PhD Position in 3D Concrete Printing for Low-Carbon Buildings

Syddansk Universitet (University of Southern Denmark - SDU); Cortex Park; On-site; DKK 300,000 - 340,000; Full time

Job summary

SDU CREATE at the University of Southern Denmark invites highly motivated candidates to apply for a PhD position in 3D Concrete Printing for Low-Carbon Buildings. The position is expected to begin in January 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The application deadline is September 15, 2026, at 23:59 CET/CEST. The research unites architectural design, structural optimisation, and artificial intelligence to develop material-efficient, digitally designed building systems.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to CREATE’s research activities and laboratory-based investigations.
• Conduct fabrication and structural testing experiments, including direct operation of robotic systems and laboratory equipment.
• Participate in CREATE’s research team activities, contributing to the development of design, fabrication, and testing frameworks.

Job description

SDU CREATE invites highly motivated candidates who wish to contribute to a more sustainable built environment to apply for a PhD position in 3D Concrete Printing for Low-Carbon Buildings. The position is expected to begin in January 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter. The application deadline is September 15, 2026, at 23:59 CET/CEST.

Scope of the work

The PhD position is linked to the Villum CEBE programme, Civil Engineering and the Green Transition in the Built Environment, funded by the Villum Foundation. The overall ambition is to develop a new generation of low-carbon prefabricated building systems enabled by 3D concrete printing, rethinking how concrete structures are designed, fabricated, and assembled.

The research will bring together architectural design, structural optimisation, and artificial intelligence to generate materially efficient building systems in which geometry, structural performance, and fabrication are developed as an integrated whole. It will address advanced toolpath generation, reinforcement integration, structural connections, and assembly through unified computational design and robotic fabrication workflows.

The candidate will develop artificial intelligence-driven pipelines connecting structural evaluation, geometry generation, fabrication planning, and robotic production. The work will combine computational research with extensive laboratory experimentation, including the robotic printing of full-scale components and building demonstrators at SDU CREATE and their validation through structural testing.

The candidate will also contribute to teaching in the MSc CREATE programme and the BSc programme in Civil and Architectural Engineering through laboratory teaching, workshops, and co-supervision of student projects.

Focus Area and Research Project

The research focuses on developing the next generation of low-carbon building systems. 3D concrete printing offers significant opportunities for prefabrication, geometric differentiation, and project-specific optimisation. Realising this potential requires an integrated approach in which architectural design, structural performance, robotic fabrication, reinforcement, connections, and assembly are addressed as interdependent aspects of a building system.

The project will develop computational and experimental methods for the design, fabrication, and validation of materially efficient prefabricated building systems. It will extend SDU CREATE’s research on performance-informed architectural design, structural optimisation, hybrid printing, reinforcement integration, and full-scale robotic construction.

The research will address the following areas:

• Computational design of architecturally and structurally integrated prefabricated building systems for 3DCP
• Structural optimisation at component and system levels, encompassing slabs, beams, columns, walls, nodes, and their connections
• Artificial intelligence-driven pipelines connecting geometry generation, structural evaluation, and fabrication planning
• Advanced toolpath generation and sensing-based process control for structurally differentiated components
• Integration of reinforcement, structural connections, fabrication constraints, and assembly requirements into robotic production workflows
• Robotic 3D printing of full-scale components and construction of integrated building demonstrators
• Structural testing of printed components, connections, and assembled systems
• Quantitative evaluation of material consumption, embodied carbon, structural performance, and production efficiency

About SDU CREATE’s Research Environment

The Centre for Computational Research in Emergent Architectural Technology and Engineering, SDU CREATE, is led by Associate Professor Roberto Naboni. The Centre investigates advanced concepts and applications in architectural engineering, with a focus on computational design, construction robotics, and material innovation. SDU CREATE brings together an international research team working across architectural engineering, computer science, robotics, materials science, and biology. Its research develops sustainable and regenerative approaches to the design and production of the built environment.

Located within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Southern Denmark, SDU CREATE provides advanced laboratory facilities for robotic fabrication, additive manufacturing, mixed reality applications in design and construction, and structural and mechanical testing. The facilities include industrial robotic systems, concrete mixing and extrusion equipment, computational design platforms, and equipment for the experimental testing of materials, components, and structures. This environment supports interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships with academic and industrial institutions in Denmark and internationally. The candidate will work within a research culture that combines computational development with physical experimentation and full-scale construction.

SDU CREATE is a partner in a ten-year national research initiative funded by the Villum Foundation, in which Danish technical universities collaborate to advance the sustainability of the built environment within planetary boundaries. Within this initiative, SDU CREATE leads the research field on Digitalisation and Automation, RF4, and contributes to the research field on Design for Regeneration, Circularity, and Longevity, RF2. The programme provides a long-term research framework, access to national research networks, and opportunities for collaboration with academic and industrial partners.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will contribute to the development and delivery of CREATE’s research activities and laboratory-based investigations. Responsibilities include:

• Conducting high-quality research within the defined research project and contributing original, scientifically rigorous outcomes
• Conducting fabrication and structural testing experiments, including direct operation of robotic systems and laboratory equipment
• Participating in CREATE’s research team activities, contributing to the development of design, fabrication, and testing frameworks
• Developing and maintaining