PhD student position in Leadership for sustainable business development

Information about the division and the project 
This PhD student position is placed at the Division of Service Management and Logistics (SML), which is one of six divisions at the Department of Technology Management and Economics (TME). In this position we offer you the chance to join a strong research environment with a well-established doctoral programme. Our research focuses on the management, design, delivery, and improvement of processes and services from the perspective of the individual organization as well as the wider supply chain. We conduct problem-oriented, empirical, and inter-disciplinary research, with strong emphasis on industrial and societal relevance, and attach value to high visibility in leading academic journals.

The Ph.D. student project is part of an externally funded research project on Sustainable leadership and practices in the construction industry. Sustainability work in the construction industry is today part of the everyday work and the flora of technical solutions and different types of tools, e.g. LCA, certification and management systems is large. The industry has come quite far with the help of technology development and application of various tools, but for a complete sustainability transition, current business models need to be reconsidered. Sustainability from a business perspective is primarily a management and business development issue which needs to permeate the entire organization, division of responsibilities and goal definitions. This in turn puts leadership to the test. For the project, the focus will be on studying the role of leadership and management abilities to lead and drive sustainability as a strategic, high-profiled and competetive business element. The purpose of the project is to increase the understanding of and problematize the complex organizational and institutional relationships that affect this ability.

Your PhD studies will be supported by a team of supervisors with backgrounds in management studies and civil engineering. The studies will be done in close cooperation with industry and the project has an established reference group with various industry partners involved.

Major responsibilities
As a Ph.D. student, your major responsibility is to pursue your doctoral studies in relation to a specific research aim. At large, Ph.D. studies include doctoral courses, literature reviews, designing research studies, collecting and analysing empirical data, and communicating the results of your research verbally and in writing, both in Swedish and in English. During your doctoral studies you will continuously present results in academic journals and at seminars and international conferences. The study methods are initially planned as a mixed-method study with qualitative studies in form of interviews, observations and document studies together with quantitative survey methods. The exact focus of the work will be decided together with your supervisors.

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 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.

You will spend approximately 80% of the time on research and research studies and about 20% on teaching. You will be enrolled into the doctoral programme at the research school Technology Management and Economics.

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, Sociology, Architecture, Industrial Ecology or equivalent, corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits. You must have obtained a master's degree (or equivalent) or expect to complete such a degree by the time of employment.

We believe you are highly motivated to conduct academic work with a high ability to engage in collaborative work with people from both industry and academia. You also have a genuine interest in theory and in understanding complex problems. You have excellent analytical skills and communication skills in written and spoken English and due to the character of the research being able to understand and speak Swedish is meritious. You can work independently and take responsibility for progress and quality of the PhD-project. Large emphasis when selecting a candidate will be placed on your ability to write.

Contract terms
The position is a full-time temporary employment, limited to five years. The employment is bound to successful completion of department evaluations after one respectively after 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
See instructions for the position here.

Application deadline: 1 November, 2022. 

For questions, please contact:
Pernilla Gluch, Professor, Div. Service Management and Logistics, Technology Management and Economics,
Email: pernilla.gluch@chalmers.se

Violeta Roso, Ph. D., Associate professor, Head of Unit, Division of Service Management and Logistics,
Email: violeta.roso@chalmers.se

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