PhD position in Operations Management for sustainable operations

The division of Supply and Operations Management is looking for a PhD candidate with interest in strategies for sustainable operations.

Project description
In this project you will be investigating strategies for sustainable operations in the wood manufacturing industries, with focus on remanufacturing. Remanufacturing is the process of industrial refurbishment of products. The research has a starting point in the relevant practical as well academic problem of combining remanufacturing and manufacturing of new products in an effective and sustainable way. We want to achieve environmental sustainability by increasing the raw material usage and by better utilization of manufacturing resources. This should be achieved in a cost-effective way to reach economic sustainability. For creating a socially sustainable work environment we need to build suitable competences and ergonomical workplaces. The aim is to explore strategies where the new manufacturing and remanufacturing are coordinated into one process flow by the means of digitalization and automatization. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with industries in Sweden.

Information about the division and the department
The Department of Technology Management and Economics broadly researches the interaction between technology development, industrial systems, society, people, and the environment. The department is organised in six divisions for research and teaching. The PhD candidate will be part of the Division of Supply & Operations Management, which deals with three related subjects: Production logistics, Operations management, and Industrial marketing and purchasing. Our research is problem-oriented, empirical, and inter-disciplinary, with a strong emphasis on industry and societal relevance and a high visibility in leading academic journals.

Major responsibilities
You will be expected to:
- Carry out research activities in the project, including writing publications and theses.
- Be an active and contributing member of the research group
- Attend division, project meetings and conferences
- Take PhD courses as part of the Doctoral Program
- Teach (20% of total work time) at bachelor and/or master level and supervise thesis students.

Your main responsibility as a PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. To do this, you need to be highly motivated, be able to work independently, and be capable of engaging in collaborations involving different types of stakeholders from academia, industry, and society. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of the research verbally and in writing in English and preferably in Swedish as well. You will spend approximately 80% of the time on research. As a PhD student you will also, to a maximum of 20%, be involved in teaching bachelor and master courses and/or perform other departmental tasks.

Qualifications
The position requires a Master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in, for instance, industrial engineering management, mechanical engineering or similar, with a thesis project corresponding to at least half a year of study. Courses and/or a Master thesis project in supply chain management and transport, or other areas of direct relevance for the research are meritorious.
You are expected to conduct empirical research as primary activity, foremost applying a case-based qualitative research approach in close interaction with industry. Research results are expected to be disseminated through interactions with professionals as well as through publications in highly ranked journals within the subject area which require good writing and communication skills. Other merits include working experience from industry, collaboration, and management of relationships with stakeholders and project management.

To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Contract terms
The position is a full-time temporary employment, limited to five years (1+2+2). The employment is bound to successful completion of department evaluations after one and three years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20220634 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 

Application deadline: 01-01-2023

For questions, please contact:
Mirka Kans, Supply and Operations Management
Email: mirka.kans@chalmers.se, Phone: +46(0)31-772 1352