A PhD studentship is available at the Distributed Information and Automation Laboratory (DIAL, Division E) at the Department of Engineering, to work on Advanced Manufacturing of Smart Products for Buildings and Infrastructure ¿ a collaborative research programme jointly funded by the TSB and Laing O'Rourke.

The role holder will work as part of the team on this project, which addresses the fragmented delivery approach of the construction industry by adopting the proven engineering tools and processes of the highly efficient automotive and aerospace industries. The project will deliver the understanding, tools and approaches required not only to support early design decision making in the manufacture of novel construction components in an advanced, highly automated, yet reconfigurable manufacturing plant but to assist the management of a stable supply chain for mechanical and electrical modules and integrated building and infrastructure assemblies. Such an approach has proven to bring greater client certainty and cost transparency, higher product performance, lower carbon, increased safety, and reduced risks of 'in service' failure in delivering hospitals, schools, rail, power generation and residential units.

The project will build on decades of research into advanced and automated manufacturing and systems design at the University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering. The adoption and adaption of ideas and approaches that have been researched and evaluated in the complex engineering product and automated manufacturing domain, with organisations such as Boeing, Roll-Royce, BP, BT, JLR, Unilever, BAE Systems, Daimler Chrysler and others will provide an advanced starting point for investigating the complex and distributed design decision making evident in the construction sector.

The post will be within the Distributed Information and Automation Laboratory group and will focus on topics relating to the development of appropriate manufacturing automation and information systems to support modular design of novel construction components.

The successful candidate will have an interest in studying one or more of the following areas: engineering design with particular interest in manufacturing processes and planning, distributed automation systems, reconfigurable manufacturing system design, intelligent information management, supply chain management and design tool development. The candidate will work in a team of two research associates and one senior research associate in the DIAL group and also in the Engineering Design Centre at the Cambridge University.

Applicants should have (or expect to obtain by the start date) at least a good 2.1 degree in an Engineering or in a scientific discipline that is relevant to the project.

Informal queries about this studentship, together with your current CV, can be emailed to Prof Duncan McFarlane, email: dial-admin<στο>eng.cam.ac.uk.

Full funding exists to cover fees and maintenance for an UK/EU student only.

Applications should be made on-line via the Cambridge Graduate Admissions Office before the deadline

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