Lille Economics and Management (LEM, CNRS UMR 9221) and IÉSEG School of Management invite applications for a fully funded Ph.D. position in Marketing and Sales - Conversational Dynamics and Intelligence at its Lille Campus.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Customer service is based on conversations between customers and companies. Within this research project, the goal is to study these conversations more in detail. In particular, the project will focus on how generative AI may influence the dynamics of these service conversations, while also adding an extra focus on diversity within the conversation. In order to study these dynamics, the project will draw on recent advances in data science and text analytics. Moreover, the project will be embedded within operational research to optimize when generative AI should be used, given the limited availability of human resources and the possible limitations of generative AI.

The Ph.D. project lies in the cross-section of Service, Natural Language Processing and Operations Research, with links to the management of diversity among customers. Hence, the candidate will be supervised by a multi-disciplinary team of internationally renowned researchers. The selected candidate will be working under the supervision of Professors Matthijs Meire and Kristof Coussement.

The selected Ph.D. candidate will be part of the Marketing Department of IÉSEG and the IÉSEG Center for Marketing Analytics research team (click here for more information)

 ABOUT IÉSEG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT 

• IÉSEG is AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA accredited and is a member of the “Conférence des Grandes Écoles.” 
• The IÉSEG Research Center is accredited by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). 
• IÉSEG’s faculty is very diverse with more than 40 different nationalities represented. 

ABOUT LILLE ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT (LEM) 

• LEM is a research unit associating the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), the University of Lille and the Catholic University of Lille  
• LEM comprises about 150 researchers and 100 doctoral students in economics, management and statistics.  
• Research at LEM is multi-disciplinary in economics and management and is centered on societal issues. 
• LEM is a young, internationally oriented and dynamic laboratory with a strong scientific ambition. 

QUALIFICATIONS  

• Have an MSc. (or be close to completion) in a relevant field, such as business analytics, computer science, operations research, information systems, (business-)engineering or related.
• Strong analytical skills and commitment to research excellence.
• Programming experience in R or Python
• Familiarity with and interest in machine learning and analytics, especially in NLP.
  Interest in customer service
• Excellent command of English, both in speaking and writing
• Ability to work effectively in teams

WORKING CONDITIONS  

The selected applicant is expected to begin his/her assignment in January 2025. The exact starting date will be determined in accordance with the applicant. Gross salary will be competitive with other European research and academic institutions (2100€/month). The Ph.D. student will be based in Lille (on the site of IÉSEG School of Management). The selected candidate will have to enroll in a Ph.D. programme at the University of Lille. The Ph.D. student will get all the means and support to engage in innovative, business-relevant research projects with high potential to get published in international peer reviewed journals.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested applicants must submit their application (consisting of a CV, motivation letter and statement of academic performance) through the recruitment platform. In your motivation letter, please articulate your passion for the field, your research interests, and a note on how your background makes you a good fit for the PhD position. For any further question, please contact us by email to m.meire@ieseg.fr or k.coussement@ieseg.fr; or for general information about to process please contact us by e-mail to phd.recruitment@ieseg.fr.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

We will begin considering candidates immediately and will continue until the position is filled. The deadline to apply is November 1st, 2024. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.