PhD offer Optimization of first aid supplies and inventory using artificial intelligence and the phy

Institut Mines-Télécom; France; Sur place; EUR 40 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A leading engineering institution in France is seeking a candidate for a 3-year full-time thesis contract focused on emergency logistics. This role requires a strong background in industrial engineering and supply chain management, along with AI expertise. Candidates should possess a master's degree and be proficient in English. Applications must be submitted via email before November 30, 2025.

Qualifications

• Holder of a master's degree in engineering, science, or management.
• Strong background in logistics and supply chain management is highly desirable.
• A good level of English, both in writing and presentation, is required.

Responsabilités

• Develop a methodology combining AI and the Physical Internet for emergency logistics.
• Transform emergency logistics for better responsiveness during crises.
• Ensure coordination between actors and improve regional resilience.

Connaissances

Industrial engineering

Supply chain management

Artificial intelligence

Decision sciences

Data sciences

Computer programming

Formation

Master’s degree in engineering, science, or management

Description du poste

Keywords

Inventory management, supply chains, decision support, risk management, civil security, artificial intelligence, physical internet.

Host Institutions

The thesis will be hosted by the Industrial Engineering Center (CGI) at IMT Mines Albi, and co-hosted by the Centre for Management Science (CGS) at Mines Paris PSL.

Industrial engineering center of IMT Mines Albi (Albi, France): https://cgi.imt-mines-albi.fr/

Centre for Management Science of Mines Paris PSL (Paris, France): https://www.cgs.minesparis.psl.eu/

Advisors and CVs

Supervisors:

• Jacques LAMOTHE (IMT Mines Albi) (https://cv.hal.science/jacques-lamothe)
• Shenle PAN (Mines Paris PSL) (https://cv.hal.science/shenle-pan)

Co‑Supervisor:

• Raphaël OGER (IMT Mines Albi) (https://cv.hal.science/raphael-oger)

Location

The distribution of time between the two centers during the thesis can be discussed.

Contract

3-year full‑time contract, starting no later than 2025.

Application

Applications (CV, cover letter, Master's transcript, and any document likely to help assess the candidate's level and motivations) must be sent by e‑mail to [e-mail] before November 30th, 2025. Shortlisted applicants will have the opportunity to present their motivations orally during an interview to be scheduled in Week 49 of 2025.

For additional information, you can contact [e-mail].

Topic

Emergency logistics, or more widely humanitarian logistics, refers to the organization and planning of the flow of goods, operations, and services before and during disasters, crises, or emergencies, such as natural disasters, pandemics, or civil crises (Kundu et al., 2022). Emergency resource supply, scheduling, and distribution are crucial. The research aims to develop a methodology combining Artificial Intelligence (Sapkota et al., 2026) and the Physical Internet (Montreuil, 2011, Pan et al., 2025) to transform emergency logistics, which is currently too slow and inflexible in the face of multiple crises and faced with significant dormant stocks outside of crises. The solution would enable adaptive, shared resource management of emergency stocks and flows, and logistics services. The goal is to reduce delays, costs, and environmental impact, while ensuring coordination between actors, sovereignty over critical product flows, and regional resilience.

Research team

A team on a human scale, benevolent, competent, ambitious, open to the international, and in constant contact with the business reality (companies, public services, NGOs, etc.).

Applicant's profile

Holder of a master's degree in engineering, science, or management with proven knowledge in one or more of the following fields: industrial engineering, supply chain management, artificial intelligence, decision sciences, data sciences, applied mathematics, simulation models, decision support systems, or business intelligence. A strong background in logistics and supply chain management is highly desirable.

A good level of English, both in writing and presentation, is required. Strong skills or a strong motivation in computer programming are preferred.

References

• Montreuil, B., 2011. Toward a Physical Internet: meeting the global logistics sustainability grand challenge. Logist. Res. 3, 71-87.
• Pan, S., Ballot, E., Huang, G.Q., 2025. Operations with physical internet, in: Reference Module in Social Sciences. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-28993-4.00171-2 (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388216063_Operations_with_Physical_Internet)
• Kundu, T., Sheu, J.-B., Kuo, H.-T., 2022. Emergency logistics management-Review and propositions for future research. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 164, 102789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2022.102789
• Sapkota, R., Roumeliotis, K.I., Karkee, M., 2026. AI Agents vs. Agentic AI: A Conceptual taxonomy, applications and challenges. Information Fusion 126, 103599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2025.103599 (https://arxiv.org/pdf/2505.10468)