Doctoral student in Industrial Engineering and Management

Description of the workplace

The announced position belongs to the Division of Engineering Logistics, which is one of four divisions in the Department of Industrial and Mechanical Sciences at Lund University, LTH. The departments facilities are located in the newly renovated-M-building on LTH campus in Lund and have good and pleasant work conditions. Both the Division and the Department have many PhD-students from all around the world. The Logistics research at Lund University is recently ranked top-10 globally for its quality and productivity; Onlinelibrary.

Subject description

PhD-studies in Logistics and Supply chain management belongs to the subject area Industrial Engineering and Management deals with design, strategy, planning and control, development, and economic evaluation of industrial operations. The research is concerned with problem areas in the interface between technology/engineering and economics/business management. It aims at integrating both perspectives, by using methods and principles from one area and modifying and applying it to the other. The area is multidisciplinary and covers issues of strategic as well as operational nature within all types of industries.

The announced position is for research studies in the area of Supply Chain Management and Logistics with a focus on resilience and risk management. Your main supervisor will be professor Andreas Norrman. The position is funded by a grant from Hakon Swenson stiftelsen titled Supply preparedness of food: a logistics-based analysis of actors’ perspectives of collaboration, challenges and effects of preparedness stock. The research will be done in close collaboration with the recently established interdisciplinary research centre FORCE (Center for Food system Resilience and Competitiveness) and with researchers in risk, retail and food, Centre for Retail and Logistics.

The project will study roles and challenges related to private-public collaboration for supply preparedness in general, and specifically focusing governance mechanisms for preparedness stock and logistics challenges related to increased requirements on supply preparedness for food. The project aims to develop different actors (authorities, food producers, wholesalers, retailers) understanding of private-public collaboration related to supply preparedness in general, and preparedness stock specifically, so it can be strengthened. To secure the project’s relevance, a reference group will include representatives from retail companies, industry organizations, and the Swedish Food Agency.

Work duties

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. Participation in research project means among other things literature review to develop ones theoretical frame of reference, to plan and carry out empirical data collection and analysis, and to author thesis and scientific articles. For the empirical data collection the doctoral students must be able to read Governmental investigations and State official reports in Swedish related to preparedness supply, and assimilate other secondary sources in Swedish. The work duties also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Industrial Engineering and Management if the applicant:

• has at least 30 credits at the advanced level with relevance for the focal area.
• is judged to have the potential to complete the programme.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in Swedish.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English
• Experience of and/or education in qualitative research methods (e.g. case study research).
• Independence, drive, good collaborative skills.

Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to benefit from such studies. The assessment of the potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
2. An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
3. Written and oral communication skills.
4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:

• University degree in Industrial Engineering and Management, Mechanical Engineering, Risk management, or equivalent, specialising in Logistics or Supply Chain Management.
• Experience of and/or education in quantitative research methods and mathematical modelling (operations research/management science/analytics).

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, capability to interact with actors in the Swedish food preparedness sector (food producers, wholesale, retail, and authorities) and how the applicant, through experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee Work at Lund University.

The group of PhD-students at the Department, as well as the Division of Engineering Logistics, is international and dynamic. During the PhD-studies opportunities are often given for collaboration and exchange with universities abroad.

Terms of employment

Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).

In this recruitment we kindly ask you to answer some screening questions. 

Welcome to apply!