Doctoral student in Urban Studies (to be part of the Horizon research project “Loam Walls with Algorithmically Generated 3D Natural Reinforcement”)

Malmo

Reference number P 2024/630

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We are looking for
One Doctoral student in Urban Studies at The Faculty of Culture and Society, the Department of Urban Studies.

Work duties
Those appointed to doctoral studentships shall primarily devote themselves to their studies. Those appointed to doctoral studentships may, however, work to a limited extent with educational tasks, research, artistic research, and administration, however, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20 per cent of a full-time post (Higher Education Ordinance (HEO) Chapter 5, section 2).

The doctoral education concludes with a doctoral degree and comprises 240 credits, which corresponds to four years of full-time study. The programme consists of courses and an independent research project that is presented in a doctoral thesis. As a doctoral student, you will be expected to play an active part in the research and educational environment and, when applicable, in the research programmes of the Department/School.

It is also desired that non-Swedish speaking employees eventually during their study time acquire enough proficiency in Swedish to be able to participate in the day-to-day work of their department or division.

The doctoral candidate will participate in the Horizon research project “AlgoLoam“, Loam Walls with Algorithmically Generated 3D Natural Reinforcement (proposal number 101161620). The appointed doctoral student is expected to formulate and carry out an independent and individual research project that addresses the theme of loam walls with algorithmically generated natural 3D reinforcement, the research results of which can be used as part of their doctoral dissertation. The PhD student will work in close collaboration with both junior and senior researchers in the project. The doctoral student is responsible, in close dialogue with the sub-study coordinators, for ensuring that his/her project is adapted to the overall research project.

Qualifications
To be admitted to third-cycle studies, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements of the subject in question. Moreover, the applicant must be deemed capable of assimilating the education.

General entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes (HEO Chapter 7 Section 39) have those who:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements for the education in Urban Studies stipulate that the applicant has acquired the knowledge and skills equivalent to a second-cycle degree in Urban Studies or in another subject relevant to Urban Studies, or has the equivalent knowledge acquired within or outside the country. In view of the multidisciplinary character of the field of Urban Studies subjects within the social sciences and humanities as well as within the technology and the arts may be relevant to meet the specific requirements.

Specific requirements for this position

• Documented English proficiency.
• Experience in using computer softwares relevant for the task of architectural design and construction.
• Experience in working with parametric design, building modelling and 3D printing/digital fabrication.

Selection criteria
Selection among applicants who meet the general and specific entry requirements shall be made with regard to their capacity to assimilate the education (HEO Chapter 7 Section 41).

General selection criteria

• Independent analysis and approach in previous work.
• Problem formulation and precision in the attached research plan and previous work.
• Methodological and scholarly maturity.

Project-specific selection criteria

• Acquired technical skills to be able to work independently in digital/parametric architectural design.

Faculty, Department and Research environment
Faculty of Culture and Society
The Faculty of Culture and Society is a multidisciplinary faculty that includes three departments: the Department of Global Political Studies (GPS) the School of Arts and Communication (K3) and the Department of Urban Studies (US). The Faculty conducts doctoral studies in the following subjects: Global Politics, Interaction Design, International Migration and Ethnic Relations, Media and Communication Studies, Organisation Studies, and Urban Studies. The Faculty hosts two of the university’s five research centres. Read more about the Faculty of Culture and Society here.

The Department of Urban Studies
Urban Studies is a multidisciplinary department with about 95 employees and 2000 students. We conduct research in the fields of urban studies, transport studies, property science, sustainability studies and organisation studies. We focus on theoretically informed and empirically grounded research. Throughout, we study economic, social, cultural, material and discursive change processes with a focus on the city and organisations in its transformation. Our researchers work in an environment where scientific exploration is transnational and focuses on the complex nature of contemporary society and organisations. The department has well-developed contacts with the business community, the public sector and the non-profit sector.

The knowledge and research area Urban Studies is closely related to the department's education and research, and also constitutes a doctoral programme subject. In addition to the doctoral programmes, the department has several master's programmes in urban studies and leadership and organisation, bachelor's programmes in urban planning, environmental science and real estate science, as well as independent courses. Read more about the Department of Urban Studies here.

Research project
Horizon research project "AlgoLoam", Loam Walls with Algorithmically Generated 3D Natural Reinforcement" (proposal number 101161620).

In this project we intend to develop loam walls with algorithmically generated 3D natural fibre reinforcement (AlgoLoam), as the first fully biodegradable, made of exclusively natural materials, self-supporting reinforced lightweight loam wall solution, fully or partially prefabricated. AlgoLoam will be developed by a multidisciplinary team of architects, materials scientists, textile technology experts, biomimetics experts, sustainability experts, mechanical engineers, clay soil/clay developers and programmers, through collaborative, iterative processes to create critical interactions between disciplines. We will explore the applicability and limitations of using exclusively natural and sustainable,CO2-negative materials to create a multi-application wall solution in architecture and interior design with the potential to reduce relative and absolute contributions of greenhouse gas emissions in new buildings.The natural 3D reinforcement embedded in the wall elements will act as a biomimetic/textile-inspired skeleton, making the wall solution a symbiotic, interdependent and enabling natural composite material system. Optimal use of materials and improved mechanical properties and load-bearing capacity of the clay soil volume will be ensured through the application of topology optimisation and through algorithmic and parametric variation of the natural composite. AlgoLoam will be optimised for aCO2-neutral digital production process, optimised using computational models. We will model and generate algorithmic digital twins of the wall elements to include information on material selection, implications and consequences for the product until the end of its life cycle (cradle to cradle) through life cycle assessment, thus aiming for a holistic approach to building design, construction, operation and decommissioning.

Further information
For questions about the project, please contact the project leader Marwa Dabaieh Professor at Aalborg University, Docent at Malmo University, at [email protected].

For questions regarding the PhD education, contact Professor Karin Grundström, Head of PhD Studies, at [email protected].

For other questions contact Deputy Head of Department Jonas Alwall at [email protected].

For general employment and procedural questions, contact Ann-Sofie Jansson, Human Resources, at [email protected].

In our recruitment work, Malmö University has taken a stand regarding recruitment channels and marketing. We therefore decline all offers of advertising and recruitment assistance in connection with this advertisement.

You can read more about the benefits of working in Sweden here: https://sweden.se/collection/working-in-sweden/

Application
You apply for this position via Malmö University's recruitment system by clicking on the "Apply" button. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that your application is completed in accordance with the job advertisement, and that it is submitted to the University no later than 2024-05-09. The application must be written in Swedish, English or any of the Nordic languages. As an applicant, you are responsible for the application and its appendices being translated.

The application must include:

• Completed application form for admission to Doctoral Education Link to PDF.
• Curriculum Vitae with up to three professional references (including title, affiliation, email address, phone number, and the relationship to the applicant).
• Digital work experience portfolio showing your previous and on-going projects related to the call.
• Certified scans of diplomas, transcript of records and other certificates relevant for the position.
• A research plan of up to 1000 words that describes your understanding of and intended contribution to the project, including theoretical inputs and methodological approach, and where you also describe how your research skills and experience would be useful for the project
• Independent work at advanced level (including master thesis or equivalent)

Miscellaneous
Preparation of admission to postgraduate education and employment as a doctoral student take place in parallel. Only those who are or have been admitted to third-cycle courses and study programmes at a higher education may be appointed to doctoral studentships (Chapter 5, Section 3 of the Higher Education Ordinance).

The doctoral studentship is a fixed-term position comprising four years of full-time studies, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5 Section 7. A doctoral student shall be employed for an indefinite period but for no longer than until a specified date, and never for longer than a year after the doctoral degree or artistic doctoral degree has been completed. The first appointment must be limited to one year at the most. The appointment can be extended by a maximum of two years at a time.

Malmö University is a workplace and higher education institution that is characterised by an open and inclusive approach, where gender equality and equal terms add value to our activities.

Malmö University applies salary setting for doctoral students in accordance with a local agreement on salary setting for doctoral students.

Start date
1 September 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Union representatives
SACO-S, Rebecka Johansson, [email protected]

OFR, Martin Reissner, [email protected]

PhD Student Union representative
Fredrik Linander, [email protected]

Sadiq Abubakar Gulma, [email protected]

We are looking forward to receiving your application!
You apply no later than 09/05/2024 by clicking the apply button.