PhD Position Business models for Digital Product Passport for Circular Steel

Join our pioneering PhD project on Digital Product Passports and Business Models for the Green steel transition and becom part of the innovative inter-disciplinary program Growing with Green Steel.
 

Job description 

The ICT group at the Department of Engineering Systems and Services of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management has joined the National Growth Fund program Growing with Green Steel (GGS, https://groeienmetgroenstaal.nl/en/), which aims at making the Dutch steel sector circular, CO2-neutral, and high-tech by 2050. In GGS, Dutch universities, research institutes and industrial parties will jointly develop new technologies for an accelerated transition towards green steel. 

As part of the Growing with Green Steeel program, we are looking for a PhD candidate to join our team. This position has the specific focus on the utilization of Digital Product Passports for enabling new business models for steel circularity and the green steel transition. This PhD project is positioned in Theme V Recovery, of the GGS program. 

Join this unique programme, where you can apply your knowledge to a project with Tata Steel Netherlands, and ARN, and you will have a chance to collaborate with the wider GGS business and academic ecosystem. 

Your research will be pioneering work on the cross-roads of policy, business and ICT. You will examine business transformation towards more circular business network practices enabled by digital infrastructure and Digital Product Passports.

Imagine enabling the transition from linear towards more circular practices by enabling actors to utilize data from Digital Product Passports to make more informed decisions. Your work will be of importance to address societal topics such as circularity, resource resilience and Critical Raw Materials. You can help make an impact on society!

Position Overview
This PhD position is aimed at candidates with a Master’s degree in business, information systems, data science, computer science, or related fields, with a strong interest in the topic of circularity. The successful candidate will be based at the Department of Engineering Systems and Services (ESS) at the Delft University of Technology under the supervision of Dr. Boriana Rukanova, Prof. Dr. Ir. Mark de Reuver and Prof. Dr. Yao-Hua Tan. This PhD project involves close collaboration with partners from the GGS program, and candidates will have the opportunity to engage with interdisciplinary teams involved in the Theme Recovery, as well as the other themes of Production, Porcessing, Use and System Change of the GGS program. The reesearch will be socio-tchnical and theoretically will draw upon knowledge and insights from the filed of digilat infrastructures and digital platforms. 

Key Responsibilities

• To develop and validate Business models for DPP utilization for businesses to improve their circular processes for the green steel transition.
• To develop design guidelines to facilitate the use of these models by businesses.
• Collaborate with experts from the GGS consortium to develop, test and refine the models and guidelines.
• Work independently and contribute collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team environment.

Project Impact
The GGS program aims at making the Dutch steel sector circular, CO2-neutral, and high-tech by 2050. Applications are encouraged from candidates who are motivated to contribute to cutting-edge research for using digital platforms, digital infrastructues, and digital product passports for the green and digital transition.

Job requirements 

• MSc in business, (business) information systems, data science, computer science, or related fields.
• Strong analytical skills
• A strong interest in interdisciplinary research, circularity and the use of ICT in inter-oranizational network context
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment.
• Excellent command of English
   

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) 

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context. 

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration. 

Challenge. Change. Impact! 

Faculty Technology, Policy & Management 

The Faculty of TPM provides an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. TPM does this with its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. We combine insights from both engineering and social sciences as well as the humanities. TPM develops robust models and designs, is internationally oriented and has an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments. 

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. 

Conditions of employment 

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met. 

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. 

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.  

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.  

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Boriana Rukanova (b.d.rukanova@tudelft.nl) and/or Prof. Dr. Ir. Mark de Reuver (g.a.dereuver@tudelft.nl). 

For more information about the application procedure, please contact Olivie Beek, HR-advisor (recruitment-tbm@tudelft.nl).  

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 15 June 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Your CV
• A motivation letter
• An official list of all courses followed during your BSc and MSc studies with grades 
• Your MSc thesis
• Names and contact details of 2 references who may be contacted at a later stage of the procedure

The start date is flexible, but foreseen for fall 2025. The selection starts as applications come in.
 

You can address your application to Boriana Rukanova and Mark de Reuver.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. 

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.