3 Doctoral Fellowships in Architecture and Technology

3 Doctoral Fellowships in Architecture and Technology

The Architecture & Technology (A&T) Doctoral Programme is looking for exceptional candidates to join our group of 50+ international doctoral students. We are offering three paid, full-time (100%), 3.5-​year doctoral fellowships to start on October 1, 2023.

Since its inauguration, 25 scholars have been granted an A&T Fellowship. Graduates of the programme have successfully obtained academic positions at leading research institutions worldwide and high-level positions in the industry.

The programme provides funding for three and a half years. It offers excellent working conditions and a unique research infrastructure. You will be employed full-time and receive monthly salaries based on a standard rate .

Please find the detailed information about the doctorate at ETH Zurich in the AVETH survival guide .

About the Programme

The A&T Doctoral Programme is ETH Zurich’s interdisciplinary educational platform committed to training scholars in research and teaching of technology in architecture. The programme is offered and managed collaboratively by the chairs of the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA). The work of the ITA chairs assimilates many diverse aspects of employing science, technology and engineering in architecture, including computational design of buildings and structures, building processes and systems, digital and robotic construction and fabrication, and many others. For more information about our institute, please consult the ITA website , and check out the ten years of ITA video .

The following professorships are currently involved in the A&T doctoral programme:

You will join one of the above professorships under the respective professor/mentor. Hence, we expect you to choose one professorship most suitable for realising their research proposal and explicitly indicate this in their application packages. Although the selected applicant will be primarily associated with the chosen professorship, the interdisciplinary character of the programme ensures the involvement of other parties during the studies. For example, one of the milestones of this doctoral programme is the Aptitude Colloquium, in which doctoral students defend their research plan before all ITA professors and researchers. Our work takes place in the Arch_Tec_Lab , a high-tech zero-emissions building designed and developed by ITA.

We are looking for excellent people whose work demonstrates productive synergies between architecture and technology. We welcome architects with a solid technical, engineering or scientific background or interests and engineers/scientists whose work relates to architecture. We advise the applicants to thoroughly consult the ITA professorships’ websites before applying to ensure their research interests are compatible.

You must hold a Master’s degree acquired at the university level in architecture, engineering or related fields (e.g., MSc, MEng or MArch). Upon successful admission, depending on the your academic background, the ETH administration office will evaluate if you need to take any additional exams at ETH during your first year of studies. 

English is the official language, and we assume your proficiency. We do not formally require English language certificates as a part of the application package.

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in
science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education,
cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge
into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our
university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an
environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe,
yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to
develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.

We look forward to receiving your online application with only the following four documents, each a single file in PDF format:

• a cover letter, stating:
  • the applicant’s career plans
  • reasons for pursuing a doctorate in Architecture & Technology at ETH Zurich
  • arguments why they would be the right candidate
  • the relevance of their background/past experiences in pursuing a doctorate
  • under which ITA professorship they wish to conduct their studies
• an academic/long curriculum vitae (CV), including a publication list (if applicable)
• a three-​page (maximum) research statement, including:
  • the identification of the principal research field(s) or topic(s) of interest
  • an outline and a summary of the research proposal
• a portfolio or work samples

Please do not attachany additional documents, especially passport/ID scans, school records and letters of recommendation (they are handled separately).

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. When uploading requested documents choose the following attachment types:

• For a cover letter, select "Cover Letter"
• For a curriculum vitae, select "CV"
• For a research statement, select "Other" and add the comment "Research Statement" (without quotes)
• For a portfolio of work samples, select "Application Package (several documents)"

Recommendation letters

Each candidate needs to be supported by three referees for the application. In support of the application, three referees should send their recommendation letters by e-​mail to [email protected] .

Timeline

The submission deadline for both application package and recommendation letters is January 31, 2023. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. The timeline is as follows: