PhD student position in Innovation Ecosystems within Infrastruct

We are looking for you who has a deep interest in innovation ecosystems, including inter-organizational collaboration among different actors.

Project description
In the project, you will investigate inter-organizational collaborations in innovation processes for digital solutions and services in infrastructure construction. Infrastructure construction is a crucial industry sector to address as it consumes great quantities of materials and energy during construction, operations, and eventual deconstruction. Digital solutions and services play an important role in the request for more innovative solutions to enable renewal of this sector towards improved sustainability.

Ecosystems as networks of public and private actors, for instance, developers and suppliers of various services, products, and digital technology, are crucial for innovation. The project covers how business models, governance, and incentives for different actors affect the organizing, prerequisites for and outcomes of innovation. How an innovation created in a single project can be utilized on a larger scale, including potential business values, is one important issue.

The PhD student is part of an externally funded research project. The PhD project is connected to a network of industrial partners that support the research and are part of the reference group. The PhD student will study a number of innovation projects in infrastructure construction in Sweden through interviews, observations and document analysis.

Information about the division and the department 
The position is placed at the Division of Construction Management (CM). CM encompasses diverse and interlinked areas of expertise within the wider fields of construction and project management, leadership, and construction informatics. CM is one of the divisions at the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE). ACE represents a broad theoretical and practical knowledge base. Fields of science ranging from natural sciences and engineering to social sciences, humanities, and design-based artistic research. The mix of disciplines and perspectives affords a rich breeding ground for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and collaboration across a variety of crucial subjects concerning the built environment, such as, environmental and social sustainability, digital transformation, and management of the built environment.

The project is connected to a research group with a common interest in management of innovation ecosystems in the built environment that consists of researchers from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE) as well as Department of Technology Management and Economics (TME).

Major responsibilities
As a Ph.D. student, your major responsibility is to pursue your doctoral studies in relation to a specific research aim. You will conduct research, participate in doctoral courses and be involved in teaching activities at the division. Research work includes literature reviews, collecting empirical data through qualitative studies in form of interviews, observations and document studies, analyzing data, and communicating the results verbally and in writing, both to the public and industry, and through scientific publications. Collaboration within academia, industry and with society at large is important.

You will be expected to:
- Carry out research activities in the project
- Publish research results in scientific journals and in theses
- Disseminating results to the general public and industry
- Be an active and contributing member of the research group
- Attend division and project meetings, research seminars and conferences
- Take PhD courses as part of the Doctoral Programme
- Teach at bachelor and/or master level and supervise students.
 
Qualifications
To qualify as a PhD student you should have a Master's degree in e.g. Industrial Management and Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, Architecture, or equivalent. You must have obtained a master's degree (or equivalent) or expect to complete such a degree by the time of employment.

Our goal is to educate excellent researchers who are well equipped to contribute to society and tackle the societal challenges of our time. We will support you in this training process to progressively becoming an independent researcher. To accomplish the success we desire to achieve, we believe that you are highly motivated to conduct academic work with a genuine interest in theory and in understanding complex problems, foremost applying a qualitative research approach. You have excellent analytical skills and a high ability to engage in collaborative work with people from both academia and industry. You are able to take responsibility for progress and quality of the PhD-project, including planning and organizing your work. Experience from multi-stakeholder interactions and industry experience are meritorious.

Excellent communication and presentation skills in written and spoken English are required. Due to the character of the research, being able to understand and speak Swedish is meritious. 

Large emphasis when selecting a candidate will be placed on your ability to write.

Contract terms                                                                                                                   
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years. You will spend approximately 80% of this 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 performing other departmental tasks. You will be enrolled in the postgraduate programme at our research school. 

Read more and apply here 

Application deadline: April 5, 2023

For questions, please contact:
Head of division /Associate Professor Mattias Roupé, Division of Construction Management
mattias.roupe@chalmers.se, + 46-31 772 11 33

Senior lecturer Viktoria Sundquist, Division of Construction Management
viktoria.sundquist@chalmers.se , +46317723482

Professor Petra Bosch-Sijtsema, Division of Service Management and Logistics
petra.bosch@chalmers.se , +46317721945.


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