PhD student position in closed-loop supply chains

The Division of Supply and Operations Management is looking for a PhD student candidate in closed-loop supply chains / circular economy.

Information about the project and the division
Transitioning to a circular model, in which companies focus on product life extension often coupled with product takeback for reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling, requires large changes for a manufacturing company. It includes new processes and adaptations in e.g. reverse logistics, production systems, supplier and customer relationships, and contracts with dealers and service technicians. It involves dealing with uncertain product returns with variable quality which adds complexity to the planning and control of the operations. Poor management of these flows increases the costs, limits profitability, and stagnates the transition towards a circular economy. In this project, barriers that withhold manufacturers from implementing full-scale circular models will be explored and potential solutions to mitigate the uncertainty such as digitalization and better planning will be assessed, including the role of these solutions on e.g. the feasibility, profitability, and environmental impact of the circular model versus the linear model. 

This PhD student project focuses on supply chain planning, targeting the challenge of developing and implementing sustainable circular models. The exact focus will be discussed and decided together with the supervisor. The PhD student will take part in research projects with different companies involved which will provide access to a broad range of empirical settings. Consequently, the research will focus on empirical studies in collaboration with industry.

As a PhD student you will be part of the Division of Supply and Operations Management, which is part of the Department of Technology Management and Economics. The division conducts research in production logistics, industrial marketing and purchasing, and operations management. Our goal is to perform high quality research and education at bachelor, master and doctoral levels. We accomplish this by contributing to improvements in all our research areas, in theory as well as in practice. We focus mainly on empirical case-based research in close interaction with industry.

Major responsibilities
As a PhD student, your major responsibility is to pursue doctoral studies in relation to some specific research aim. Overall, PhD studies include a number of doctoral courses, reviewing literature, designing research studies, interacting with industrial companies, collecting and analysing empirical data, and reporting research results. You will take part in ongoing and future projects at the division in the area of supply chain planning. The exact focus of the work will be decided in interaction with the main supervisor. As a PhD student you take an active role in this research in preparing for and collecting empirical data, conducting analysis and presenting results. During the project, results will continuously be presented to the public, to the industry, at international conferences, and in scientific publications. Written and oral communication is crucial.

As a PhD student you will also, to a maximum of 20%, be involved in teaching bachelor and master courses in the area of operations and supply chain management, and/or other departmental tasks.

Qualifications
The successful candidate for this position has a Master's degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in operations research, production engineering, supply chain management, or equivalent, with an interest in circular economy and closed-loop supply chains. The position requires fluency in English, both in verbal and written communication. Moreover, you need a sound knowledge of Swedish. If Swedish is not your native language, you should be able to teach in Swedish after two years. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

In addition to the formal qualifications, selection is also based on the performance of the candidates in other work (e.g. thesis and advanced level courses), as well as on interviews and assignments. Besides good subject knowledge, emphasis will be on motivation, ability to cooperate, initiative to work independently, and personal suitability for research training.

Position summary
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20210288 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as pdf-files, as below:

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 reasons for applying to the PhD position
• Describe your future goals and ideas for 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. The files may be compressed (zipped).

Application deadline: 1 July, 2021

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***