This University of Adelaide Research Scholarship is offered to support two full-time PhD students who are commencing doctoral research in the following topics:

The successful student must commence studies in Adelaide as soon as possible and no later than 31 December 2025.

Topic 1: Digital sustainable / Circular Procurement 

The Ph.D. project explores a critical area of research focused on how digital and sustainable/circular transition influence the procurement decision within the context of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) perspectives by integrating the following topics: (1) Developing strategies for integrating digitalization and sustainability/circularity in procurement (2) Development of Digital platforms for sustainable/circular sourcing and procurement, aligning with broader ESG reporting. (3) Exploring strategies to engage and collaborate with suppliers for enhanced technology integration, data analytics, data sharing, and joint efforts in reducing emissions and evaluating the role of technologies such as blockchain, AI, IoT, etc., in procurement (4) Examining collaboration and information sharing platforms for sustainable/circular supplier relationships and governance (5) Exploring motivations, challenges, critical success factors, capabilities, business models, practices, and key performance indicators required for integrating digitalization and sustainability/circularity in procurement.

Eligibility:

Applicants must be eligible to enroll as candidates for a Ph.D. degree at the University of Adelaide. 

The potential candidates should meet the following criteria:

• The successful candidate should hold a bachelor's and master's degree related to one of the following areas: Industrial Engineering / Manufacturing Engineering relevant to Operations and Supply Chain Management. 

• Candidates with a bachelor's and master's degree in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, Computer Science Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Technology will also be considered, but it will further be required that they also have a strong interest in operations and supply chain management background.

• Knowledge of optimization solvers and Proficiency in machine learning algorithms and their practical implementation in Python would enhance the qualifications.

• Demonstrated background in the use of qualitative and quantitative methods (i.e., SEM) would enhance the qualifications

Stipend:

The scholarship will be for 3.5 years and has a stipend of $34,210 (2024 rate, indexed annually) per annum.  It is likely to be tax exempt, subject to Taxation Office approval. 

Enquiries: 

Associate Professor Devika Kannan

Center for Sustainable Operations and Resilient Supply Chains (CSORSC)

Tel: (08) 83133616              Email: devika.kannan@adelaide.edu.au 

Applying:

Expression of interest 

Expressions of interest should be submitted to Associate Professor Devika Kannan (devika.kannan@adelaide.edu.au) by 31 March 2025, with the name of the scholarship in the subject heading. Please ensure you include all of the following documents:

• Evidence of citizenship
• Degree certificates (testamurs)
• Academic transcripts
• Translations of non-English documentation
• Evidence of English language proficiency
• Curriculum vitae with all working papers and communicated papers

• PhD Research Proposal (Maximum 5 pages) – Needs to be related to the position but not your interest. Your choice of proposal will be considered if it addresses a hot topic linked to the Centre for Sustainable Operations & Resilient Supply Chains (CSORSC) and Australia. 

• Copy of published Journal articles (if applicable)
• Detailed co-author statement of published Journal articles (if applicable). The statement for each paper should include a detailed summary of each author's contribution to the paper.