2009 PhD Scholarship in Production configuration at Microsoft

PhD scholarship in Production configuration at Microsoft: Applicants are invited for a PhD scholarship at the Department of Management Engineering, DTU, for appointment 1 February 2009

The scholarship is placed in the Operations Management section under the Department of Management Engineering. The section for Operations Management develops management and engineering approaches for an effective planning of resources and activities in production and service systems as well as networks from the strategic down to the control level. The PhD scholarship is placed in the research group focusing on manufacturing of customer tailored products.

Description of the project

The project is carried out in a co-operation between Microsoft and the Technical University of Denmark. Microsoft (MS) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of ERP-software (Dynamics) for small and medium size companies. The aim of the PhD project is to develop a set of requirements for a product configuration system embedded in ERP software. Product configuration systems are software-based expert systems which support the specification of customized products by allowing the users to define products, while restricting how different components and properties may be combined. The use of product configuration systems in companies making customized products can lead to significant benefits such as: shorter lead times, improved quality, reduced costs and improved certainty of delivery.

However, not all configuration projects achieve the expected benefits, in fact several projects experience great difficulties or even fail. The basic hypothesis of this PhD project is that by improving the modeling features of the product configuration software, configuration projects can be carried out in a much more efficient manner than today. The purpose of the PhD project is to provide a basis for further developing product configuration software embedded in ERP-systems by designing interfaces of much higher quality than what can be considered as state of the art today. These interfaces include: user-interface (UI), modeling interface (MI), and system interfaces (SI). Main focus of project is on the modeling interface.

Required skills

Successful candidates must hold an MSc degree in engineering. Moreover, we are looking for a candidate who possesses one or more of the following competences:

-An interest in working as an engineer in an IT-oriented environment
-Modelling product ranges for product configuration systems
-Product design
-Product configuration
-Modelling and implementation of expert-systems (or IT-systems in general)

Proficiency in oral and written English as well as good grades are a matter of course.

Conditions and terms

The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students.

Further information is available at http://www.man.dtu.dk/ and http://www.productmodels.org/

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the degree programmes at the Technical University of Denmark. Information about the requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies are included in the rules and can be obtained by contacting the PhD programme office at tel: + 45 4525 1176 or + 45 4525 1177.

Application

Applications must include curriculum vitae, examination certificate, references (contact details for at least two reference persons that we may contact for further inquires) and a cover letter outlining the motivation for the PhD study and for this particular project

We need your online application no later than 5 January 2009 at 12.00 noon. Open the link “apply online” fill out the form and attach the above mentioned documents. Material received after the deadline will not be taken into account.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

Further information
Further information about the PhD can be obtained by contacting Professor Lars Hvam lhv@ipl.dtu.dk or tel. + 45 4525 4435 or Software Development Lead, Product Builder
Per Vikkelsøe, Microsoft,
pvikkels@microsoft.com or tel. +45 292 292 45