PhD Position in Spatial Decision Support System for Multi-Hazard Resilient Cities

Delft University of Technology is hiring a doctoral candidate on “Spatial Decision Support System for Multi-Hazard Resilient Cities”. The PhD position is part of the Horizon Europe MULTICARE project.

You will develop a novel robust spatial decision-making framework, involving risk analysis and cost-benefit estimations, for quantifying the multi-hazard resilience of buildings and for supporting intervention planning at large scale. A Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) will be developed for multi-hazard solutions and strategies, with a particular focus on climate change-related hazards (floods, heatwaves, storms). A Spatial Data Infrastructure of the SDSS will be built upon an existing Digital Twin platform. This Spatial Data Infrastructure focuses mainly on the efficient management of big static (such as hazard related maps, 3D building models, etc.) and dynamic (real-time sensor) spatial data on urban scale through spatial DataBase Management Systems. Furthermore, it explores the potential of OGC standards to harmonize, share and integrate the heterogeneous (static and dynamic) spatial data which will be incorporated into the Spatial Decision Support System for resilience-based multi-criteria decision analyses. 

You will hold a joint appointment at two groups at the Faculty of Architecture & Built Environment, namely: the Sustainable Architectural Materials & Structures Group (ReStruct Group) and the GIS Technology Group (Architectural Facades & Products). (S)he will work in a team closely collaborating with industrial and academic partners associated with MULTICARE. The position is funded for a duration of 4 years, during which the appointed candidate will (i) undertake research on their PhD topics and (ii) assist with the educational and research agenda of MULTICARE and the host groups at Department of Architectural Engineering + Technology.

About the MULTICARE project

This large international project aims to create a more resilient built environment by providing digital tools for assessing, improving and responding to future climate threats, and by providing corresponding technological construction solutions to improve the resilience of buildings. In particular, the project will develop (i) novel multi-criteria decision-support frameworks and a suite of digital services to facilitate the whole-life cycle multi-hazard resilience assessment, design and management across material-to-urban scales: (ii) low-carbon technologies to upgrade the resilience of buildings against multiple hazards, with a focus on climate-related extremes. The project results will be demonstrated in large-scale pilots (3 buildings, 4 neighborhoods/cities) in different European countries with diverse conditions.

• MSc in Geodesy, Land Administration, Remote Sensing, Physical Geography, Geo-informatics, Geomatics, Computer Science, Architectural Engineering, Civil Engineering, or related fields;
• Strong background in at least two of building technology (also known as architectural engineering), risk analysis, spatial data morphological analysis, and optimization;
• Working knowledge or expertise on Spatial DataBase Management Systems for the efficient storage, manipulation and querying big (real-time) spatial data, Spatial Decision Support Systems principles, OGC standards for sharing static and dynamic spatial data and models;
• Working knowledge and expertise concerning SDI's at national or international level (e.g. INSPIRE) and required skills concerning information models (UML) and web-services (viewing, download and processing);
• Excellent programming skills (Matlab, Python, C++, or similar);
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English proven by a minimum score of 100 in TOEFL or IELTS of 7.0 per sub-skill (writing, reading, listening, speaking). For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. Teaching interest and/or experience in AI- and structural/architectural design courses.
• Ability to work in a team, take initiatives, and be results-oriented;
• You enjoy performing research. You are independent, self-motivated and eager to learn;
• You are keen to develop new fundamental knowledge and engineer novel solutions for addressing real-world societal challenges.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty’s success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy from early in the morning until late at night, with four thousand people studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research’, which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built. 

The Department of Architectural Engineering + Technology provides education and performs scientific research in the fields of architectural engineering / building technology. It positions itself as an important player in the integration of design and engineering. The core areas of interest are façade design, structural design, climate design and computational design with an important core focus on sustainability and resilience.

The host groups of the PhD position, Sustainable Architectural Materials & Structures (Prof. Mauro Overend) and GIS Technology (Prof. Peter van Oosterom), lead research and education on structural analysis, structural design, and digitalization in the Faculty of Architecture & Built Environment.