PhD Scholarship in Fire Safety Engineering

DTU offers a PhD Scholarship in the domain Fire Safety Engineering focusing on energy performance of buildings and associated fire safety challenges. Energy renovation of buildings often includes an exchange of windows, from traditional 2-layer panes to modern 3-layer windows with added reflective foil and perhaps argon gas, laminated (for security) or the like. 

Such renovation with more thermal insulation and energy-efficient glass panes has a twofold negative impact on the fire safety: on one side, the improved heat insulation gives rise to faster fire development in the early fire course and more severe temperatures of the fully developed fire; on the other side, low-energy multi-layered windows are known to not break as easily as older windows, which results in a lower ventilation and burning rate in the fully developed phase of the fire.

The faster temperature rises in the early phase of the fire results in a more rapid achievement of critical conditions and, consequently, in a shorter available evacuation time and a more challenging evacuation. 

The lower burning rate of the fuel in the fully developed phase of the fire leads to a longer fire and a longer and, therefore, more severe heating of the structural elements. Consequently, current requirements for fire resistance classifications, which are based on knowledge of fire behaviour in traditional buildings, may not be conservative. 

The aim of the PhD Scholarship is to carry out investigations on the behavior of low-energy windows and achieve a better understanding and modeling of the fire behavior in modern low-energy building, to ensure and maintain the safety of both people and property in present and future buildings. 

Responsibilities and qualifications

The PhD project is part of a project financially supported by GI (Grundejernes Investeringsfond), DF (Danielsens Fond) and DTU Construct. The PhD student research activities will be done at the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (DTU Construct) with a focus on proposing a way or methodology for energy renovation of buildings without compromising fire safety.

You must have a two-year M.Sc. degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master degree. The degree must be within fire safety or civil engineering or in a comparable area. Further, the candidate should have a deep knowledge of passive and active fire protection systems, fire dynamics, evacuation principles and general knowledge of construction (structures, building physics, energy performance etc.). Good command of the English language, both spoken and written, is essential. The candidate is expected to be self-motivated and to publish results in international peer-reviewed journals.

Salary and appointment terms

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 as soon as possible. The position is a full-time position and is based in Denmark. Specifically, the workplace will be the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department of the Technical University of Denmark, DTU Lyngby Campus.

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Head of Study, Associate Professor Lars Schiøtt Sørensen, email: [email protected] or phone +45 29 100 296. 

Application procedure

To apply, please read the full job advertisement, by clicking the 'Apply' button.