2025 Intake
September 2024
Technology and Operations Management – PhD specialisation
The Technology and Operations Management Area (TOM) encompasses all activities an organisation carries out to transform inputs into value for the customer. In general terms, operations management is the design, management, and improvement of all value-adding processes in an organisation that lead to some form of output, whether a product or service. These processes span a broad range of activities surrounding the issues of design, procurement, manufacturing and delivery of products and services.
Research focus in the area builds on four tracks: Data Science and Business Analytics; Technology and Innovation; Sustainable Operations; and Healthcare and Humanitarian Operations. Topics of interest around these pillars include (but are not limited to): Capacity and inventory management, new product development, design and management of services, innovation and technology management, design thinking and creativity, business model innovation, fair processes, humanitarian and not-for-profit operations, forecasting, online platforms, operations strategy, productivity improvement, retail analytics, sustainable business models, and value chain management.
Since transformation processes cut across different organisations and functional areas, it is not surprising that operations management research frequently deals with issues that interface with other fields like strategy, marketing, and organisational behaviour.
Research in this field draws from a rich methodological background in operations research, economics, and statistics. The Technology and Operations Management faculty members at INSEAD have incorporated this diversity in both issues and methodologies in their research, thus, creating an intellectually stimulating environment for doctoral studies. Its interdisciplinary nature characterizes the INSEAD TOM PhD, a good blend of academic rigour, industry relevance in research and a unique international focus.
A selected list of issues and questions addressed by current area research is below to communicate the flavour of our research interests. Below are some of the research interests and contributions in the area:
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Managerial/Organisational contributions:
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- Exploration of the design space: How can one efficiently search for new product designs in a context of uncertainty on various design components?
- Dynamic pricing strategies for service industries
- New business models: online retail, platforms, the role of intermediaries
- Supply chain management: in particular global supply chains, supply chain integration, reverse logistics and remanufacturing and costing in logistics
- Impact of information technology on the emergence of new forms of supply chain collaborations
- R&D alliances, contracting for R&D activities and IP Patenting Strategy
- Healthcare operations, including vaccine administration, healthcare access planning
- Optimisation of humanitarian logistics networks
- Dynamic pricing in services, including travel-related industries and advertising
- Design and management of effective and efficient contact centre operations
- Design of green supply chains, including product recovery and recycling
- Integrating alternative delivery channels (such as telephone, PC, internet, etc.) in financial services through different demand management techniques
- The role of the customer in service design and delivery
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Empirical contributions:
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- Top Factory Award: a study examining the factors of excellence in plant management in European plants, resulting in an award for the best-managed plant. In this context, research explores how one can characterise the quality of plant management and measure its effectiveness
- Creation of R&D capabilities in SE Asia: how do technologically driven companies build up R&D capabilities and laboratories in rapidly developing industrial environments?
- Empirical analysis of operational systems: their performance and optimal design
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Methodological contributions:
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- Sample path-based approaches (such as perturbation analysis) for supply chain problems (such as buffer allocation postponement, etc.).
- Bayesian approaches to simulation optimisation
- Performance evaluation and design of stochastic networks in the context of service delivery systems
What are we looking for in a PhD Candidate?
PhD Candidates in the area come from a wide range of backgrounds in engineering, technology, information systems, management sciences, physical sciences, and even finance. Ideal candidates have strong foundational skills and knowledge in mathematics, statistics, economics, and any quants-related courses. Many of our students come from university, but others have significant professional experience. Having prior research and methodology experience is helpful.
Download the Call for Applications 2025 intake.
Here are some of the current Technology and Operations Management PhD students' backgrounds:
- Bachelor of Technology
- BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, and MS Management Science and Engineering
- BS and MS in Applied Mathematics
- BS and MS in Applied Mathematics and Informatics, and MA in Economics
- BS Math and Computer Science, and MS Applied Statistics and Informatics
- MS Engineering, MS Finance and MBA
- BS Computer Sciences
- Diploma (MS Equivalent) in Applied Mathematics and Physical Sciences, and MS in Mathematical Modeling in Financial Engineering
View the current Technology and Operations Management PhD students' profiles
Where are our Technology and Operations Management Graduates now?
Technology and Operations Management PhD Graduates have secured prestigious academic positions in leading business schools globally. These positions encompass include institutions such as Harvard, Wharton, University of Chicago, the University of California Riverside, Northwestern, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, University of North Carolina, Boston University, Purdue, McGill, London Business School, IE Business School, HKUST, and more.
To learn more about the incredible achievements of our Global PhD Alumni Community, please visit our website.
What are the next steps?
We encourage prospects to plan for their application for the PhD in Management. Application for the following year's intake starts in the early Fall of the current year, with a preferred deadline of mid-December.
Go to the Admissions and Financing page
Moreover, we encourage prospects to attend our upcoming recruitment events or register below to receive the URLs of the Special Area Webinars we have conducted over the years.
