Product Verification for High Value Manufacturing SMEs

This is a call for applications for a funded PhD studentship at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde, in the area of Product Verification in Manufacturing.

The manufacturing sector has been identified as one of the cornerstones of the UK economy, making up 11% of UK GVA and 54% of UK exports. The overall aim of this project is to contribute to further supporting the sector by identify how Product Verification, as a business process, can help SME manufacturing companies become more value-adding and competitive.

The project will build upon new and existing case studies from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Strathclyde Institute for Operations Management (SIOM) on process excellence and strategy and performance with a view to developing a new paradigm for SME focussed Product Verification diagnostics and services. The research will also involve interaction with several case study SME organisations via CeeD, Scottish Engineering and SMAS. As well as addressing current manufacturing paradigms the research would seek to explore the future and emerging manufacturing scenarios such as distributed workplaces, and flexible customised manufacturing and the impact on product verification techniques and technologies.

The student should have a first or second class Honours degree (minimum 2.1) or an MSc in engineering, such as industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, engineering management or similar. The student should also have an interest in the areas of Product Verification and Business Process Performance Measurement.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate enthusiasm, creativity, resourcefulness and a mature approach to learning. Collaboration with industrial partners will be required during the duration of the PhD in order to apply the findings of the research. Therefore it is expected that the candidate will be willing to be exposed to work with industrial partners.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate enthusiasm, creativity, resourcefulness and a mature approach to learning.

For more information on the position, please e-mail [Email Address Removed]