Organisational implications of robotics and automation in construction supply chains

Over the next 20 years around 50% of construction work could be automated using new and emerging technologies to support advancing automation in the construction sector. Previous research has tended to focus on the technical challenges, but as the advancement of robotics in construction moves from principle into practical application, the implications of robotics will require construction organisations along the supply chain to evolve and new ways of working to emerge.

The proposed PhD will explore the socio material implications of robotics and automation in the construction supply chain. This will involve reflection on the socio-political, economic, and cultural settings that provide the backdrop for robotics and machine-based automation. A key focus of the research will be exploring the translation of strategic vision at the broader industrial landscape into business change in the supply chain and the fit between developing business models and current sociotechnical configurations of construction. 

Findings from the research will contribute to an understanding of the specific cultural, societal, and organisational implications of robotics and automation in the built environment and the necessary changes to work practice reconfiguration to embed these new ways of working. 

Candidates should have an interest in and, ideally some background or experience in, construction management, business and management, and/or social sciences