PhD student position in Industrial marketing and purchasing, focus on business models for energy storage and balancing in Sweden

The energy system of today is under transformation. The future energy system will be sustainable, and the electric power system will play a critical role for the realization of the 100% renewable-based society, where the electric power system shall not be a limiting factor for societal progress – it needs to be available, secure and reliable at any place, at any scale, and at any time. For this project, we seek a PhD student candidate who wants to contribute to the transformation by researching current and potential business models of electricity storage and balancing services in Sweden. The PhD student will be employed at the division of Supply & Operations Management and join our team of business network scholars with an interest in how business models are organised among actors in industrial networks.

Information about the research project and the department
The critical role of business models and of business model innovation has become increasingly recognized in recent years. In parallel, industrial markets have increasingly become described and analyzed as networks of business actors and their relationships. An important issue in the Swedish energy system is to handle electricity storage and balancing and therefore the technological development is intense in this area. In view of these developments, there is a need to consider how technologies and business models develop in tandem and how they rely on a broad range of interacting actors. The project aims at analyzing and designing network embedded business models for storage and balancing solutions based on emerging technologies and involving different types of industry actors. By describing and analyzing current and emerging technologies and business models the project will contribute to enhancing the viability of the various interrelated solutions that are needed to transform the Swedish energy system. The project addresses three levels of analysis: individual firms, business relationships and the industrial network in terms of the Swedish energy system and its key links to other contexts being crucial or storage and balancing.

The study is carried out as a PhD project in collaboration with four industrial partners: Volvo, Azelio, Svenska Kraftnät and Södra, and is part of the Swedish Energy Storage and Balancing Centre (SESBC).

The Department of Technology Management and Economics  broadly researches the interaction between technology development, industrial systems, society, people, and the environment. The department is organised in six divisions for research and teaching. The PhD candidate will be part of the Division of Supply & Operations Management , which deals with three related subjects: Production logistics, Operations management, and Industrial marketing and purchasing. The division also has a strong link to the Division of Service Management and Logistics. Our research is problem-oriented, empirical, and inter-disciplinary, with a strong emphasis on industry and societal relevance and a high visibility in leading academic journals.

Major responsibilities
You will be expected to:
– Carry out research activities in the project, including writing publications and theses
– Be an active and contributing member of the research group
– Attend division and project meetings and conferences
– Take PhD courses as part of the Doctoral Programme
– Teach (20% of total work time) at bachelor and/or master level and supervise thesis students.

Your main responsibility as a PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. To do this, you need to be highly motivated, be able to work independently, and be capable of engaging in collaborations involving different types of stakeholders from academia, industry, and society. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of the research verbally and in writing in English and preferably in Swedish as well. Swedish is important also for data collection.

You will spend approximately 80% of the time on research. As a PhD student you will also, to a maximum of 20%, be involved in teaching bachelor and master courses and/or perform other departmental tasks. You will be enrolled into the postgraduate programme at the research school Technology Management and Economics. The research project is funded by Swedish Energy Agency and part of the research centre: Swedish Center for Electricity Storage and Balancing (SESBC) and the candidate will also be involved in this inter-disciplinary research community.

Qualifications
Master’s degree in e.g. industrial engineering and management, business administration or equivalent with a background in supply chain management and/or industrial marketing and purchasing, and with a genuine interest in industrial challenges such as circular economy, sustainable development and system transformation. You must have obtained a master’s degree (or equivalent) in the relevant field or expect to complete such degree by the time the employment starts.

You are expected to conduct empirical research as primary activity, foremost applying a case-based qualitative research approach in close interaction with industry. Research results are expected to be disseminated through interactions with professionals as well as through publications in highly ranked journals within the subject area which require good writing and communication skills. Other merits include working experience from industry, collaboration, and management of relationships with stakeholders and project management.

Contract terms
The position is a full-time temporary employment, limited to five years (1+2+2). The employment is bound to successful completion of department evaluations after one and three years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg .
Read more about working at Chalmers  and our benefits  for employees. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence . Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20220561 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

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. 

Application deadline: 30 November, 2022

For questions, please contact:
Professor Frida Lind, Division of Supply & Operations Management, e-mail: [email protected]
Professor Anna Dubois, Division of Supply & Operations Management, e-mail: [email protected]
Unit manager, Associate Professor Lisa Melander, Division of Supply & Operations Management, e-mail: [email protected]

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***

The Department of Technology Management and Economics (TME) broadly researches the interaction between technology development, industrial systems, society, people and the environment. The research can be divided into three main research areas, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain & Operations Management and Sustainability & Society Studies. The department is organized in six divisions for research and teaching and one support function and it hosts four research centres and the Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship. Our research is linked to several of Chalmers’ Areas of Advance.

Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!

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