Doctoral student in technology foresight and digital skills forecasting Full-time

Doctoral Student In Technology Foresight And Digital Skills Forecasting

We are seeking a doctoral student at the Department of Industrial Economics and Management (INDEK), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, with a focus on technology foresight and forecasting future skill needs in industrial companies undergoing advanced digitalisation, particularly in relation to AI, automation, and robotics.

The PhD project aims to develop and apply quantitative and hybrid forecasting methods to analyse how tasks, roles, and skill requirements evolve in environments where work is increasingly hybridised between humans, AI systems, and automated technologies (AI-augmented work). A central component of the project is method development, combining statistical, machine-learning-based, and data-intensive approaches with qualitative and participatory foresight methods such as scenario planning and expert elicitation. The field is developing rapidly, and the position constitutes a key role in contributing to its advancement.

The work will be conducted in close collaboration with industry partners within projects funded by Vinnova's programmes for advanced digitalisation, involving extensive industry interaction and access to empirical data from real-world industrial settings. Collaboration with internationally leading academic environments is also included.

The doctoral student will be part of an interdisciplinary research environment at INDEK, with links to management research, systems thinking, digital transformation, and work and employment studies.

Supervision: Associate Professor (Docent) Mattias Wiggberg is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge.

The applicant must:

• have documented knowledge of quantitative methods, such as statistics, econometrics, data analysis, machine learning, and forecasting. Experience in empirical research is required.
• have passed at least 60 credits of courses at the second-cycle level in the field of Industrial Economics and Management (or equivalent) or other subjects deemed directly relevant to the research specialisation in question. These requirements are also deemed to be met by those who have acquired equivalent knowledge in other ways.

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

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.
• Experience with forecasting models, hybrid forecasting approaches, bibliometric analysis, scenario methodologies, AI-related applications, as well as collaboration with industry or the public sector, is considered meritorious.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

Target Degree: Doctoral Degree

Information Regarding Admission And Employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

As a doctoral student, you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH's Doctoral student salary agreement.

To Apply For The Position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates 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.
• A research outline for an initial project within the field, including research questions, relevant subfields, methodological choices, and an analytical framework. (Maximum 3 pages)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other Information

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant's consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

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