The section Business Analytics of the Amsterdam Business School (University of Amsterdam) invites applications for a multidisciplinary PhD position at the intersection of technology, operations management and healthcare management. The research project aims to make a contribution to urgent and complex challenges facing the Dutch healthcare system. The project will look into new technologies, such as predictive analytics and AI, and established technologies from operations management and management information systems, that have the potential to improve the delivery of care. The objective is to understand what it takes to successfully integrate such technologies in the complex environment of a healthcare system.
We are looking for candidates with the ambition to do impactful academic research applying sound research approaches to understand complex problems in society.
What are you going to doThe PhD position is a full-time position for a period of four years, salary is in accordance with fixed salaries prescribed by the Dutch labor agreements for universities.
Healthcare systems are under pressure. For the Dutch healthcare system, maybe the most urgent problem are staff shortages and the underlying problem of falling productivity, but safety, access and costs are also high on the list. Such challenges are not primarily medical in nature, but instead, concern the delivery of care and are about the performance of healthcare institutions as a production system. The design, control and improvement of production systems is a scientific field of study called operations management. Theory and principles from this field are applied in almost every industry for creating dependable, safe, fast, flexible and efficient operations. Technology has always played a prominent role in improving operations. From the 1980s onwards, most industries have adopted IT and ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems and in the current decade, new technologies such as AI, robotics, IoT (internet of things), big data and the cloud are having a profound impact on how operations are run.
On face value, it is plausible that operations-management theory and established and emerging technologies may help in improving the operational performance of healthcare systems. It is also acknowledged, however, that successfully implementing such interventions, especially in healthcare, is a difficult and complex challenge. In business schools, the complex process of implementing interventions is studied in the field of organizational development, which emphasizes the complex nature of change implementations. In medicine, psychology and education, the notorious difficulty in the implementation of policy and innovation has inspired the emergence of the field of implementation science.
You will/tasks:The PhD student will work in close collaboration with the supervisory team and other faculty on tasks that include:
- Studying and taking classes to improve research skills and deepen one's understanding of healthcare systems, operations management theory, and IT and management information systems;
- identifying relevant research questions and translating these to a sound research approach;
- publishing research results in international academic journals, and presenting them at international conferences;
- participating in and contributing to departmental research functions, including research seminars and research meetings;
- teaching-related activities, including undergraduate tutorials and the supervision of MSc and/or BSc thesis projects.
Starting date of the position: preferably July 1, 2023.