Nigel Groome Studentship: Off-Site Construction for Resilient Healthcare Infrastructure and Agile Healthcare Supply Chain Performance

Would you like to investigate the optimisation of Off-Site Construction (OSC) to strengthen the delivery of Resilient Healthcare Infrastructure (RHcI) and improve the agility of the Healthcare Supply Chain (HcSC) performance in the UK and beyond through a PhD?

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the critical vulnerabilities of the Healthcare Infrastructure (HcI) delivery that relies on traditional site-based construction methods and HcSC globally. While OSC has demonstrated clear advantages, significant challenges remain in aligning how physical HcI is delivered using OSC and how healthcare systems manage their supply chains.

This project will develop an interdisciplinary, data-driven framework to quantify and explain how OSC enhances RHcI and supports agile HcSCs. Using mixed methods, the project will establish the link between OSC, RHcI, and agility of HcSC. Findings will provide evidence-based guidance for designing and delivering resilient and agile healthcare systems.

You will be supported by a team of experts in Off-Site Construction (OSC), supply-chain management and organisational adaptation at Oxford Brookes and, on an advisory basis, at Pennsylvania State University, USA.

You will be a PhD student in the Faculty of Heath, Science and Technology that has close links with the NHS, providing you opportunities to make a real impact by developing capacity to provide emergency healthcare response, increasing the resilience and agility of the NHS and global health systems.

Your research will advance theory by establishing an empirical linkage between OSC and Healthcare Supply
Chains (HcSCs) and create impact through evidence-based guidance for rapid Resilient Healthcare Infrastructure deployment, improving adaptability, resource efficiency, flexibility, and HcSC outcomes. It will also inform policy, support UK manufacturing capacity, and shape global best practice, driving new prospects for you beyond academia.