PhD position in 3D Concrete Printing for Low-Carbon Buildings

SDU CREATE invites highly motivated candidates who wish to contribute to a more sustainable built environment to apply for a PhD position in 3D Concrete Printing for Low-Carbon Buildings. The position is expected to begin in January 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter. The PhD position is linked to the Villum CEBE programme, Civil Engineering and the Green Transition in the Built Environment, funded by the Villum Foundation. The overall ambition is to develop a new generation of low-carbon prefabricated building systems enabled by 3D concrete printing, rethinking how concrete structures are designed, fabricated, and assembled. The research will bring together architectural design, structural optimisation, and artificial intelligence to generate materially efficient building systems in which geometry, structural performance, and fabrication are developed as an integrated whole. It will address advanced toolpath generation, reinforcement integration, structural connections, and assembly through unified computational design and robotic fabrication workflows. The candidate will develop artificial intelligence-driven pipelines connecting structural evaluation, geometry generation, fabrication planning, and robotic production. The work will combine computational research with extensive laboratory experimentation, including the robotic printing of full-scale components and building demonstrators at SDU CREATE and their validation through structural testing. The candidate will also contribute to teaching in the MSc CREATE programme and the BSc programme in Civil and Architectural Engineering through laboratory teaching, workshops, and co-supervision of student projects. The research focuses on developing the next generation of low-carbon building systems. 3D concrete printing offers significant opportunities for prefabrication, geometric differentiation, and project-specific optimisation. Realising this potential requires an integrated approach in which architectural design, structural performance, robotic fabrication, reinforcement, connections, and assembly are addressed as interdependent aspects of a building system. The project will develop computational and experimental methods for the design, fabrication, and validation of materially efficient prefabricated building systems. It will extend SDU CREATEs research on performance-informed architectural design, structural optimisation, hybrid printing, reinforcement integration, and full-scale robotic construction. The successful candidate will contribute to the development and delivery of CREATEs research activities and laboratory-based investigations. participation in the Villum CEBE research network The candidates engagement in these activities will evolve with their growing experience, contributing to the Centres excellence and supporting their academic development, ideally toward future career advancement. Applications are invited from highly motivated candidates holding a Masters degree in architecture, civil or architectural engineering, or other relevant disciplines related to the research areas. Candidates must demonstrate: - Documented interest and foundational knowledge in the research area of 3D Concrete Printing - Advanced competence in Grasshopper and Rhino. Knowledge of Python, C#, or finite element analysis is evaluated positively - Demonstrated capacity to conduct, document, and disseminate projects and research outcomes suitable for peer-reviewed publication - Experience with hands-on and experimental lab and construction activities - Strong proficiency in English, both written and oral - Strong ability to work effectively within interdisciplinary teams, coordinate and collaborate daily - Strong communication skills across graphical, written, and oral formats - Beneficial experience in teaching assistance or peer-reviewed publications - A proven track record of involvement in research or innovation projects - Engagement with academic or industry stakeholders in relevant domains For further information about this position and SDU CREATE's activities, please contact the Head of Centre, Associate Professor Roberto Naboni, at ron@iti.sdu.dk. For additional information on the Centre´s work, visit the website at www.create-sdu.com. If you encounter technical issues during the application process, please contact our email support. Applicants are advised to carefully read the Faculty information for prospective PhD students and how to apply for academic staff before submitting their application. Read about the Assessment and selection process. An expert will assess applications. Shortlisting may be applied. Only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU. Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation process. Appointment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position, and the monthly gross salary incl. pension is 37.075 DKK. If you have relevant postgraduate experience, you may be placed on a higher salary step. Applicants must hold a masters degree (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) at the time of enrollment and employment. Employment is contingent on enrollment approved by the PhD School. Enrollment will be in accordance with Faculty regulations and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities (PhD order). Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state including the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described therein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements. As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process. SDU does not collect information on applicants previous salary.