You should be able to:

• Conduct original research at the intersection of digital fabrication technology development, innovation studies, and project organization studies.
• Author/co-author high-quality, high-impact publications;
• Contribute to writing follow-up research proposals;
• Participate in the general intellectual life of the Design and Construction Management Section in the Department of Management in the Built Environment.

The expected outcomes of the research will likely include:

• Formalization of a “Demonstrator Implementation Method” (DIM) that describes how the research-transfer model of Demonstrators represents a new transdisciplinary methodology within AEC research.
• Analysis of how the characteristics of demonstrators can be adapted into new industry project delivery models to best deliver fully- computational workflows for digital fabrication and robotics, from design to fabrication.
• Propose novel incentive and financial systems, legal and regulatory guidance (e.g. regulatory requirements for on-site robotics implementation), and management practices to increase industry adoption of digital fabrication in architecture.

Additional research tasks may include:

• Review of existing project delivery models in AEC, and comparison of best practice from other international forms of project delivery models such as Integrated Project Delivery and Work Alliancing that may be useful to implement digital fabrication.
• Collaborate with the chair of Work and Organizational Psychology (https://wop.ethz.ch) at ETH Zurich and the centre for Building Technologies and Processes at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (https://www.zhaw.ch/de/archbau/institute/zbp) to understand how research teams in digital AEC (and beyond) shape interdisciplinary collaboration and create socio-technically integrated design solutions.
• Contribute in a supporting role to research on human-robot and robot-robot interaction research. Help establish standards for human-technology interaction on construction sites in combination with educational and training requirements.

You will likely:

• Hold a PhD degree in the area of construction management, civil engineering, architecture, innovation studies, industrial design, project management studies and/or organizational design, although researchers from other backgrounds are also encouraged to apply.
• Hold background experience and knowledge of digital fabrication and robotics, digital work processes, collaborative construction project delivery models, and/or institutional theory applied to the AEC industry.
• Demonstrate strong methodological rigour and the ability to critically reflect on the foundations of research methods and research methodology.
• Be willing to travel to Switzerland on occasion for project research and/or short-term exchanges.
• Communicate well with fluent written and presentation skills in English.

The starting date can begin in December 2023 or later upon mutual agreement. The position will be appointed for a duration of two years. Applicants are encouraged to apply, even if they do not meet all the above criteria.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (based on scale 10: € 3.226,00 - € 5.090,00). The position is advertised at the scale 10 for early-career postdocs, but appointment at scale 11 (€ 4.332,00 - € 5.929,00) may be possible for more experienced candidates. The employment contract is offered for 1 year and the position is open for 32-38 hours per week. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount 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

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!

Faculty Architecture & the Built Environment

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 Environment.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Daniel Hall (d.m.hall@tudelft.nl). Review of applications and invitations to interview will begin on 25 October, 2023. Interviews will be scheduled from 31 October - 3 November 2023.

For information about the application procedure, please contact Julia Kreuwel, HR-BK@tudelft.nl.