Professor of logistics

The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) announces an appointment as a professor of logistics specialising in competitiveness and efficiency. The position is based in either Linköping or Lund.

VTI is an assignment-based authority with approximately 240 employees and an annual turnover of around SEK 280 million. The research staff at VTI currently consists of seven professors, some 20 docents, 100 researchers and around 40 doctoral students. Our research is mainly conducted within the framework of externally funded projects within the fields of social sciences, engineering and technology and natural sciences.

Specialisation

The successful candidate will specialise in applied research into the logistics of goods-owning organisation’s and their interaction with the transport system from a strategy and competitiveness perspective. As a subject area, logistics deals with how businesses and organisations create efficient supply chains, thereby achieving profitability, competitiveness and sustainability goals. This includes issues related to the design of goods supply chains, distribution and marketing channels and encompasses corporate strategies, structures and processes, with logistics strategies studied as a component of the company’s business model.

Goods owners define demand for transportation and they are the stakeholders that principally finance transport production. In turn, the transport system’s response to this demand impacts the competitiveness of goods owners and thus their profitability.

Good design at a logistics system level is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable transport systems that support the business models of goods owners. The transition to a more sustainable transport system thus presupposes competitive solutions. Logistical considerations at a strategic/structural level – such as adapted warehousing, localisation and production planning – have a major impact on the transport system itself and on the ability to achieve transport policy goals.

The research will deal with structural choices concerning business models, sourcing markets, products and sales channels, as well as the development of sustainable, digital and efficient solutions through new technology and improved methods. Research will largely be conducted in an interdisciplinary context in cooperation with other VTI researchers and through collaborations with clients, the business community and external research environments. Approaches are chosen based on the problem at hand. Both qualitative and quantitative methods may be applied. Specialisations may, for example, include the circular economy, marine transport, the role of logistics in the green transition, sustainable transport and energy efficiency, business models, distribution and supply structures, the resilience of the freight transport system, urban logistics and e-commerce.

Duties

The person appointed as a professor will be expected to:

• stimulate, lead and conduct high-quality research, development and studies for the purpose of increasing knowledge and expertise within their subject area;
• initiate, prepare and submit applications for external project funding in collaboration with colleagues, universities, the business community, government agencies and other organisations;
• supervise doctoral students and build and lead a research group;
• disseminate research results to broad groups of stakeholders and develop and deepen VTI’s national and international collaborations within the field; and
• provide the Government, public authorities and other relevant stakeholders with scientific evidence and advice.

The duties of the position require a good ability to express oneself orally and in writing in both Swedish and English. A successful candidate who does not speak Swedish will be expected to acquire within three years adequate knowledge of the Swedish language, and of Swedish conditions, to be able to communicate unhindered with stakeholders in VTI’s surrounding community.

Entry requirements

Pursuant to the Ordinance with instructions for the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (SFS 2007:964), a person with research expertise is qualified for appointment as a professor at VTI.

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for appointment as a professor shall be the degree of the expertise required as a qualification for employment. The applicant’s research expertise shall be such that they have:

• A body of autonomous scientific production within the subject area that exceeds the requirements for appointment as a docent, both in terms of quality and quantity;
• scientific publications of high quality and significant scope that are topical and have been published in respected international journals or other forms of relevance to the subject area;
• national and international recognition within the subject area, demonstrated by invitations to speak, assignments as an external reviewer, etc. of significant scope;
• the ability to lead research, including initiating, building up and leading a research group and research activities, establishing research collaborations within or outside their own research organisation, as well as making significant contributions to the scientific development of the subject area;
• the ability to build up their own research organisation using funding obtained in national or international competition from research councils, foundations, industry, etc.; and
• the ability to collaborate within the subject area and with the surrounding community through their own research activities.

In addition to research expertise, in relation to the specialisation and content of the appointment, the following assessment criteria will also be applied:

• The quality and relevance of the applicant’s research plan and the inclusion of international collaborations and innovative contributions to strategic development within the subject area.
• The level of skill in conducting applied research that can provide the Government, public authorities and other relevant stakeholders with scientific evidence and advice.
• The level of skill in collaborating, developing and leading organisations and staff, including knowledge of issues related to diversity, equal opportunities and gender equality.
• Teaching expertise: Knowledge, approach and experience of supervision. The applicant should normally have been the de facto supervisor of at least one doctoral student who has been awarded a Degree of Doctor, and have undergone training in supervision and in teaching and learning in higher education. Teaching activities aimed at industry, government agencies and other organisations and stakeholders.

Additional information

Information on how we handle your personal data can be found on www.vti.se

Please notice that the application will become a public document.

VTI will not accept any commercial or other external assistance with regard to advertising or recruiting to this position.

Reg. No. 2023/0435-3.1

Application instructions

The application must include:

• CV according to the following template
• Other documents you wish to provide in support of your application

Link to template; https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vti.se%2Fdownload%2F18.13ba5b5f18bfb17387f2532%2F1701097331075%2FCV-mall-engelsk-professor-in-logistics.docx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

Applications which are sent by regular mail shall be submitted in four identical copies and sent to VTI, HR-Department, SE 581 95 Linköping, Sweden. Mark these documents with registration number 2023/0435-3.1.

Welcome to submit your application no later than February 4th, 2024. Applications received after the application deadline will not be considered.

Kontaktpersoner

Mattias Haraldsson
Avdelningschef
070 943 01 25
mattias.haraldsson@vti.se

Thomas Lundberg
ST
Vxl: 013-20 40 00
thomas.lundberg@vti.se

Anna Arvidsson
SACO
Vxl: 013-20 40 00
anna.arvidsson@vti.se