PhD Position in Sustainable Business Process Management and IoT-Driven Process Innovation

Information science » Information management

Technology » Information technology

Technology » Production technology

Organisation/Company KU LEUVEN Department LIRIS/FEB Research Field Computer science » Digital systems Economics » Business economics Economics » Applied economics Economics » Environmental economics Engineering » Industrial engineering Environmental science » Ecology Technology » Environmental technology Computer science » Informatics Engineering » Process engineering Information science » Information management Technology » Information technology Technology » Production technology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 23 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Feb 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number BAP-2026-588 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Organizations today face increasing pressure from regulators, customers, and society to operate more sustainably. While business processes are traditionally optimized for efficiency, cost, and quality, organizations are now expected to actively manage their environmental footprint and social impact. However, translating sustainability ambitions into measurable operational improvements remains a major challenge.This PhD project aims to help organizations bridge that gap. By combining Business Process Management (BPM) with emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and real-time analytics, the research will develop new methods and technologies that make sustainability measurable, manageable, and actionable within day-to-day operations.The project will investigate how environmental and social sustainability objectives can be translated into operational process indicators, how sustainability data can be captured through IoT technologies, and how this real-time information can support process analysis, redesign, automation, monitoring, and decision-making throughout the BPM lifecycle. Examples include measuring and improving carbon emissions, energy consumption, worker well-being, and safety at the process level.The research will contribute to the emerging field of Sustainable Business Process Management (SBPM) by developing novel concepts, methods, and technologies that enable organizations to improve both operational performance and sustainability outcomes simultaneously. As such, the project addresses one of the key challenges of digital transformation: leveraging digital technologies not only to make organizations more efficient, but also more sustainable.The work combines methodological innovation with practical relevance and will be conducted in close collaboration with industry partners, particularly in smart industry environments, ensuring that the research delivers tangible impact for both academia and practice.

Research Topics

• Translating sustainability objectives into measurable process performance indicators.
• Designing IoT-based approaches for collecting sustainability-related process data.
• Developing methods for integrating sustainability information into process analysis and redesign.
• Investigating how sustainability metrics can support adaptive and automated process execution.
• Extending BPM models, notations, methods, and technologies to enable sustainability-driven decision-making.
• Evaluating and validating proposed solutions in real-world industrial settings.

Candidate requirements

• Holds a Master's degree in Information Systems, Business Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related discipline.
• Has expertise in Business Process Management, Information Systems Engineering, and/or digital technologies.
• Is interested in sustainability, IoT, process automation, data analytics, or digital transformation.
• Demonstrates strong analytical, conceptual, and problem-solving skills.
• Is able to work independently while contributing effectively to collaborative research projects.
• Has excellent written and spoken English skills.
• Experience with BPM systems, enterprise information systems, process mining, IoT platforms, or data analytics is considered an asset.

We offer a four-year PhD position at KU Leuven, one of Europe's leading universities. As a doctoral researcher, you will enroll in the PhD programme in Business Economics (specialization: Management Informatics) and receive advanced research training and supervision from internationally recognized experts.

Position offers

• A fully funded four-year PhD appointment (upon successful yearly evaluations).
• A competitive doctoral scholarship in accordance with KU Leuven regulations