Denmark: Two PhD scholarships in Global Product Development

Deadline: 31st October 2012

DTU Management Engineering is offering two PhD scholarships in the area of Global Product Development. The PhD students will be attached to the newly formed division of Technology and Innovation Management. The division is expanding significantly during the years to come and is organised within three research themes: Industrial Dynamics & Strategy; Entrepreneurship; and Design Engineering & Innovation. The PhD students will be in Design Engineering & Innovation.

Global product development is a rising trend in particularly in developed countries. The impact and consequences of this trend is not well understood. The two PhD projects will be part of a greater project focusing upon Global Product Development. The research is expected to fit to this wider programme, and the PhD students are expected to be able to work as part of a team and contribute to activities that serve the project as well as the individual PhD projects. The two PhDs will be based around the following topics:

1. Measurement of Global Product Development Performance. The project is expected to advance knowledge of how to measure the impact of outsourcing and offshoring of the early parts of the value chain on both the product development process and the product. A model/tool to support companies with assessing global product development is expected to be produced and evaluated. The model will need to incorporate both soft and hard factors.
2. Decision-Making tools to support Global Product Development. The project will take its starting point in understanding the processes of decision making undertaken when outsourcing or offshoring (in particular the early parts of a value chain). Case studies are expected to be analysed, and general trends and patterns of specialisation and localisation are expected to be identified, A tool is expected to developed and evaluated that can be used to support the decision making process.

Both projects will be expected to contain case studies with numerous companies. Part of the data collection is likely to take place in China to enable the analysis of comparative cases.

The starting date will be as soon as possible and before the end of the year.

Qualifications
Candidates must have a master degree in engineering with a focus on Engineering Design/product Development or equivalent academic qualifications. In addition, they should:

• Have competence in the field of engineering design, and knowledge of (or interest in learning) global product development
• Have competence in (or interest in learning) quantitative methods including statistics, in addition to qualitative methods.
• Have competence in (or interest in learning) programming skills
• Be able to work independently, while also being part of a dynamic research group
• Be able to engage with industry
• Be highly proficient in English, both written and spoken.

Further information Further information may be obtained from associate professor Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen tel: +45 45 25 55 63,sakr@dtu.dk.

You can read more about DTU Management Engineering on www.man.dtu.dk.

ApplicationWe must have your online application by 31 October 2012. Please open the link "apply online", fill in the application form and attach the following documents (in English);

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
• Excel sheet with translation of grades to the Danish grading system (see guidelines and excel spreadsheet here

Candidates may apply prior to ob­tai­ning their master's degree, but cannot begin before having received it.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.