EPSRC PhD Studentship

EPSRC PhD Studentship

Managerial tools for mitigating inventory record inaccuracy in stochastic inventory systems

The University of Edinburgh Business School & School of Mathematics

Deadline: 30‐06‐2014
Nationality Criteria: Home (UK) Students only (The student awarded the studentship will need to satisfy EPSRC's residence eligibility criteria: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/Pages/eligibility.aspx) Value: £14,000 + tuition fees (home rate)

Proposed start date: September 2014 entry

Research Project Details

An opportunity exists for an outstanding candidate to undertake research in the area of stochastic inventory control. This position is jointly supported by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Science & Engineering. The successful candidate will be based at the University of Edinburgh Business School. Accurate inventory records are essential to ensure performance of production systems. Production planning is nowadays mostly carried out via automated decision support tools. Inaccurate inventory records generate costs by hindering these tools from delivering full value. The purpose of this project is to coordinate inventory control and inventory auditing. The candidate will develop managerial tools to determine not only what, when and how much a manager should order or produce; but also when and where, in the production chain, she should carry out an inventory audit to reduce inventory inaccuracy and to ensure a cost‐optimal control action. The project is carried out in collaboration with a world‐leading manufacturer of electromechanical devices.

Project leaders & supervisors:

Dr. Roberto Rossi, Lecturer in Management Science, Business School, University of Edinburgh, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS. Tel: +44 131 651 5239; email: roberto.rossi@ed.ac.uk

Dr. Burak Buke, Lecturer in Stochastic Optimization, School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, James C. Maxwell Building, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ; email: B.Buke@ed.ac.uk

Eligibility

In addition, applicants will have:

  • possession of a high quality undergraduate and/or masters degree or equivalent qualification in the area of operations research / management science.
  • for applicants whose native language is not English, an IELTS score of at least 7.0, or equivalent.
  • candidates with experience of stochastic optimization, production planning and scheduling, and software development are particularly welcome.

Selection will be based on:

  • previous academic performance;
  • reference letters;
  • publications (if any).

In addition, successful applicants will undertake developmental activities which may include research support and tutoring.will be expected to contribute to our teaching programmes during their second and third years of the scholarship.

Award

The award will be for three years, subject to satisfactory progress, at the following rates: standard Home tuition fee plus maintenance fee of GBP 14,000 per year.

How to apply

To apply for this scheme, please apply online using the University's EUCLID application system. It is advisable to apply as early as possible to ensure your application receives full consideration.

In addition to the application form you should supply:

  • a covering letter explaining your reasons for applying and why you are the ideal person to receive this scholarship
  • CV
  • two academic referees

Please send your application documents and any enquiries to the Research & PhD Support Team at phd@business‐school.ed.ac.uk. Depending on applicant’s location interviews may be carried out remotely, e.g. Skype.