Call for PhD Applications: Logistics & Operations Management within Industry 4.0 (14352)
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Job Description
Call for PhD Applications: PhD Program in Management and Organizational Sciences Africa Business School (ABS)
PhD Supervisors:
Dr. Abderrahmane Abbou (Assistant Professor in Decision Sciences & Operations)
Dr. Tarik Aouam (Full Professor in Decision Sciences & Operations)
Funding: 4-year doctoral contract starting in October 2025
Location: Rabat Morocco
Prerequisite: Master degree in Applied Mathematics Computer Science Economics
Engineering (and related fields with strong quantitative modeling)
Application process: description
The projects aim is to leverage the various technologies of Industry 4.0 for supply chainperformance improvement. These technologies include IoT sensors blockchain and 3Dprinting among others. In fact IoT sensors coupled with blockchain offer unprecedentedopportunities for real-time and secure sharing of information between autonomous firms thus improving the supply chain transparency. Likewise 3D printers enable the quick response torapidly changing demand through agile manufacturing. As a result the field of Logistics andOperations Management can greatly benefit from the adoption of Industry 4.0 digital solutionswith predictive maintenance being at the heart of such digitalization.
Doctoral Research Topic
The literature related to this topic is still developing and interested candidates are encouraged
to familiarize themselves with it drawing on (but not limited to) the following sources:
Abbou A. & Makis V. (2025) Event-triggered Bayesian control chart. Operations
Research (forthcoming).
Cui Y. Gaur V. & Liu J. (2024). Supply chain transparency and blockchain
design. Management Science.
Keskin N. B. Li C. & Song J. S. (2024). The blockchain newsvendor: Value of
freshness transparency and smart contracts. Management Science.
Li C. & Tomlin B. (2022). After-sales service contracting: Condition monitoring and
data ownership. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.
Saghafian S. Tomlin B. & Biller S. (2022). The internet of things and information
fusion: who talks to who. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
Song J. S. & Zhang Y. (2025). Predictive three-dimensional printing of spare parts
with internet of things. Management Science.
The successful candidate will be involved in the analytical development of data-driven
decision-making tools for the predictive maintenance of critical systems leveraging Industry4.0 technologies as well as in the empirical validation of the developed tools through industrycollaboration with the goal of addressing real-world logistical issues and publishing researchfindings in high-quality journals.
Research Questions
Which physical variables are indicative of the systems operating performance
How to configure a network of IoT sensors for the energy-efficient transmission and
processing of the relevant physical variables measurements
When to initiate maintenance interventions and spare parts production based on real-timesignals from IoT sensors
What are the optimal terms of blockchain-enabled smart contracts between a supplierand a manufacturer
Skills
Quantitative background enabling you to model and analyze complex supply chains. Criticalthinking and time management skills enabling you to address challenging research questions in a rigorous and timely manner.
Supervisor information
Abderrahmane is an assistant professor in Africa Business School at University MohammedVI Polytechnic. His research focuses on sequential decision making under uncertainty with particular interest in quality control and condition-based maintenance.
Tarik is a full professor in Africa Business School at University Mohammed VI research focuses on optimization of large-scale logistics systems with particular interestin production planning and inventory routing problems
Application Deadline:
June 30th 2025.
Contact Information:
For inquiries and application submissions please contact
Website: ABS :
Africa Business School supports the transformation of organizations through Research Advisory and Learning. Our goal is toimpactthe operating models of your organization bysupportingindividuals through this transformation.
Established in 2016 with the aim of being the leading business school in Africa specializing in Research Advisory and LearningABS is the business school ofMohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).
Dedicated to creatingthe continents future leadersthrough training research and innovation ABS aspires to make learners confident inresponding to the most crucial challenges facing Africaand the world. Africa Business School introduces a different perspective to leadership with a hybrid approach to teaching centered on the human being. All of its programs take a holistic approach aiming for the participants to develop analytical and practical skills both quantitative and qualitative cognitive and emotional managerial and technological. A cornerstone of their studies is training them on their sense of responsibility to society tobe culturally and socially responsible leaders.
Employment Type
Full Time
