Doctoral student in soil and rock mechanics (climate adaption)

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Civil and architectural engineering (specialization in soil and rock mechanics)

We are seeking a doctoral student to join the Division of Soil and Rock Mechanics and contribute to the climate adaptation of society’s infrastructure. This position is part of a novel interdisciplinary research project focused on developing sustainable solutions for climate adaptation strategies.

The project has high practical relevance and is expected to make an important impact on society’s climate transition. As a doctoral student, you will work closely with both geotechnical engineers and risk philosophers to study how deep uncertainties in climate change predictions influence the reliability of geotechnical structures.

In this role, you will:

• Explore how uncertainties in climate related parameters affect the suitability of various climate adaptation strategies and geotechnical solutions.
• Conduct geotechnical analyses to create cost-effective and sustainable engineering solutions, and to develop and test models for decision under deep uncertainty.
• Work on case studies that connect the research to real-world geotechnical structures.

Supervision: You will receive strong support from Johan Spross (geotechnical risk management), Per Wikman Svahn (risk philosophy), and Stefan Larsson (geotechnics). Through close collaboration and a supportive, inclusive work environment, you will have the opportunity to develop a unique expertise for a future career in either industry or academia. Decisions on supervisors are made on admission.

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyse and work with complex issues.

The applicant shall have a background in civil engineering or other relevant discipline (e.g., engineering physics). Practical experience as a geotechnical engineer is a merit, as is familiarity with statistics and risk and safety analysis, and having programming skills in Matlab, Python, or R. Strong academic credentials and proficiency in English, both written and spoken, are required.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree: Doctoral Degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%, in addition to the four years' doctoral education), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

PhD Chapter (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for the PhD Chapter at KTH.

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

According to The Protective Security Act (2018-585), the candidate must undergo and pass security vetting if the position is placed in a security class. Information regarding whether the position is subject to such a classification will be provided during the recruitment process.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

About KTH

KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy. Read more here

1. Johan Spross, johan.spross@byv.kth.se