PhD scholarship in Circular construction materials

Updated: over 1 year ago
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 15 Aug 2022

Do you want to deepen existing knowledge on how construction materials circular practices can mitigate climate change? Then DTU Environmental and Resource Engineering offers you the ideal PhD position to work on the frontier of circular economy (CE) in the construction sector. The position will be instrumental in accomplishing a newly funded EU RIA project that aims to bridge the gap between LCA and climate change models.

The project is multi-disciplinary and will contain:

  • high-resolution value chain representation;
  • embodied energy, materials, and GHG emissions (and other externalities);
  • CE measures being taken in the construction industry, including feedback loops;
  • citizen behavior towards CE and climate mitigation
  • rebound effects of CE measures from higher resource consumption and social impacts such as employment or inequalities.

You will be a member of the Materials and Durability section of DTU Sustain, where ca. 30 members focus their activities on the understanding of state-of-the-art and new (circular) construction materials across several scales, pushing the construction industry to a carbon neutral sector.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Your research tasks include accounting for embodied carbon for the main construction materials used in the construction sector and developing existing databases and models. We expect you to disseminate and publish your results in high-level academic publications on an internationally leading level, as well as you will be required to develop your teaching skills. The candidate is expected to participate in the departments teaching activities. In order to help data gathering and include in the existing research environment, we will provide you with access to network associations, industrial partners contact, consortium meetings, and other early stage researchers in our Materials and Durability section of DTU Sustain.

You should be highly motivated and self-driven, as well as have strong work ethics, team spirit and excellent collaboration skills. You take responsibility for your work in an organized and structured manner.

This project work requires good understanding of qualitative methods, good communication skills, and an analytical mind-set with reasonable digital skills. We are looking for a candidate with a background ideally in sustainability/LCS and with some knowledge or experience in sustainability/LCA/LCS.

As an ideal candidate, you have documented experience with the following:

  • Experience with LCA, LCC or LCS modeling
  • Experience with database software and/or ontology approaches, with a focus on environmental variables and impacts
  • Uncertainty analysis, statistical data management

You will be required to:

  • review of the state of the art in embodied carbon data from different construction materials
  • identify circular practices used along the value chain of the different construction materials
  • propose new models and processes for more accurate carbon accounting
  • write high-level academic publications on an internationally leading level
  • translate research outcomes into practice/teaching material

Good command of written and spoken English is required. Experience with interdisciplinary is necessary to ensure strong collaboration with the other colleagues within the Centre.

Active dissemination of your results in high-impact scientific articles and through participation in international conferences is an important part of your job.

Candidates should have a master's degree (120 ECTS points) in Envirnmental Enginnering, Civil Engineering, Statistics, Sustainability, Management, or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master's degree in engineering.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education .

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and terms of employment

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union.

The period of employment is 3 years. The starting date is the 1st of October 2022 (or according to mutual agreement).

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Senior Researcher Ana Teresa Lima, [email protected] .

You can read more about DTU Environment at www.env.dtu.dk

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 15 August 2022 (Danish time). Apply at www.career-dtu.dk

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply online", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

  • Application and motivation (cover letter, max 2 pages)
  • Curriculum vitae (including name and contact information of Master’s degree supervisor)
  • Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English), certificates, and lists of subjects with your results as well as their official translation into English including official description of grading scale
  • Two reference contacts who may be contacted by the assessment committee

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

DTU Sustain - Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering - is one of the largest university departments specializing in environmental and resource engineering in Europe. The department conducts research, development & scientific advice and provides educational programs and service to society. We are working to develop new environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies, methods and solutions, and to disseminate this knowledge to society and future generations of engineers. The Department has approximately 300 staff from more than 30 nationalities.

Technology for people

DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today. DTU has 13,400 students and 5,800 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.



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