Job Opportunity – Funded PhD: Digitalisation for Facilitating Sustainable Manufacturing Practices in Industry

The University of Exeter Business School and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) are currently offering funding for an exciting industry-facing PhD project that investigates the opportunities for sustainable manufacturing practices brought about through digitalisation, and approaches that are likely to facilitate its adoption. The MTC is one of the CE-Hub’s partners.

The PhD will explore the facets related to design, decision-making and management practices, and will focus on transformative opportunities in sustainable manufacturing practices through digitalisation. It has the following two objectives:

1. To investigate computer modelling and simulation (M&S) techniques that inform product and process design, decision-making and management practices.
2. To investigate novel methodologies and frameworks developed in fields such as Circular Economy and behaviour change, for example, the behaviour change wheel. The aim is to achieve the maximum likelihood of shifting towards sustainable manufacturing.

The post will include:

• Reviewing and mapping the landscape of modelling methodologies and different forms of data-driven analytics, and examining their applicability in the context of sustainable manufacturing practices.
• Reviewing and mapping the interdisciplinary research landscape
• Developing a conceptual framework that maps the opportunities for digitalisation with the literature reviews.
• Working in a team with both the industry partner and a wider body of stakeholders to understand and elicit requirements for decision support tools for sustainable manufacturing.
• In association with the industry partner, designing and create exciting public and industry-facing case studies that combine the most appropriate methods and techniques from the two key objectives.

This PhD can be conducted either full-time or part-time, with students will receiving a tax-free stipend of £19,000 that covers the 3-year full-time PhD and a tuition fee waiver. The studentship will be pro-rata for part-time students.

This industry-funded post is open for applications until 31st October 2022. For more information on this exciting opportunity, and to apply, please visit the University of Exeter award listing.