We are hiring a new postdoctoral researcher in the Section of Design and Construction Management, on the topic of Reflective Action and New Project Praxis for Digital Fabrication in Architecture, Engineering and Construction.

This research will be done in close collaboration with the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) on Digital Fabrication, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and headed at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The NCCR Digital Fabrication in Architecture centre aims to revolutionise architecture through the seamless combination of digital technologies and physical building processes.

The NCCR research focus topic Digital Collaboration seeks to identify and develop methodologies for collaboration in digital fabrication research and practice. This will be done in consideration of a socio-technical approach to digital fabrication in AEC, interdisciplinary collaboration ("Team Science"), and holistic and networked business models and processes. Environmental responsibility and circular economy also act as key guiding principles. The short-term goal is to transfer and integrate DFAB research, innovation, knowledge, and experiences into current praxis (following standards, tools, methodologies, regulations, etc. used in industry). The long-term outlook is to provide the foundations of a new collaborative model that can enable state-of-the-art digital fabrication technologies as central and standard across AEC industry practice.

Within the above overall context, this specific position will investigate questions such as:

• Reflective Action – How does digital collaboration occur in Digital Fabrication research and in industry? What can be learned from the work processes in the NCCR about transferring basic research into use cases and demonstrators that can be used as a research transfer model in general? How does this relate to the current work processes, collaboration mechanisms and project delivery models used in the AEC industry?
• New Project Praxis – What will be the future praxis of digital collaboration for the future architect / engineer / builder on digital fabrication projects? Based on learnings from the research-transfer demonstrator model, what could be the future project models used to deliver digitally-fabricated projects?

The successful candidate should be able to:

1. Conduct research that contributes to the project deliverables (see below):

• Undertake relevant coursework and other training.
• 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.

2. Project Deliverables include the following specific research tasks:

• Critical examination of the current construction industry, and the barriers to implementation of digital fabrication and robotics in today’s industry practice, using qualitative and/or quantitative methods.
• Consideration of legal and regulatory frameworks in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and elsewhere, including understanding of aligned or misaligned incentives to adopt new work processes in AEC.
• 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) to use team science 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.

The expected outcomes of the research will likely include:

• formalize findings as a “Demonstrator Implementation Methodology” (DIM) that describes how the research-transfer model of Demonstrators represents a new transdisciplinary methodology within AEC research.
• propose or describe a new industry project delivery model to best deliver fully- computational workflows for digital fabrication and robotics.
• include propositions for aligned incentive and financial systems, legal and regulatory guidance (e.g. regulatory requirements for on-site robotics implementation), and management practices.

The successful candidate will likely:

• hold a PhD degree in the area of construction management, civil engineering, architecture and/or organizational design.
• 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 is anticipated for Autumn 2022 or later upon mutual agreement. The position will be appointed for an initial period of two years, with funding available for additional extension upon mutual agreement. Applicants are encouraged to apply, even if they do not meet all the above criteria.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

The position is advertised at the scale 10 for early-career postdocs, but appointment at scale 11 may be possible for more experienced candidates.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. 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 we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

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.