-borne vibrometer measurements for track monitoring. Both PhD projects were also supported through initiatives funded by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, demonstrating the sustained impact of European collaborative research programmes on scientific excellence and innovation in the railway sector.

The award winners were invited to present their research to railway stakeholders during the ERRAC General Assembly, held in Brussels on 18 June 2026 (see photos below).

Chunyan He pitched in the ERRAC General Assembly

Wassamon Phusakulkajorn pitched in the ERRAC General Assembly

The continued success of researchers from TU Delft and ProRail highlights the value of European research collaboration in addressing the challenges of delivering a more reliable, sustainable and digitally enabled railway system.