Published: 14 May 2024
Zürich
100%
Permanent position
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PhD in Decision support methods to foster regenerative construction solutions and increase resilience of vulnerable and underserved communities
100%, Zurich, fixed-term
Join our research team at ETH Zurich in a project designed to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities worldwide against climate change. This PhD position is an opportunity to contribute to a global initiative that involves multiple international institutions in Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Norway, Switzerland, UK and USA. As a PhD candidate, you will play a crucial role in integrating scientific research with community-based participatory approaches to address local environmental challenges and enhance community resilience.
Project background
The rise of global surface temperatures is causing more extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and storms. Designing the built environment for integrated environmental and social sustainability and high resilience against extreme weather is crucial to face and mitigate the challenges of the ongoing rapid increase in climate-related disasters, especially in areas inhabited by vulnerable populations. Such design calls for holistic, inclusive, regenerative, and self-sustaining approaches which result in an overall net positive impact on the environment and the communities living in it. This project proposes an interdisciplinary participatory approach to generate resilient strategies to sustainably and durably regenerate the built environment in vulnerable and underserved communities, focused on key risks related to socio-ecological systems in littoral areas, water security and critical physical infrastructure.
The general objective is to develop a framework for the co-design of regenerative solutions for the built environment in vulnerable communities that increase their resilience to climate change local effects. Our project spans three continents with Living Labs in Colombia, Indonesia, and the USA, each involving local stakeholders and international research partners. These case studies will be used to create a roadmap that can guide the process of proposing technological solutions to address the specific needs of vulnerable communities, focusing on their exposure to and perception of climate change-related risks.
Job description
The objective of the PhD is to develop a framework allowing to implement placed based solutions that can improve the resilience of local communities and regenerate both environment and local economy. Such framework serves as base for co-designing solutions with the community, considering on one side local resource availability (material and immaterial), legal and social constraints, natural threats due to climate change and on the other side technical and sustainability performance of various design options. The PhD works more specifically in Colombia, but framework is intended to be transferrable to other contexts.
Following tasks are envisioned:
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Working on an exciting project carried out in a multicultural and interdisciplinary research group at ETH Zurich equipped with excellent computational and lab facilities. The group is currently composed of 20 people coming from 10 countries with 70% female employees. PhD student can expect regular meeting with senior person in the team, while still being allowed independent work. English is the working language in the group. Spanish is working language with community in Colombia. German is the language spoken in your every day life in Zurich. The PhD is expected to last 3 to 4 years.
Employment Conditions:
We value diversity
Curious? So are we.
We invite applications from motivated individuals eager to contribute to a global sustainability initiative. Please submit your application by end of June. Applications must be submitted online with attention to ETH Zurich, Ms. Corina Niescher, Human Resources, CH-8092 Zurich and include:
We expect to carry out interviews in July and have a final decision by end of July 2024 to start by September 2024 or later upon agreement with candidate.
About ETH Zürich
Curious? So are we.
We invite applications from motivated individuals eager to contribute to a global sustainability initiative. Please submit your application by end of June. Applications must be submitted online with attention to ETH Zurich, Ms. Corina Niescher, Human Resources, CH-8092 Zurich and include:
We expect to carry out interviews in July and have a final decision by end of July 2024 to start by September 2024 or later upon agreement with candidate.