PhD student in Human-Centred Production and Skills

Join us for your PhD journey – help us explore the future of advanced Human-Centred Production in Industry version 5.0.

The Industry of Tomorrow relies on constantly upskilled people in a future workforce that collaborates with AI, automation, and new emerging technologies to achieve competitiveness. The strongly needed transformation towards Industry 5.0 is still in its early stages and targeted research efforts are needed for rapid progress.

About us
Chalmers University of Technology is a leading university with excellence in industrial digitalization and manufacturing. The Division of Production System is a diverse, gender-balanced, and inclusive team of 25 cross-disciplinary researchers, PhD candidates, and support staff. We are one of six divisions in the Department of Industrial and Materials Science (IMS)

We have strong collaborative networks and host our own advanced research facilities and labs, performing excellent research, education, and innovation in Sweden, Europe, and globally.

About your future research
Manufacturing jobs are becoming increasingly complex due to rapid technology development. At the same time workforces are aging. Skill gaps are widening and becoming critical for companies. Industry strongly needs upskilling and human-centred augmentation, for operators as well as for engineers. Your task will be to help industry and the research community to develop new and human-centred tools for upskilling and augmentation of future workforces.

You will join an excellent, diverse, and international research team. We develop methods and human augmentation, including upskilling tools, for people developing and operating production systems. In your work you may use collaborative robots, augmented, virtual reality technologies, and digital twins. Also, our research includes skills management tools supporting smart decisions and rapid upskilling of personnel. You will also have full access to Stena Industry Innovation Lab.

We typically work closely together with industry in publically funded projects. Examples are assembly of electric vehicles or drones, AI-supported manufacturing, and national efforts for upskilling of engineers.

Who we are looking for

The following requirements are mandatory: 

• To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a Master's degree (masterexamen) of 120 credits or a Master’s degree (magisterexamen) of 60 credits in production engineering, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering or similar* 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English 
• A genuine interest, passion, and experience of taking on complex challenges and collaborating in diverse teams.
• Interest and familiarity with industrial manufacturing and with education or training

*for students with an education earned outside of Sweden, a 4-year Bachelor’s degree is accepted. 

The following experiences will strengthen your application: 

• Pedagogics, adult training, skills analysis
• Industrial automation, robotics, and applications of AI
• XR/AR/VR and augmenting technologies
• Ergonomics, workplace design, or similar
• Proficiency in Swedish due to the empirical nature of the project, including interviewing. You are expected to reach a moderate level within 2 years after starting the PhD program.

What you will do as a PhD candidate

• You are expected to complete a PhD degree in less than 5 years
• A maximum of 20% of your time will be allocated to teaching, supervision of MSc students, and other departmental duties in the area of Production Systems
• Approximately 20% of your time will be spent taking the advanced courses required to obtain a PhD
• You will publish your research in scientific journals and at international scientific conferences
• You will develop your personal pedagogic and teaching skills, while developing a pedagogical portfolio
• Your work in the research team will involve collaboration with other national and international research groups
• The projects you participate in will normally be done in collaboration with industry 

Contract terms

• PhD positions at Chalmers are all fully funded from start to PhD dissertation
• The position is limited to five years, including 20% for teaching and departmental duties
• The starting salary is 34 550 SEK per month (valid from May 25, 2025)
• Doctoral studies require physical presence throughout the entire study period. A valid residence permit must be presented by the study start date; otherwise the admission may be withdrawn. 

What we offer

• You will have an excellence-driven PhD education at an innovative, entrepreneurial university in Europe
• You will be included in a diverse and international research group
• As a PhD student at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers  and our benefits  for employees. 
• You will have a dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg
• You can read more about Sweden’s generous parental leave, subsidized day care, free schools, healthcare etc at Move To Gothenburg.

Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence

If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses to help you settle in. 

Discover more 

• Find more general information about doctoral studies at Chalmers here

Application procedure 

• The application should be written in English be attached as PDF-files, as below.
• Maximum size for each file is 40 MB.
• Please note that the system does not support Zip files. 

- CV 

- Personal letter 

(we want to know about the real you, so do not use AI-generated text)

• A brief introduction of yourself. 
• A brief motivation as to why you are interested in this position. 

- Bachelor’s and, if available, master’s thesis together with the transcripts. 

Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.  

Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Contact details to references will be requested after the interview. The application portal is the only way to submit applications, documents sent directly to contact persons will not be regarded during the selection process. 

We welcome your application no later than September 14th, 2025

For questions, please contact:  

We are looking forward to your application! 

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***  

Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level. The university has 3100 employees and 10,000 students, and offers education in engineering, science, shipping and architecture. With scientific excellence as a basis, Chalmers promotes knowledge and technical solutions for a sustainable world. Through global commitment and entrepreneurship, we foster an innovative spirit, in close collaboration with wider society.
Chalmers was founded in 1829 and has the same motto today as it did then: Avancez – forward. 

URL to this page
https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/work-with-us/vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=14122&rmlang=UK