Doctoral student in Industrial Engineering and Management, with focus on supply chain management - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description 

The Faculty of Health, Science and Technology invites applications for a doctoral studentship in Industrial Engineering and Management at the Department of Engineering and Physics.  

The subject area of Industrial Engineering and Management is in an expansive phase, and this is the announcement of one of three parallel doctoral studentships. The other two positions are funded by the Knowledge Foundation as part of their investment in the next generation of collaborative researchers. All three doctoral students will conduct their research in close collaboration with Swedish industry. 

Supply chains are undergoing significant changes that create a need to address their environmental and social impacts, increased disruptions, and changing customer preferences. Additionally, new technology that is constantly evolving is used to improve supply chain management. This has amplified the importance of supply chain management within management teams of manufacturing companies.      

We are looking for a doctoral student motivated to develop their research as part of our team. The intention is for the research to focus on supply chains and logistics, an area at Karlstad University that is under development and which will be able to connect to current research areas in industrial engineering and management with regard to management of innovation and production. The specific focus of the thesis project will be defined jointly by the doctoral student and the supervisors. The doctoral student will be responsible for creating and disseminating new knowledge through empirically based research in supply chain management. Possible focus areas include digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and resilience and sustainability within supply chain management.  

The thesis project will be linked to the university’s multidisciplinary research environments DAMI (www.kau.se/en/dami) and CTF (the Service Research Center, www.kau.se/en/ctf). As a doctoral student, you will have the opportunity to work and develop alongside both fellow doctoral students and senior researchers. You will also have the opportuniyt to take part in national doctoral student networks. 

Duties

As a doctoral student, you will primarily dedicate time to your own studies. The doctoral programme, comprising 240 credits for a Degree of Doctor and 120 credits for a Degree of Licentiate, is an opportunity to study while being paid a salary in combination with work and provides a stepping stone for a career in academia. The doctoral student is expected to work independently and be prepared to contribute to the activities and development of the subject and the department. Teaching and administrative duties may also be included upon agreement, but will not constitute more than 20% of full-time. Work as a doctoral student allows for great freedom and flexibility in terms of how you structure your day. It takes commitment, discipline and a structured approach in order to successfully complete a doctoral thesis. Experienced supervisors offer guidance and support along the way. To contribute to a positive work environment and further the department’s activities, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community. 

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for a doctoral studentship, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). 

To meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification, satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 39). 

To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies in industrial engineering and management, the applicant must have been awarded a Degree of Master of Science in Engineering, or a Master’s degree (60 or 120 credits) in industrial engineering and management or in a related area such as mechanical engineering (with a specialisation in production engineering and management) or computer science (with a specialisation in industrial IT), provided that the studies and the degree project are relevant to the intended doctoral project. The awarded degree shall include an independent project comprising at least 15 ECTS credits at Master’s level and be of relevance to the doctoral studies. An applicant who does not meet the specific entry requirement but has acquired equivalent relevant knowledge in some other way may be deemed eligible following a special assessment. 

Admission and assessment criteria 

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment. 

The assessment will focus on the applicant’s performance in previous studies, the quality of independent projects completed during these studies, proficiency in Swedish and English, and whether the applicant intends to be a present and active part of the research environment.  

The applicant must have a good command of Swedish since data collection will include interviews and surveys conducted in Swedish. Applicants must also be proficient in English, especially in writing, since the doctoral thesis and reports that will be produced as part of the research project will be written in English. 

Research requires professional curiosity and the courage to explore the unknown. Therefore, we will give weight to the candidate’s ability to take initiative and work independently. Since our research is conducted in teams with other researchers and in collaboration with external partners, we will also give considerable weight to relationship building and teamwork skills. 

Terms  

Upon admission to doctoral studies, the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5, Sect. 3). The position comprises four years of full-time studies, or five years at a study rate of 80% with 20% teaching or other departmental duties. The position is fixed-term — one year initially, followed by possible extensions by a maximum of two years at a time. Start date by agreement, preferably no later than September 30, 2025.  

The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students and progresses in accordance with a local collective agreement. 

Application 

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.  

The application should include: 

• a cover letter where the applicant details the reasons behind their interest in the position, 
• a list of qualifications (CV), 
• degree certificate with a complete transcript of the courses included, or a certified list of completed courses with grades and dates, 
• copy of Master’s thesis or equivalent, 
• where applicable, copies of publications or certificates for other qualifications, 
• any letters of recommendation,
• two references, such as a teacher, supervisor, or previous or current superior.
  
  Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.  

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent to the following address: Karlstads universitet 
HR-administratör
HR-avdelningen 
651 88 Karlstad 
Sweden 

Application deadline: April 1, 2025  

State the reference number: REK 2025/2

Applicants with qualifications from abroad 

If you have qualifications from a university outside Sweden or if they have not been recognised by a Swedish authority before, it is important that you attach degree certificates and official transcripts to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications.  
Provide a contact for the degree-awarding institution (phone number or email) who can verify your qualifications. 

We look forward to your application! 

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.