Position summary:
This two-year postdoctoral position will bridge two funded, multi-disciplinary initiatives targeted at identifying and posing holistic solutions to national and global challenges around manufacturing with the principal investigator, Dr. Nathan Hartman. The first initiative examines the technical challenges and opportunities made available by the digitalization of global manufacturing, particularly in light of the progressing Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Industrial Internet of Things, and the continued emergence of product lifecycle management and digital enterprise technologies. It also explores the immense societal benefits created by manufacturing and the connection to challenges such as increasing material, energy, and resource consumption. The second initiative addresses high-TRL manufacturing research, technology adoption, and workforce education to make local and regional manufacturers more effective and competitive.
Research areas of particular interest include:
• Developing descriptive data models standards and ontologies that support and enable the digital enterprise,
• Encouraging the emergence of the digital twin and the model-based enterprise as mechanisms for manufacturing competitiveness, and
• Integrating engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain data within a production environment, and
• Understanding the trade-offs between the economic benefits of manufacturing vs. need to mitigate impacts on our natural resources and society.
The postdoctoral fellow will play an active role in projects, meeting with faculty to hone research ideas and create proposals, and work independently on publications and research relevant to both initiatives. The fellow’s project-related responsibilities include meeting with manufacturing organizations to assess their needs and challenges around digital manufacturing and workforce misalignments; identifying, implementing, and evaluating digital manufacturing and product lifecycle management (PLM) technologies and methods; collecting and analyzing data as needed, writing articles and reports, and presenting findings at conferences and team meetings. Applications are encouraged from a variety of fields, including technology, engineering, computer science, information technology, or a closely related field.
Qualifications:
Applicants must have earned a doctorate in a relevant technical field (e.g., technology, engineering, computer science, or IT) with a demonstrated interest in research, technology development and implementation, manufacturing enterprises, or the effects of digitalization on work. Applicants must have completed all the requirements for the doctorate by May 2017, or have received their degree within the last three years. Industrial experience is highly valued. Specific technology expertise should include as many of the following as possible:
• CAD tools (e.g., CATIA, NX, Creo, Solidworks, etc.)
• PDM tools/PLM tools (TeamCenter, ENOVIA, Windchill, Aras, etc.)
• ERP tools (SAP, Oracle, etc.)
• MES tools (TeamCenter Manufacturing, DELMIA, Solumina, etc.)
• CAM tools (MasterCAM, Gibbs, NX, CAM, etc.)
• PLCs, MT Connect
• Network architecture, factory machine communication protocols, etc.
Applicants must have technical expertise in an engineering design, manufacturing, IT, software development, or hardware development domain; proposal development skills, and motivation to take initiative to ensure the success of a project. Applicants must also be able to handle export controlled data.
Preference will be given to candidates who exhibit evidence of research interest, strong communication skills and professional demeanor, and an interest in the global and societal impacts of manufacturing.
Additionally applicants must be willing to travel for a few days at a time.
Purdue University is an EEO/AA employer fully Committed to achieving a diverse workforce. All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.