PhD Studentship: Adopting Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Building Supply Chain Resilience Cranfield University in United Kingdom

[Tax-free bursary of £20,780 plus full tuition fees for three years. Open to Home and Overseas fee status students.]

This fully funded PhD studentship at Cranfield University, sponsored by the Cranfield School of Management, offers a unique opportunity to explore the adoption of agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) for enhancing supply chain resilience. The project is designed to address the growing need for intelligent systems in global supply chains, which face frequent disruptions and require advanced solutions to anticipate, respond, and recover efficiently while balancing cost, service, and sustainability.

Supervised by Dr Abhijeet Ghadge and Dr Nicky Yates, the research will follow a PhD-by-papers route, aiming to produce three high-quality scholarly outputs. The project sits at the intersection of supply chain management, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and resilience research. It will empirically validate a theory-driven framework demonstrating how agentic AI capabilities—such as sensing, planning, negotiation, and coordinated action—can strengthen resilience across various phases of supply chain disruption.

Cranfield School of Management’s Centre for Logistics, Procurement and Supply Chain Management is internationally renowned for its advanced teaching and research in digital supply chains, decision support systems, sustainability, and resilience. The PhD student will benefit from a specialist postgraduate environment, strong industry and policy links, and access to masterclasses, seminars, publishing support, and conferences. Engagement with practitioners through thought-leadership activities will help develop a powerful mix of research, analytical, and professional skills.

The research is expected to generate both theoretical and practical impact. Academically, it will produce a novel framework explaining how agentic AI can be adopted to build supply chain resilience and under what trade-offs or boundary conditions these capabilities work best. Practically, it will provide an implementation roadmap for organisations seeking to deploy agentic AI in supply chains, supporting decision-makers in strengthening resilience and sustainability.

Funding for this three-year project includes a tax-free bursary of £20,780 plus full tuition fees, available to both Home and Overseas fee status students. The position offers exposure to contemporary issues in AI adoption, resilience, and governance, creating strong employability pathways into academia, consulting, leadership, and policy-oriented roles within supply chain management.

Applicants should hold a first- or second-class UK degree or equivalent in a related discipline. Suitable backgrounds include supply chain, logistics and operations management, business analytics, Artificial Intelligence, computer science, or related fields. Candidates should demonstrate interest in AI, digital innovation, and resilience, along with strong analytical, communication, and independent research skills.

To apply, complete the online application form via the provided link. For further information, contact Dr Abhijeet Ghadge at [email protected]. The application deadline is 3 June 2026.