Alma Gibic
Using AI and smarter pricing to cut congestion and emissions at shipping container terminals.
PhD Start: 2024
Research Theme: AI for Sustainable Operations and Circular Economy
Project Title: Balancing Financial, Operational and Environmental Sustainability in Container Terminals through Behaviour-Aware Pricing and Artificial Intelligence
My Research: Container terminals often become congested when too many trucks arrive at once to pick up or drop off containers, which means longer waiting times, more operational pressure and unnecessary emissions. My research looks at how flexible pricing can shape when trucks arrive, and how that affects waiting times and terminal capacity, using AI and simulation to model and improve these interactions.
The aim is to balance operational, environmental and financial sustainability, while keeping prices attractive enough that customers keep using the terminal. If it works, terminals could use pricing more intelligently to spread truck arrivals across the day, reduce waiting and emissions, make better use of their capacity, and protect their long-term financial health. How I got here Before joining SustAI, I worked as a project manager in the software development industry, where I saw at firsthand how technology can make a real difference to projects and organisations.
Seeing the effects of pollution and weak environmental regulation in my country pushed me to explore how AI and technology could support more sustainable solutions. This project began from a real operational problem faced by a company, and I was drawn to the chance to work on a real-world challenge, apply AI and simulation, and make a practical difference, which was exactly what I was looking for. The project draws on real operational data from industry and addresses a genuine business problem.
Outreach and engagement: I have taken part in outreach through the University of Southampton Business School, helping to create a video about applying AI for a new module. I have presented my research at the ECS Research Showcase and the Business School PhD Conference, and I will soon be giving a talk at the International Conference on Computational Logistics (ICCL 2026).
Beyond my Research: Outside my research, I enjoy yoga and spending time with my family, especially being outdoors in nature, visiting parks and joining in social activities. After my PhD I would like to stay involved in academia while also working on practical solutions to real sustainability problems, and I want my work after the PhD to help change how organisations approach sustainability.