Postdoc fellowship in Building Technology with specialization in climate change implications of wood-based construction

Linnaeus University; Växjö kommun; Presencial; SEK 420.000 - 520.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Linnaeus University invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Building Technology, Växjö, Sweden. The project focuses on climate change implications of wood-based construction products and buildings.

You will synthesize existing research, assess life cycle environmental performance, and contribute to a transparent, robust evidence base for policy and industry. You will work in a multidisciplinary team, collaborate with partners at Chalmers and Skogforsk, and publish

Formación

• PhD in Building Technology or Wood Technology or related field, completed within 3 years of application deadline.
• Experience in systematic literature reviews during PhD.
• Experience with LCA methods and tools to evaluate wood use in buildings.
• Strong understanding of wood material production and environmental implications.

Responsabilidades

• Synthesise existing research on climate impacts of wood-based construction across the full value chain.
• Identify consistencies/contradictions and assess methodological choices.
• Contribute to policymaker-focused evidence through publications and reports.
• Collaborate with department partners and national/international researchers.

Conocimientos

Systematic literature reviews

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Carbon footprint

Building Technology knowledge

Academic writing English

Educación

PhD in Building Technology

PhD in Wood Technology

Descripción del empleo

Welcome to Linnaeus University! Here you'll meet 2 200 staff members and 40 000 students, all united in following the vision to set knowledge in motion for a sustainable societal development. With us, research and education are conducted with an eye towards the future. Our proximity to the business world, both locally and globally, gives us a wide reach and the ability to create change that makes an impact. All that's needed is a place where ideas have the space to meet and grow. That's what we've created – and you are invited.

Change starts here!

The Faculty of Technology has a wide range of activities spanning nine different departments through which Linnaeus University provides education and conducts research. The courses in technology cover everything from short courses of a few weeks or months to five-year Master of Science in Engineering programmes. The research responds to society’s needs in several broad fields - both in the short and long term - with basic research and applied research in collaboration with stakeholders.

Within the Faculty, the Department of Building Technology offers two bachelor’s programs in Building Technology and Architectural Engineering, a five-year Master of Science in Engineering program in Civil Engineering and a two-year master’s program in Sustainable Structural Engineering. The Department of Forestry and Wood Technology currently offers a bachelor’s program in Forestry and a two-year master’s program in Forestry for Green Sustainable Development.

Position context

Linnaeus University invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Building Technology, with a focus on the climate change implications of wood-based construction products and buildings.

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher with the ability to conduct high-quality research and publish in leading scientific journals in the field of life cycle environmental performance of buildings. The position provides an opportunity to contribute to research addressing key scientific and methodological questions concerning the role of wood-based construction in climate change mitigation.

The postdoctoral fellowship is part of the Formas-funded research project Climate Change Implications of Wood-Based Construction Products and Buildings , conducted at the Department of Building Technology and the Department of Forestry and Wood Technology. The project involves collaboration with research partners at Chalmers University of Technology and the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk). Through these collaborations, the project aims to strengthen the scientific evidence base for climate policy, regulatory development, public procurement, and spatial planning, while supporting the long-term sustainable use of forest resources in Sweden.

The position is also supported by and connected to the Knowledge Foundation-funded research profile Competitive Timber Structures and the Linnaeus University Centre for Competitive Timber Structures (LnuC TiSt), both within the Faculty of Technology. These initiatives contribute to the green transition of the construction sector by advancing innovation and sustainability in timber-based building solutions. Strong collaboration with industry partners is central to ensuring relevant and practically applicable research outcomes.

Field of subject for appointment:

Postdoctoral fellowship in Building Technology

Location until further notice:

Växjö. Since Linnaeus University is located in both Växjö and Kalmar, travel between the two may be required.

Term and hours:

The postdoctoral fellowship is a full-time position for a maximum of two years.

Starting date:

January 1, 2027, or by agreement

Job Description

The postdoctoral fellow will work as part of a multidisciplinary research team, with a primary focus on the systematic and decision-relevant synthesis of existing research concerning the climate impacts of wood-based construction products and buildings.

The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for synthesising existing research findings and methodologies concerning climate impacts across the full value chain of wood-based construction. This includes forest management, raw material extraction, primary and secondary processing, construction, the building use phase, co-product management, and end-of-life processes.

The synthesis will explicitly identify consistencies, and contradictions in the existing research findings. Focus will be given to identifying the parameters, assumptions, system boundaries, and methodological choices that contribute to divergent results and uncertainties in assessments of the climate impacts of wood-based construction products and buildings.

The research will further examine how these methodological differences affect the robustness and comparability of results and the evidence available to policymakers, regulators, industry practitioners, and other decision-makers. The overall aim is to contribute to a more transparent, consistent, and scientifically robust basis for assessing the climate implications of wood-based construction products and buildings.

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to actively participate in the academic environment and research networks of the departments, collaborate with project partners, contribute to national expert workshops and project events, and disseminate research findings through high-quality scientific publications.

Qualification Requirements

• Qualified for appointment is the one who holds a PhD in Building Technology, Wood Technology or a related field, or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD within these subjects, and who has completed its degree no more than three years before the application deadline. The degree must be completed no later than the time the appointment decision is made.
• The position requires experience in conducting systematic literature reviews during the PhD work as well as experience in applying material flow analysis, carbon footprint and life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and tools to evaluate the use of wood in building systems and its implications for climate benefits.
• A strong understanding of wood material production and its use in building systems, as well as the environmental implications of construction materials and building systems, is essential.
• Applicants must not have previously been employed as a postdoctoral fellow for more than a year in the same or related subject area at Linnaeus University.

Assessment criteria

• Documented research experience in Building Technology, with an emphasis on the environmental performance of buildings, is considered a merit. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to demonstrate the ability to conduct research within the area described above.
• The research is conducted within projects involving academic and industry partners. Therefore, strong teamwork and collaboration skills are considered important. A good command of written and spoken English is required, while knowledge of Swedish is considered an advantage.
• Additional assessment criteria include experience of research collaboration with research groups at universities, research institutes, or industry, as well as teaching experience relevant to the field of Building Technology.
• In the overall assessment, particular emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s scientific qualifications and potential to develop a successful career as an independent researcher.

You are welcome

to submit your application no later than November 15th, 2026.

Contact

Head of Department of Building Technology: Carmen Amaddeo [e-mail] , [phone]

Project leader: Ambrose Dodoo, [e-mail] , [phone]

HR-partner: Maria Furbring, [e-mail] , 0480-44 67 51

Linnaeus University has the ambition to utilize the qualities that an even gender distribution and diversity brings to the organization.

Linnaeus University is an employer that meets the requirements of the European Charter for Researchers and follows the recruitment guidelines. Therefore, the university has received the HR Excellence in Research award.