PhD -‘Design of an Ontological Framework for Capturing Knowledge Related to Business Models’ F/M

Job title:

PhD -‘Design of an Ontological Framework for Capturing Knowledge Related to Business Models’ F/M

Company:

Orange

Job description

about the roleProblem StatementTransforming our business models is a necessary path to achieve Orange’s net-zero carbon goals. However, it affects a vital dimension for the company: revenue and margin generation. In the absence of reference models, suitable transformation examples, and analytical tools, it is difficult to engage in a reflection on the changes to be made to our business models (e.g., subscription models with unlimited voice or data, specific networks for each operator versus shared networks, etc.).How can we help the operator find effective and sustainable ways to achieve its economic objectives while integrating its impacts? How can a multidisciplinary approach, integrating an ontological formalization of business models, a systemic analysis process, and analysis support software, help a team responsible (and by extension, the operator) for an income statement identify objectives and means to evolve their business model while integrating key impacts for the sustainability of the activity?Scientific Objective – Results and ChallengesThe objective of the PhD thesis is to apply artificial intelligence methodologies and tools to the strategic analysis of a company’s economic activity. Indeed, enterprise knowledge graphs are major assets for organizations, providing a framework conducive to the standardization of concepts and the emergence of effective information search methods. They can offer a framework for modeling business models. There is also an opportunity to use large language models to support the capture of knowledge from project stakeholders and facilitate the analysis and querying of business models.The objectives of this PhD thesis are crystallized in the following tasks:

• Propose an ontological modeling for complex systemic analysis models covering multiple business domains by managing the use of vocabularies from cross-cutting themes. This task will involve capturing knowledge from business entities through questionnaires and interviews, and implementing methods for formalizing and developing relevant ontologies.
• Identify virtuous interactions between language models and enterprise knowledge graphs for effective knowledge capture and develop tools to populate an enterprise knowledge graph from business document corpora.
• Enhance the knowledge of the graph using GraphRAG techniques and the reasoning and planning capabilities of large language models to address the weaknesses of analytical tools across all dimensions of business models.

about youSkills (Scientific and Technical) and Personal Qualities Required for the Position

• You have knowledge of Deep Learning and have implemented learning algorithms.
• You possess skills in Natural Language Processing, with a focus on language models.
• You are proficient in several Semantic Web technologies, particularly the knowledge representation languages RDF/RDFS and the query language SPARQL.
• You have skills in creating business models and the underlying economic models.
• You have the necessary skills for software development and a strong knowledge of the Python language.
• You have good writing skills in both French and English.
• You can deliver presentations in French and English and can adapt your discourse to the audience.
• You enjoy finding solutions to meet needs and are not afraid to question yourself.
• You are capable of successfully completing a project and are proactive in proposing solutions.
• You are enthusiastic, autonomous, and proactive.
• You have strong analytical skills and are meticulous in executing your mission.

Required Education (Master’s, Engineering Degree, PhD, Scientific and Technical Fields)

• You hold a professional or research Master’s degree or are a graduate of an engineering school in computer science, preferably with a specialization in one or more areas of artificial intelligence.
• You hold a Master’s degree in Business Management with a specialization in Data Science.

Desired Experience (Internships, etc.)

• Use of Deep Learning algorithms and manipulation of language models.
• Implementation of Semantic Web technologies for ontological modeling of a knowledge domain.
• Ideally, you have demonstrated sensitivity to social or economic phenomena.

additional informationThe PhD thesis will contribute to innovative research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, strategic analysis of business models, and economic and management sciences, particularly organizational theory and behavioral economics. This thesis is part of an Action Research project with the ambition to deliver:

• A methodology for supporting holistic strategic reflection.
• A domain ontology enabling the modeling of business models.
• Industrial-quality knowledge capture and tools to populate pre-existing enterprise knowledge graphs.
• A software tool for strategic analysis integrating all dimensions, including ESG impacts, facilitating model analysis and decision-making using Large Language Models (LLMs).

The PhD candidate will benefit from multidisciplinary supervision by experts and researchers in knowledge engineering, language models, and economic sciences. Scientific articles will be published throughout the thesis based on the progress made. The targeted conferences and journals will be major international references in the fields of modeling economic and social phenomena, the Semantic Web (e.g., ESWC, ISWC, JoWS, SWJ), NLP (EACL, ACL, EMNLP, COLING), and information retrieval (SIGIR, ECIR, CIKM).departmentOrange Innovation brings together the research and innovation activities and expertise of the Group’s entities and countries. We work every day to ensure that Orange is recognized as an innovative operator by its customers and we create value for the Group and the Brand in each of our projects. With 720 researchers, thousands of marketers, developers, designers and data analysts, it is the expertise of our 6,000 employees that fuels this ambition every day.Orange Innovation anticipates technological breakthroughs and supports the Group’s countries and entities in making the best technological choices to meet the needs of our consumer and business customers.Within Innovation, you will be integrated into a research team at the forefront of innovation and expertise in the field of AI. Our dynamic team leverages artificial intelligence techniques to develop applications ranging from optimizing and automating the management of mobile, fixed, and vehicular networks to data governance and improving customer experience. You will have the opportunity to join us at our premises in the Techn’hom business park in Belfort, where you will participate in a research project focused on structuring knowledge in enterprise knowledge graphs and enhancing their value using large language models.contractThesis

Expected salary

Location

Belfort, Territoire-de-Belfort

Job date

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:37:55 GMT

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