PhD History of Architecture URBAN-DELTA

23 May 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

KU Leuven

Research Field

Architecture

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Belgium

Application Deadline

10 Jun 2024 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

38 hours/week

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

HE / ERC

Reference Number

BAP-2024-301

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The Department of Architecture (Faculty of Engineering, Heverlee Campus KU Leuven) is looking for two full-time PhD students (48 months) for the ERC-funded project: URBAN-DELTA: Metropolises in the Mud. Innovation in Delta Building Technology in Europe and China before 1800 directed by Merlijn Hurx (PI).

 

Deltas are among the most urbanised and wealthiest regions of the world. Today, their very existence is threatened by climate change. Innovative solutions are urgently needed, and delta cities around the globe have joined forces to confront the climate crisis. The dependence on innovation for their survival is however not a recent phenomenon but has a longer history. Surprisingly, little is known about the specialised skills and knowledge shown by earlier civilisations in constructing and protecting these cities.

URBAN-DELTA hypothesizes that major advances in the history of water-related engineering were not random but occurred at specific places and times. Several pioneering hotspots in the pre-industrial age seem to have existed. Therefore, the aim of URBAN-DELTA is to attain an entirely new, multidisciplinary understanding of technological innovations by tracing and explaining their historical emergence in the production of the built environment in Eurasian deltas before 1800.

 

This project is the first in-depth comparative study of construction techniques for marshy conditions. It examines three key deltas in Europe and China: that of the Po, the Rhine-Scheldt-Meuse and the Yangtze. The project questions how builders overcame technological limitations. Did innovation occur incrementally or were there spurts at specific times and places? What were the dynamics of these processes and what factors stimulated innovation?

 

URBAN-DELTA studies the built environment from a comparative perspective, combining approaches from Engineering, Economic and Architectural History. It tests hypotheses central to the debate on the conditions for innovation by looking at a vital industry, hitherto ignored in scholarship. It aims at a fundamental rethinking of how architecture comes into being and developing an entirely new explanatory framework for future research. In addition, it generates new knowledge that is urgently needed for the preservation of heritage threatened by climate change.

 

 

Within the project we offer two full-time PhD positions of 48 months. The first PhD student will concentrate on Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt in the Low Countries, while the second will focus on Venice and the Po delta:

 

PhD Student 1: Delta Buil... For more information see https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60332352

Requirements

Research Field

Architecture

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

DUTCH

Level

Good

Languages

FRENCH

Level

Good

Additional Information
Benefits

Working Conditions

We offer a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with a planned starting date of 1 October 2024, although this can be negotiated. You will be based at Heverlee campus (near Leuven), specifically the Arenberg Castle at the department of Architecture. Arrangements can be made for some remote work and flexible hours to encourage healthy work-life balance. All expenses for research-based travel will be covered by the project budget. Employees of KU Leuven enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, a vacation allowance and end-of-year bonus, yearly accumulation of seniority with automatic pay indexation, compensation for public transport etc. For more information see: https://research.kuleuven.be/en/career/phd

Eligibility criteria

Requirements Phd1:

·      You have an academic university degree (MSc/MA) in Architecture (architect and/or architect-engineer), Architectural History, Art History or Archaeology and at least one distinction.

·      Proficiency in reading Dutch and French, as well as in writing academic English.

·      Willingness to travel and complete archival research.

·      You are capable of working independently, with good organisational and planning skills, and are willing to communicate and collaborate actively as a team member.

·      You can demonstrate excellent study results, or you have distinguished yourself in a similar way during your academic career or professional life. You are able to illustrate your writing skills by means of an article or master thesis.

 

Desired

·      Interest in digital humanities, and preferably experience with 3D design software, or willingness to develop them.

·      Palaeographic skills or willingness to develop them.

Requirements PhD2:

·      You have a completed academic university degree (MSc/MA) in Architecture (architect and/or civil engineer-architect), Architectural History, Art History or Archaeology and at least one distinction.

·      Proficiency in reading Italian, as well as in writing academic English.

·      Willingness to travel and complete archival research.

·      You are capable of working independently, with good organisational and planning skills, and are willing to communicate and collaborate actively as a team member.

·      You can demonstrate excellent study results, or you have distinguished yourself in a similar way during your academic career or professional life. You are able to illustrate your writing skills by means of an article or master thesis.

 

Desired

·      Interest in digital humanities, and preferably experience with 3D design software, or willingness to develop them.

·      Palaeographic skills or willingness to develop them.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

KU Leuven

Country

Belgium

State/Province

Vlaams Brabant

City

Leuven

Postal Code

3000

Street

Leuven

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://easyapply.jobs/r/9loxcy921XJZw91q528D

Contact

State/Province

Leuven

City

Vlaams Brabant

Street

Leuven

Postal Code

3000

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED