Project Description

PhD Subject: Industrial Economics and Organization

We are looking for a PhD candidate in Industrial Economics and Organization (INDEK), KTH, focusing on technology foresight and forecasting future competence needs in industrial companies undergoing advanced digitalization, particularly related to AI, automation, and robotics.

The PhD project aims to develop and apply quantitative and hybrid forecasting methods to analyze how tasks, roles, and skill requirements change in environments where work is increasingly hybridized between humans, AI systems, and automated technologies (AI-augmented work). A central part of the project is method development, where statistical, machine learning-based, and data-intensive methods are combined with qualitative and participatory foresight methods such as scenario planning and expert elicitation. The field is rapidly evolving, and the role is key to contributing to its development.

The work is conducted in close collaboration with industry partners within projects funded by Vinnova's program for advanced digitalization, which involves extensive industry contacts and access to empirical data from real industrial contexts. Collaboration with internationally renowned academic environments is also included.

The PhD candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary research environment at INDEK connected to management, systems thinking, digital transformation, and labor research.

Supervision:

Associate Professor Mattias Wiggberg is proposed to supervise the PhD candidate. A decision will be made upon admission.

Eligibility for Admission

To be admitted to doctoral education (Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility:

• completed a degree at the advanced level, or
• fulfilled course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level, or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way, within or outside the country.

Applicants must have documented knowledge in quantitative methods, such as statistics, econometrics, data analysis, machine learning, and forecasting. Experience in empirical research work is a requirement.

Approved courses of at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level in the subject of industrial economics and organization (or equivalent) or other subjects deemed directly relevant to the current research focus. These requirements are also considered fulfilled by those who have acquired equivalent knowledge in another way.

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

To succeed in your doctoral studies at KTH, you need to be goal-oriented and persistent in your work. In the selection of applicants, the ability to:

• independently drive your work forward,
• collaborate with others,
• maintain a professional attitude, and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

Experience in forecasting models, hybrid forecasting, bibliometric analysis, scenario methodology, AI-related applications, and collaboration with industry or the public sector.

After the eligibility requirements, significant weight will be given to personal qualities.

Target Degree:

Doctorate

Information on Admission and Employment

Only those who have been admitted to doctoral education may be employed as PhD candidates. The total employment period may not exceed what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. An employed PhD candidate may, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within e.g., education and administration. A new employment as a PhD candidate is valid for a maximum of one year, and the employment may thereafter be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. For studies that will conclude with a licentiate degree, the total employment period may not exceed what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

As a PhD candidate, you will benefit from KTH's employment benefits and have a monthly salary according to KTH's agreement for doctoral salaries. Read more about Doctoral Studies at KTH | KTH | Sweden.

Union Representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

Doctoral Section (Student Union of the Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for the doctoral section.

Application

You apply via KTH's recruitment system. As an applicant, you have the primary responsibility for ensuring that your application is complete when submitted.

The application must be received by KTH no later than the last application day at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

The application should include the following content:

• CV with relevant professional experiences and skills.
• Application letter with a brief account of why you want to pursue doctoral studies, your academic interests, and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Max 2 pages)
• Copies of degree certificates and transcripts from previous university studies and proof of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.
• Research proposal for an initial project in the field, including research questions, relevant subfields, method choices, and analytical framework. (Max 3 pages)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please attach a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other

For information on the processing of personal data in connection with recruitment.

It may occur that a position at KTH is classified in a security class. If this is the case for this position, a security review of the applicant will be conducted in accordance with the Security Protection Act (2018:585) after consent. In these cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved after the security review.

We kindly ask for no direct contact with staffing and recruitment companies or sellers of job advertisements.

Become a Part of KTH

KTH shapes the future through education, research, and innovation. As a leading international technical university, we play an active role in driving and participating in the transition to a sustainable society. Here, you are offered the opportunity to grow and develop in a creative and dynamic workplace with good working conditions and benefits. Equality, diversity, and equal opportunities are quality issues and an obvious part of KTH's values as a university and government authority.

Read more here (https://www.kth.se/om/jobba-pa-kth)