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EURAXESS Researchers in motion

Job offer

  • JOB
  • Italy

(DC4) 1 Ph.D. position on Virtual office in the Metaverse (Paid Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow, offered by “AGORA” project under grant agreement no 101119937)

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28 Mar 2024

Job Information

Organisation/Company
Maggioli SpA
Department
Reseach and Development
Research Field
Information science
Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)
Country
Italy
Application Deadline
Type of Contract
Temporary
Job Status
Full-time
Hours Per Week
40
Offer Starting Date
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
H2020 / Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Reference Number
DC4
Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number
101119937
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No

Offer Description

The position (Ph.D. Candidate) is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks Industrial Doctorates (MSCA-DN-ID) Project AGORA - trAining younG researchers On shaping Metaverse for business and social vAlue. The recruited researchers will be ‘Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows’. Recruitment involves physical mobility. In addition, the fellows will participate in networking and career events and workshops and are expected to present their work at international conferences.  The fellows will be part of Maggioli SpA, Santarchangelo di Romagna, Italy. The candidate will receive a PhD award from Durham Business School. The fellows will be spending part of their time at the Maggioli Headquarters and will also be seconded for part of their time at Durham Business School and later at CollegeLink, Athens.

 

The AGORA Project

AGORA is an EU-funded project under the MSCA Doctoral Networks of the Marie Curie-Skłodowska Actions that aims to train next generation researchers on the technology, social, and business values of Metaverses. The objective of the project is to develop the critical research and talent base that current Metaverses challenges require, through a rigorous and robust training programme, that will engage Doctoral Candidates (DCs) into the fundamental shifts that the Metaverse brings and prepare them for business, innovation and technological opportunities, while instilling them with the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).

Metaverses refer to immersive virtual worlds in which people, places and things of the physical world are instantiated by their digital representations. The maturity of technologies, including extended reality, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, blockchain, non-fungible investments of tech giants (e.g., Meta, Microsoft), are currently driving the wider use of Metaverses. As Metaverses operate in real-time, their wide adoption is expected to create digital public spaces for interaction (similar to ancient Greek agoras) in which online interactions are intensified and blended with the physical world as never before. It is thus expected that Metaverses will generate value by releasing a new spectrum of opportunities at different pillars (e.g. societal, business, and technological).

AGORA’s research aim is two-fold: (a) to provide a holistic framework for understanding Metaverses’ business and societal value, taking into account the interplay of implications across the three pillars; and (b) to identify pathways for maximising value creation within each pillar, while minimising the negative impacts across the other two.

 

For more information about AGORA please visit https://agora-mariecurie.eu/.

 

Job Description

Role: Ph.D. Candidate

Ph.D. Title: Virtual office in the Metaverse 

Ph.D. Topic Description

The Metaverse offers the opportunity to businesses to simulate the office’s physical space, providing an immersive service and sensed environment. While avatars can move across the virtual office space and hold social experiences with colleagues, Metaverses are expected to go beyond the video call capabilities and better simulate the physical office experience. This project will focus on the use of Metaverses for simulating the office environment, aiming to study its impact on employee productivity collaboration as well as reflect on the challenges arising by working in the Metaverse.

Expected Results: a) an ethnographic study of employees’ experiences in a Metaverse work environment; b) a critical reflection on the implications and benefits of a Metaverse work environment for employees and firms.

 

Duration & Placement

The successful Ph.D. candidate will receive a full-time contract for 36 months by the host organization Maggioli SpA, located at Santarchangelo di Romagna, Italy. The Ph.D. candidate will be seconded at Durham University, U.K., where he/she will enroll in the Ph.D. programme at Durham University Business School. A second secondment at CollegeLink Greece is also planned.

 

Supervisory Team

The supervisory team consists of supervisors from Maggioli SpA and Business School of Durham University (U.K.). 

 

Job responsibilities

  • Collaborate with the supervisory team to define, develop, and refine the research approach.
  • Engage in data collection, including interviews, surveys, and other appropriate methodologies.
  • Analyse data and interpret findings to derive conclusions.
  • Collaborate with industry partners, especially during the secondment phase, to gain insights and real-world applications.
  • Actively participate in training, workshops, seminars, and conferences related to research.
  • Prepare interim and final research reports highlighting the findings, challenges, and future directions.
  • Seek feedback and continuously refine the research approach based on new insights and findings.

 

Qualifications

 

Required Qualifications

  • An outstanding academic record, including a Master’s degree in a field that would prepare the candidate to engage in this research.
  • Evidence of independent research experience (e.g. an empirical master's thesis).
  • Proof of English proficiency.
  • The candidate must not be in possession of a Ph.D. degree at the date of recruitment.
  • Mobility Requirement: Candidates should not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 36 months before their recruitment date.

 

Optional Qualifications

  • Previous research experience on Business Models and Strategies will be considered a plus.
  • Previous research experience on Metaverse will be considered a plus.
  • Practical experience or knowledge of Business Models and Strategies.
  • Experience in academic writing.
  • Record of scholarly publications.

 

Personal Qualifications

  • Ability to work independently and accurately.
  • Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and high-quality output.
  • Excellent organizational, analytic and interpretive skills.
  • Excellent writing and communication skills in English.
  • Self-motivated and able to tackle challenging, complex problems in an individual or team-based setting.
  • Inquisitive and a self-learner.

 

We offer

  • The Gross Salary for the successful Ph.D. candidate will be 3911.60 Euros. The salary includes living, and mobility allowance. Family allowance, if aplicable, is in excess of the Gross Salary.These salaries are in accordance with the MSCA rules of the European Union for Doctoral Researchers that are part of the AGORA contract. 
  • We have a positive and inclusive company culture that values diversity, teamwork, and employee well-being. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is valued and respected. We believe that a diverse workforce leads to creativity, innovation, and better problem-solving. We actively promote diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our organization and are dedicated to creating a supportive and welcoming environment for all employees. 

 

Application Process

The application and supporting documentation must be in English and must be submitted by the deadline of 31 May 2024. Please ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience align with the abovementioned qualifications. The application must include:

  • Curriculum vitae (CV).
  • A letter of motivation/research statement of 500–1000 words. This should include why you would like to be part of a doctoral network and what you feel you can contribute to this Ph.D. position.
  • Copies of bachelor’s and master’s degrees.  If you have not completed the master's degree, you should provide a transcript of courses completed and your estimated date for the master´s degree completion.
  • Copy of English language certificate (C2 Level).
  • 2 letters of recommendation, along with names and contact information for reference.
  • Research proposal (max 2000 words), outlining proposed research topic & objectives, proposed methodology, and timeline (three years).
  • (Optional) Publications and other scientific work, if any.

 

The application process is fully compliant with the GDPR requirements for handling of your personal data. Your personal data will be used striclty confidentialy and only for the purposes of evaluating your application. You have the right to request deletion of all your data (and subsequent withdrawal of your application) at any time during the evaluation process.

 

For a formal application, please submit your application and all supportive documents to agora-dc4@maggioli.gr, using the Subject: "AGORA: DC4 Ph.D. application."

 

Application deadline: 31 May 2024

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

 

CONTACT

For questions about this position, please contact:

Where to apply

E-mail
agora-dc4@maggioli.gr

Requirements

Research Field
Information science
Education Level
Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications

Qualifications

 

Required Qualifications

  • An outstanding academic record, including a Master’s degree in a field that would prepare the candidate to engage in this research.
  • Evidence of independent research experience (e.g. an empirical master's thesis).
  • Proof of English proficiency.
  • The candidate must not be in possession of a Ph.D. degree at the date of recruitment.
  • Mobility Requirement: Candidates should not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 36 months before their recruitment date.

 

Optional Qualifications

  • Previous research experience on Business Models and Strategies will be considered a plus.
  • Previous research experience on Metaverse will be considered a plus.
  • Practical experience or knowledge of Business Models and Strategies.
  • Experience in academic writing.
  • Record of scholarly publications.

 

Personal Qualifications

  • Ability to work independently and accurately.
  • Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and high-quality output.
  • Excellent organizational, analytic and interpretive skills.
  • Excellent writing and communication skills in English.
  • Self-motivated and able to tackle challenging, complex problems in an individual or team-based setting.
  • Inquisitive and a self-learner.
Languages
ENGLISH
Level
Excellent
Research Field
Information science

Additional Information

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available
1
Company/Institute
Maggioli SpA
Country
Italy
State/Province
Emilia Romagna
City
Santarchangelo di Romagna
Postal Code
47822
Street
via del Carpino, 8
Geofield

Contact

State/Province
Emilia Romagna
City
Santarchangelo di Romagna
Website
Street
via del Carpino, 8
Postal Code
47822
E-Mail
agora-dc4@maggioli.gr

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