This University of Adelaide Research Scholarship is offered to support a full-time PhD student commencing doctoral research in the “Decarbonisation of small business” in collaboration with the Department of State Development, South Australia. The successful student must commence studies in Adelaide as soon as possible and no later than 31 December 2025.

According to Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts, annual CO₂ equivalent emissions from South Australia’s manufacturing sector have been largely stable at 5 Mt since 2005, over the same time, the states total yearly CO₂ equivalent emissions have reduced from 36.5 Mt to 15.8 Mt, meaning that manufacturing now accounts for approximately 1/3 of South Australia’s CO₂ equivalent emissions. 99% of South Australian manufacturing businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The shift to net zero provides both opportunities and challenges for these businesses. The Government has several leavers that can be utilised to support businesses in this transition, including through legislation, policy and grants. However, it is unclear what industry and especially SMEs need to help them in their transformation, in the net zero transition of their supply chains, and how green hydrogen can aid in their transition. 

This PhD project explores the following critical areas of research but not limited to:

• What information is required to help SME’s transition to net zero?            

• What tools can be used or need to be developed to support businesses, especially with reporting requirements i.e. standardised ESG reporting 

• Policy development to support SME transition and better use of renewable resources to power suppliers.

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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.