The construction industry faces major challenges regarding energy transition, circularity, sustainability, climate adaptation and urban resilience. The Construction Management & Engineering (CME) group of the Department of Civil Engineering (CE), Faculty Engineering Technology (ET) aims to contribute to these challenges and transitions by a focus on the reduction of fragmentation in the management of civil infrastructure. We do this by studying, developing and teaching new process approaches, scientific concepts, practical methods and digital technologies that improve integration and innovation during the delivery and lifecycle management of infrastructure assets.

Our growing multidisciplinary group has two openings for highly motivated, enthusiast and hard working Assistant/Associate Professors in Construction Innovation.

The challenge

You contribute develop education and research in the areas of digitalisation, collaboration and integration. In particular, you focus on the trends and developments such as the rising circular economy and service-oriented ecosystems that require the construction supply chain to reconfigure their ways of working. This requires new business models, programmatic ways of procurement, value-based collaborations and resilient socio-technical infrastructure systems.

Your complementary focus will be on digitalization of our new and existing infrastructure networks that need to deployed, refurbished and replaced in the coming decades. Digitalization research will not focus only on digitalization (BIM, Cyber Physical Systems, and GIS) for design and engineering tasks, but also on the life cycle management of buildings and infrastructure asset systems. The interaction between these developments is essential to reach our international sustainability and energy aims, adopt to climate change and support the transitions that are taking place.

We are looking for scholars in one or several of the following areas of expertise:

1. Infrastructure innovation management
2. Transformation and change in project based industries
3. Collaboration in construction ecosystems
4. BIM, GIS & 3D/4D visualization implementation of (underground) infrastructure
5. Digital risk management for existing assets
6. Business modelling and entrepreneurship in construction 

Our CME group conducts scientific research in an industry-based context and collaborates closely in scientific networks such as 4TU Built Environment and 4TU Resilience. You are, therefore, interested in bringing both scientific-technological contributions as well as crafting and building impact for society through prototype development and real-life implementation studies with a plethora of stakeholders. Experience with studying new phenomena in which a multiplicity of organizations collaborate is an advantage, just as creativity in developing research methods and valorisation activities that fit these types of innovative and network oriented collaborations. Besides being explorative and research-minded, you can conveniently transfer your knowledge and experience to future B.Sc., and M.Sc. students and you are passionate about changing the construction industry with your scientific knowledge and experience.

Are you ready to bring the engineer of the future and it environment to a higher level?

• hold a PhD in construction management, civil engineering, applied innovation sciences, organisation science, industrial engineering, business administration, or a related field.
• have research expertise in the fields of digital infrastructure, asset management, innovation management, organisational decision making, transformation studies or adjacent areas.
• have a few years of relevant work experience.
• have affinity with the built environment, in particular economic infrastructure, sustainability and civil engineering.
• have a passion for teaching and for developing education that cultivate student-learning.
• are required to obtain the Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO).
• have experience in acquiring grants.
• are willing to expand their network by establishing relationships with the Dutch construction professionals as well as those in the Twente region.
• have excellent communication skills in English.
• are able to speak or willing to learn Dutch.

You are welcome to contact prof.dr.ir. Leentje Volker for any questions you might have (email L.Volker@utwente.nl or phone +31 6 4875 0173) regarding the content of the position. Please contact Evelien Schulenberg-Groenink (email e.schulenberg-groenink@utwente.nl) for HR related questions.

 Please apply by writing a motivation letter that indicates in which of the six areas of expertise (innovation, transformation, collaboration, BIM implementation, risk management and or business) you are interested. Upload your CV, research and education statement in one integrated file.

 The application deadline is 24 August 2020.

We offer an excellent and stimulating scientific environment with an attractive campus and lots of facilities for sports and leisure. The university provides a dynamic community with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda. For these positions the departments aim for a 50-50 balance in teaching – research.

We offer you:

• A tenured position as Assistant/Associate Professor, starting with a two-year contract with the prospect of a permanent position after a positive evaluation.
• Excellent research facilities.
• A high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other university staff.
• A highly motivated international student community.
• A gross salary between € 3.746,00 and €6.317,00 per month, depending on experience and qualifications.
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Professional and personal development programs.
• A solid pension scheme.
• A minimum of 29 leave days in case of fulltime employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. In practice a fulltime employment means 40 hours a week, resulting in 12 additional leave days on an annual basis.
• Possibilities to save up holidays for sabbatical leave.

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which leads change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university of the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. We have a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out groundbreaking research.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women to apply.

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) is one of the five faculties of the University of Twente. ET combines Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Our faculty has approximately 1800 bachelor and master students, 400 employees and 150 PhD candidates. The departments of the faculty cooperatively conduct the educational programmes and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programmes and the research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centra and Digital Society Institute.