Smart logistics for a sustainable construction industry
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Norway
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Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU)
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Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
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On Campus
3 years-
Expired
On Campus 
Position Details (PhD Program)
The construction industry is a significant contributor to the overall economy and growth of any country. It is, however, energy-intensive and stands for a remarkable part of total greenhouse gas emissions. Poor productivity is also frequently highlighted as a significant issue in the industry, increasing costs and, thereby, making housing less affordable for the society.
Smart logistics can play a significant role in making the construction industry more sustainable, looking at the industrial sector with a systemic and holistic perspective, enabling more sustainable approaches/paradigms like circular economy, industrial symbiosis, and closed-loop supply chains. There is a need for more knowledge, decision support, and solutions for how construction and demolition sites best can be configured, organized, planned, and controlled from an economic, environmental, and social perspective. The on-going digitalization of industry, often known as industry 4.0, is seen as an important enabler, and so is its successor, industry 5.0, which focuses on the introduction of human-centric, sustainable, and resilient European industry. The objective of this position is, therefore, to develop knowledge, frameworks, models, and solutions for sustainable configuration, organization, planning, and control of construction and demolition sites, thereby contributing to the achievement of a circular economy, industrial symbiosis, and closed-loop supply chains.
In this position you will be part of the Production Management research group at NTNU’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, who is internationally leading in research within engineer-to-order manufacturing. The purpose of this PhD position is to expand its scope to the construction sector. The research will be closely integrated with the group’s research in other engineer-to-order sectors, such as shipbuilding and maritime equipment manufacturing, for synergy effects, transfer of knowledge, and mutual stimulation.
For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.
Your immediate leader is Professor.
Duties of the position
- apply qualitative methodologies, such as case studies and literature reviews, to gain insight into the characteristics and challenges of the construction industry, and develop frameworks and knowledge on smart logistics for construction and demolition
- apply quantitative methodologies, such as simulation and analytical modelling, to develop decision support for the configuration, organization, planning, and control of construction and demolition sites, to study the interactions in such industrial systems and analyze the domain of solutions, such as to create managerial insights and guidelines for practitioner
- collaboration with Norwegian companies which will be identified during the first phase of the research
- take part in the mandatory PhD research education program
- conduct independent research and publish the result in recognised scientific journals and present them at international conferences
Required selection criteria
- you must have a professionally relevant background in Industrial Engineering, Logistics Engineering, Production Management, Supply Chain Management, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, or Project management
- your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master’s level
- you must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master’s degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education
- you must meet the requirements for the faculty’s doctoral program
- you need experience in using a combination of qualitative methodologies, such as case studies and design science, and quantitative methodologies, such as simulation and advanced analytics, within the fields of operations and supply chain management
- you must have submitted a research plan showing relevance, rigorousness, and impact
- you need excellent written and oral English language skills
The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant
Preferred selection criteria
- candidates with Scandinavian language skills will be preferred
- It is beneficial if you have experience from industry or research in engineer-to-order manufacturing
Personal characteristics
- ability to work independently as well as in teams
- good communication skills and ability to work in close contact with industry
- hard working, with drive and determination
- modest, open to feedback and input from others as well as able to respect, collaborate, and negotiate with others
Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.
We offer
- exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
- an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
- favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- employee benefits
Salary and conditions
As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 501 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
The period of employment is 3 years.
Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering. within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.