PhD student position - Managing and governing innovation ecosystems

To address many of today's most pressing challenges organizations must collaborate on innovation within ecosystems of various actors. This leads to new challenges for management. In this PhD Candidate Position you will research how innovation is and should be managed and governed in innovation ecosystems.

Information about the research
Sustainability, safety and health are some of the most pressing global challenges. For us, two things stand out: firms and technologies need to be part of the solution. And indeed, firms and organizations are currently working hard to find innovative solutions, often by leveraging technologies in new and clever ways.

One example is the automotive industry, where sustainability and safety challenges are addressed with electrification and artificial intelligence. Another example is the healthcare industry, where digital platforms are used to improve access and efficiency of healthcare. And in the pharmaceutical industry, firms are increasingly using big data, software and algorithms to speed up drug development.

As a result, however, managers and firms experience new challenges, challenges that are intriguing for us as scholars of innovation and strategy. In particular, innovation processes and business models now need to be governed across firm boundaries rather than within fully integrated firms. For example, digital healthcare is oftentimes organized as platforms connecting patients with physicians, and the automotive industry is currently seeing many new partnerships in the center of new ecosystems, such as Polestar/Google and Hyundai/Apple, respectively.

This requires us to think in new ways about how to deal with governance - the system for “who does what when” within or across organizations. We can no longer rely on established practices when much of value creation happens as firms, customers and suppliers leverage technology to form new bonds and create new products and services. In particular, we need to apply new principles and strategies for governing innovation and businesses in platforms, ecosystems, etc. This includes how we deal with the control, access and pricing of new technologies and intellectual property developed by different actors.

In this PhD candidate position you will get the opportunity to become an expert in this growing field of strategy and innovation management. Together with your supervisors you will design and conduct a research project aimed at better understanding how to govern and manage innovation in ecosystems. Besides your research, around 20% of your time will be spent on contributing to the teaching at Chalmers.

We look forward to welcoming you to a group of researchers with a strong track-record of conducting cutting edge research that is published in leading international journals and used by academics, students and executives worldwide. We have a big international network of collaborators at top universities. We anticipate that you will benefit from our network and spend time internationally as a visiting scholar during your PhD studies, besides presenting your research at international conferences.

After finishing your PhD you will have a solid foundation for an international career in academia and/or industry and consulting.

Major responsibilities
As a PhD student your major responsibility is to pursue doctoral studies in relation to the 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.

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

Qualifications
To qualify for the position you must have (or be close to finishing) a MSc degree in industrial engineering, management, economics or similar. You should have strong analytical abilities as well as an interest in working closely with practitioners on practically relevant problems. English fluency is required, both in written and verbal communication.

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

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20210404 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 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. The files may be compressed (zipped).

Application deadline: 3 October, 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. ***