Doctoral fellow - Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials

Last application date Sep 22, 2024 00:00

Department TW14 - Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials

Contract Limited duration

Degree MSc in Structural or Civil Engineering (or another MSc leading to sufficient knowledge on the topics of relevance)

Occupancy rate 100%

Vacancy type Research staff

Job description

Position for PhD fellow at Ghent University on the topic "Form finding of 3D printed compression dominant structural geometries"
Within the CARBCOMN project, this PhD researcher will be involved in employment of computational methods to form find compression dominant structural geometries; in definition and design of a manufacturing procedure to optimize topology, shape and size of the blocks and in structural testing of discrete blocks and assemblages. Moreover, this PhD student will be involved in the print path design to realize the construction blocks through extrusion-based 3D printing which will also include digital post-treatment of the joints and assembly of the blocks. Finally, this PhD student will integrate all the above in building designs and compare the performance of the system to traditional technological solutions.

The CARBCOMN project is an EC funded HORIZON Pathfinder project. This European project will be performed in collaboration with academic and industrial project partners spread over Europe (Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Austria). More info about CARBCOMN: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101161535 . The CARBCOMN project will start on 1 October 2024 and will last for 48 months.
The candidate is offered an appointment for 4 (1 + 3) years in a high-level international research team at Ghent University. Further to pursuing a PhD diploma, the candidate will have the possibility to attend international conferences, follow specialized courses and to develop a national and international scientific and industrial network.

Job profile

Applicants should have a MSc in Structural or Civil Engineering (or another MSc leading to sufficient knowledge on the topics of relevance), an independent and well-organized working style, well-developed social skills directed towards working in an interdisciplinary team, strong motivation to succeed in scientific research, excellent presentation and scientific writing skills and excellent English language skills (verbally and written). Experience with 3D printing of concrete, topology optimization or structural testing and knowledge of programming languages (C++, Python, Matlab,…) to develop novel computational tools is an added value.

How to apply

• Applications must contain the following documents:
• a personal (motivation) letter and curriculum vitae,
• a copy of degree certificates and associated certificates,
• a transcript of records of the bachelor and master curriculum,
• a copy of degree projects and any previous publications,
• a proof of English language skills,
• two recommendation letters (or the names and email addresses of two references).

The documents should be sent before 22 September 2024 to yi.zhang@ugent.be with in the title of the mail ‘PhD Researcher – Form finding of 3D printed compression dominant structural geometries’.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Yi Zhang (yi.zhang@ugent.be) or Prof. Stijn Matthys (stijn.matthys@ugent.be).