LUT Doctoral School / Doctoral Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management has 2 full-time Doctoral Student positions available from the 1st of January, 2016 or agreed upon separately.
POSITION 1: Innovation management and International Business
One (1) four-year student position for D.Sc. (Tech.) in Industrial Engineering and Management will be available for one of the following research topics:
Sustainable service innovation design in digitalized industrial ecosystems
The growing amount of data in digitalized form and improving usability of data via e.g. Internet of Things (IoT) and collaborative design technologies enable new, digital scalable knowledge-based service concepts and business models with emerging industry ecosystems. It is necessary to increase the abilities to understand value networks’ co-creation potential and to create new measures, models and tools on supporting the customer-oriented industrial service design in modern, digitalized industrial ecosystems.
The focus of the PhD position would be in developing and applying novel methods to support service innovation in digitalized value-driven industrial ecosystems, by taking also the sustainability-related effects into account. The topic is multi-disciplinary, combining innovation and knowledge management, service design, and digitalization. The research is done in connection to the projects conducted in collaboration with research institutes and industrial firms.
For further information: Associate Prof. Ville Ojanen (ville.ojanen@lut.fi)
Combining creativity methods for industrial innovation processes
The focus of this PhD Student position is to develop new innovations to green energy sector and adapt inventive thinking methodologies to the research and industry. Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) has a strategic focus on researching and developing new equipment for improving energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. To succeed in this highly competitive area of research in both academic and business terms, the business and creativity aspects have to be taken in to account. This research will also support the LUT Green Campus initiative. Green campus is a unique research and educational environment, where the university’s expertise in energy as well as its own innovations is put to educational, practical and research use. The research work is related to the ongoing cases of the Green Campus green energy solutions. These cases are typically founded on real problems that the development teams are facing at the university and the related companies.
For further information: Associate Prof. Kalle Elfvengren (kalle.elfvengren@lut.fi)
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in international business
We look for Ph.D. candidate position with research focus in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in international business. The objective of this PhD position is to examine multinational enterprise (MNE) collaboration with societal stakeholders in emerging markets, at the intersection of reaching business sustainability and of ensuring sustainable development of the society, in such areas as health, environment and energy. Candidate should be capable to work in international, interdisciplinary environment. LBM is coordinating a large EU Commission funded research project studying MNE impact towards socio-economic development in developing economies. Project partners are Oxford University, Kings College London, Brunel University, United Nations University (UNU-Merit) and University of Turku. Fieldwork data collections take place in three developing countries on three different continents, namely Brazil, Ghana and India. The Ph.D. student would actively participate in data-analysis of field data, which are in form of both case studies and large surveys. For potential candidates both quantitative and qualitative method expertise is highly appreciated.
For further information: Prof. Juha Väätänen (juha.vaatanen@lut.fi) and Prof. Asta Salmi (asta.salmi@lut.fi). Project website, pleasesee.
POSITION 2: Operations Management and Systems Engineering
One (1) four-year student position for D.Sc. (Tech.) in Industrial Engineering and Management will be available for one of the following research topics:
Sustainability and resilience of supply chains
The objective of the work is:
- Development of better understanding of the relation between sustainability and resilience of complex systems.
- Creation of the framework for design and operation of resilient and sustainable supply chains.
The first stage of the work is research on the development of the indexes for quantitative assessment of environmental and social sustainability of supply chains for two-four types of industries. In the next step, system engineering approach will be used to optimize the structure and operation of the supply chains ensuring economic, social and environmental sustainability under the constraints resulting from the system flexibility. The examples of the approaches to be used are mixed integer linear programming, business process modelling notation, design structure matrix. The work requires solid programming skills and strong interest in environmental and social aspects of functioning of enterprises.
Further information: Prof. Andrzej Kraslawski (andrzej.kraslawski@lut.fi)
Solving of wicked techno-economic problems
The objective of the work is creation of the toolbox of methods for solving the wicked problems encountered in engineering and business activities.
The whole work will follow the systems engineering approach to problem solving. Due to the specific characteristics of the wicked problems, limited quantitative representation and lack of the optimal solutions, the work will contain the additional steps of analysis and synthesis of systems. The first stage of the research will be devoted to development of classification of the wicked problems. It will allow to focus on the specific types of the wicked problems encountered in the various industries. Next, the study should concentrate on the development of the methods for semi – quantitative representation of the wicked problems. Finally the classical steps of systems engineering should be implemented. The new aspect of the work will be also a systematic development of the method for the identification of the satisfactory solutions. It is expected that developed approaches will allow to handle complex wicked problems e.g. water management, dangers and benefits related to introduction of nanotechnologies or limitations of green energy. The work requires strong analytical skills, some programming experience and out-of-the box approach to analysis and synthesis of very complex problems.
Further information: Prof. Andrzej Kraslawski (andrzej.kraslawski@lut.fi)
Big Data, Patent research and Systematic creativity
Industrial engineering design is based on and starts from massive analysis of the information on the subject: patents, research papers, books, articles etc. The amount of information to be processes ultimately requires automation of information search, filtering, processing and distilling the knowledge. There are several prospective tools that can be applied to reach the goals: computational linguistics, big data, artificial intelligence, system analysis, systematic ideation tools like TRIZ, morphological analysis, axiomatic design etc. The research project would focus on the development of algorithms for working prototype of a software that is able to assist information search and processing at the ideation stage of engineering design, technology intelligence or forecasting.
Further information: Prof. Leonid Chechurin (leonid.chechurin@lut.fi)
Performance management in digital business
In digital service systems, the role of customers in service production is becoming more important, which requires mutual value creation. The customer acts as co-producer within the supplier’s process and the supplier simultaneously acts within the corresponding process of creating customer value and is actively involved therein. The major challenge is how the performance measurement and management can be organized in digital business environment or digital service systems to increase customer wisdom in a way that promotes the design of new innovative services. In addition it promotes the transformation of the business strategy and service design to deliver value-in-use-through-life in the long term.
Further information: Prof. Hannu Rantanen (hannu.rantanen@lut.fi)
The applicant must hold a Master’s degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in technology, industrial engineering, business administration or equivalent field giving the eligibility for doctoral studies. The applicant must have the ability and motivation to complete the doctoral degree in the target time of four years. A scientifically sound research proposal, which is suitable with the research profile of the Doctoral Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management is one of the essential selection criteria. The postgraduate study right required for taking the doctoral degree is to be applied within the one year of the beginning of the employment relationship. In addition, the applicant is expected to have a fluent written and spoken English.Previous scientific publications and professional or research experience are not necessary, but are considered an advantage.
The employment relationship is fixed-term. The position will be available initially for one year and can be extended for another three years provided that the studies and research have progressed well. Also the applicants who already have a doctoral study right at LUT may apply but the employment relationship will be max. four years counted from the beginning of the first employment contract of the doctoral student.
The salary will be determined according to the university salary system for teaching and research personnel, job demand levels 1-4 (1,795.12-2,462.01 EUR/month). In addition, the salary will include an individual pay component based on the performance and competence, amounting to a maximum of 46.3 % of the job-specific pay component.
The applicant may apply only for one position available. Please indicate in your application for which of the positions you are applying.Please submit your application by filling the online form (link below). The deadline for the applications is 18th of September 2015 (at midnight, Finnish local time, UTC + 3hr). Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
The application consists of a completed on-line application form and the following documents attached:
- Certificates/diplomas: Scanned electronic copies of diplomas and transcripts of the records of relevant previous degrees. If the original documents are not in English, Finnish or Swedish, each document must be accompanied by an official certified translation into English or Finnish.
- Research proposal (6-10 pages with 150 word abstract) which is suitable with the research profile of the programme. After the selection, the plans of successful applicants will be refined together with the supervisors.
- Application letter describing your interests and motivation to apply for the position and
- CV
Possible candidates may also be interviewed by video or online / face-to-face. The steering group of LUT Doctoral School will make the final selection of candidates based on the proposals received from the Doctoral Programmes. Selected applicants will be informed of the results by e-mail by the end of November 2015.
Contact person for doctoral program -related issues: Head of the Doctoral Programme in Industrial Engineering, Professor Janne Huiskonen (janne.huiskonen@lut.fi), +358 40 686 4425
For further information on applying, please contact recruitment@lut.fi.
Applying starts: 2015-08-23 06:00 Applying ends: 2015-09-18 23:59