Background
The University of British Columbia, established in 1915, is consistently ranked among the top 40 universities in the world. It is an exceptional place for research and teaching where new ideas can be developed to change the world.
The Industrial Engineering Research Group (IERG) at The University of British Columbia comprises of graduate students and research scholars who conduct research under the supervision of Dr. Taraneh Sowlati, who is recognized as the most productive researcher in the forest biomass supply chain area[1]. The focus of the research group is on developing mathematical programming models and decision support tools to solve complex problems related to forest products and forest biomass supply chains.
Please refer to http://ierg.forestry.ubc.ca for the list of projects, publications and researchers. Each project at IERG has been done in close collaboration with industry and national/international research groups.
Description of position
IERG seeks a candidate with a strong background in mathematical programming and other operations research methods, and a great interest in applying those methods in forest-based biomass supply chain management. The candidate has to have a Ph.D. degree in operations research, industrial engineering, or other related fields and a good knowledge of computer programming and supply chain modeling. The candidate must have demonstrated excellent research skills and the ability to communicate and collaborate with others efficiently.
This is a full-time position from April 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2017 with the possibility of extension. The successful candidate will assist in 1) developing models and decision support tools, 2) preparing grant proposals, 3) writing reports for funding agencies, 4) guiding graduate students, and 5) writing research papers for refereed journals. One of the main projects that the successful candidate will work on is the optimization of the operational level transportation and inventory management of a forest-based biomass supply chain. This project will be conducted in close collaboration with industry and a Ph.D. candidate at IERG. A decision support tool has to be delivered to our industrial collaborator for their daily operations.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, a copy of their CV, and any related published work to Dr. Taraneh Sowlati at taraneh.sowlati@ubc.ca.
[1] Mirkouei, A., Haapala, K.R., Sessions, J., Murthy, G.S. 2017. A review and future directions in techno-economic modeling and optimization of upstream forest biomass to bio-oil supply chains. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 67: 15-35.
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Taraneh Sowlati
Associate Professor
University of British Columbia
Vancouver BC
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