Industrial PhD Engineering – Sweden Operations

Do you want to change the world, have a passion for complex machinery, machine Learning and data analysis? Would you like to apply your expertise to impact the digital transformation strategy in a company that follows science and turns ideas into life changing medicines? Then AstraZeneca might be of interest to you!

At AstraZeneca we continuously strive to meet the unmet needs of patients worldwide. Working for AstraZeneca means, being entrepreneurial, thinking big and collaboration to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you are our kind of person.

Our site is in Södertälje (30 km south of Sweden’s capital Stockholm) and here we welcome you to AstraZeneca's "production heart", one of the world's largest manufacturing units for pharmaceuticals. We operate in a high-tech and LEAN-based environment where we put a high value on teamwork and smart solutions. Engineering's ambition is to take actions to drive sustainability – for the health of people, society and the planet. In the age of digitalization our mind is set on lifelong learning - we know this is what will make us help even more patients around the world. At AstraZeneca we are proud of having a unique inclusive work culture, which inspires innovation and collaboration. It is important for us that our employees feel appreciated, motivated and are acknowledged for their ideas and creativity!

Background

The trend towards smart factories is based on products and production resources (such as machines, industrial robots and tools) having built-in capabilities to communicate, make self-diagnostics and become self-learning, i.e,  the opportunity to perform self- adjustments, adaptability and optimization. In other words, products and processes are designed to be more intelligent and autonomous.  As a part of this development, our production site Sweden Operations in Södertälje is in an exciting and dynamic stage where we are constantly developing the business. This in order to continue being a competitive site on the pharmaceutical market and keep helping patients worldwide.

An important part of this is having well-functioning laboratories and production equipment - here our Engineering department plays a key role. Engineering is responsible for capital projects, maintenance and property management for the entire AZ Campus Södertälje. Working close to the processes is important and continuous improvement of them helps the organization competitiveness. Now we need to strengthen our team with a PhD student in dependability and integrated data analytics. The role is part of a research team consisting of doctoral students from AstraZeneca, Scania and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, who together will build critical research mass.

As an industrial PhD student, you will be employed by AstraZeneca while continuing your education as a scientist and completing your PhD at KTH. At a start, 80% of your work will be conducted at KTH and 20% at AstraZeneca, these workflows will be closely intertwined and might therefore be somewhat fluent.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

In your role as Industrial PhD at AstraZeneca your research will be in, dependability and integrated data analytics. The purpose of your work is to study how we, with the help of measurements and different data analysis methodologies, can increase our understanding of the production system and thereby increase its utilization. The use of advanced data analysis methods such as machine learning is becoming increasingly important in industrial environments and is considered an important tool in the diagnosis and prognosis of the health of machines and systems. Examples of research questions being studied are:

• How do we ensure cost-effective and proactive maintenance for increased reliability?

• How can self-diagnosis be handled and implemented in advanced technical equipment?

• How do errors propagate in technical equipment (error propagation pathways)?When does the error affect the function of the equipment and the product's properties?

• How can sustainability aspects be incorporated in this research work?

As an Industrial PhD at AstraZeneca, you will be given the opportunity to deeply work on interesting industrial issues and obtain an academic doctorate through advanced research. You will also be able to create a large network, both within AstraZeneca and with national/international researchers within your subject area.

Essential Requirements

You are a engineer with a relevant field of study (e.g. mechanical engineering, mechatronics engineer, data scientist) and

• a degree at the advanced (master's) level, or

• at least four years of previous university studies (240 credits/ECTS), of which at least one year (60 credits/ECTS) must be at the advanced (master's) level

You want to develop your academic competence in areas such as reliability, signal processing and data analytics and your skills in analysis, creativity and writing. As a person you are meticulous, goal oriented, creative, structured and you have a great interest in technical systems. You also need a particularly good ability to express yourself in English, both written and verbally.

Why AstraZeneca?

When we at AstraZeneca see the chance to change, we take this opportunity - for every opportunity, no matter how small, this can be the beginning of something big. Delivering medicine that changes people's lives is about having an entrepreneurial spirit - finding moments and understanding its potential.

We are looking for you, who together with your team will make a difference for patients’.

We at AstraZeneca welcome your positive attitude and your desire to develop both yourself, your team and the organization. You will get use for your drive and your ability to work diligently and structured even at a high tempo.

Are you ready to bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the table? Brilliant! We have one seat available, and we hope it’s yours.

For more information about the role, contact Gunnar Zackrisson, Business Strategy & SHE Engineering AstraZeneca at 070 680 11 59, gunnar.zackrisson@astrazeneca.com or Andreas Archenti, Professor KTH at 08 790 83 53, archenti@kth.se

Submit your application no later than 22 October 2023.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.