Resource Efficiency/ Sustainability in Food Supply Chains

Applications are invited for a three year PhD studentship, supported by the School of Engineering and Applied Science, to be undertaken within the Project & Supply Chain Management Research Group and Engineering Systems & Management Group http://www1.aston.ac.uk/eas/research/groups/project-supply-chain-management/ at Aston University.

The position is available to start in July 2012 (subject to negotiation)

This is an interdisciplinary research topic covering: supply chain and logistics, sustainability, resource efficiency and the agri-food industry. Sustainability expectations are growing in the agri-food chain. Consumers, governments, manufacturers and retailers are becoming increasingly, although not equally, conscious of where and how products are produced, of the amount of energy, resources, and materials consumed during production, storage and distribution. Increasingly, this means considering the impact of the entire lifecycle of an agri-food product from “cradle to grave”. The goal of the project is twofold: to understand the impact of supply chain decisions on the use of resources in the agri-food supply chain, and to propose strategies in making agri-food supply chains more resource efficient.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the Group’s teaching activities.