Are you interested in doctoral research and acquiring exciting career opportunities, in academia and beyond? We now offer a PhD student position in architectural design and robotic 3D printing with novel sustainable materials. This PhD project is a great opportunity to pursue pioneering research on the scale-up of circular, biobased material solutions for architectural applications in sustainable buildings, within a cross-disciplinary environment spanning architectural design, digital technologies and biomaterials science.
PhD project summary
The PhD student will join our cross-disciplinary research project "MycoCellular: Yeast-based 3D printed wall panels for green buildings", funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas. The project aims to deliver a novel, sustainable, scalable material from microbial biomass and recycled ingredients and show its first architectural application as robotically 3D printed, custom, modular, biobased interior wall panels that can replace less sustainable wall cladding materials. We will develop a full methodology for computational design, robotic 3D printing, assembly and disassembly of the panels, and demonstrate their application in typical insulated wall frame systems. We will also conduct LCA and environmental impact assessments of our material and conduct user studies to acquire practical feedback on panel designs. The final biobased wall demonstrator, installed in a Living Lab context in Sweden, will amplify the project's impact through a pioneering, first real-life application. Our ultimate goal is to accelerate the uptake of biobased materials in construction.
Information about the research environment
The PhD student will join the research environment Architecture, Media, and Material Practice (AMMP) at the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers. We are a dynamic, innovation-driven group with a strong profile in digital architectural design and robotic fabrication, and firmly established links in architectural practice and the construction industry. We run the Robotic Fabrication Lab – a unique experimental space equipped with three customizable industrial robots, where we explore cutting-edge architectural themes, including digital crafting, material recycling and reuse, sustainable bio-design, and robotic manufacturing.
The PhD student will be guided by leading researchers in architectural computational design and robotic fabrication, biotechnology, and materials science. Your main supervisor, Malgorzata Zboinska, is associate professor in Architectural Design, Digital Technology and New Media Art and development leader for the Robotic Fabrication Lab. Co-supervisors include associate professor Cecilia Geijer from the Department of Life Sciences at Chalmers, an expert in yeast engineering, and associate professor Tiina Nypelö from the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems at Aalto University, Finland, specializing in biobased materials and chemical engineering.
The successful candidate will be admitted to the Graduate School in Architecture and earn a doctoral degree within the subject of architecture.
Who we are looking for
Mandatory educational background:
Master's degree in architectural design, architectural engineering, sustainable building, building technology, or a related field. Full education should comprise at least four years of study (240 ECTS credits), whereof at least 60 ECTS credits at a Master's level (or equivalent). By the start of the enrollment in the PhD program, i.e., September 2025, the candidate must also hold a Master's degree, having completed a degree project (thesis) at a Master's level, representing at least one term of study (30 ECTS credits).
Project-specific qualifications:
Due to the technical needs of the project, preference can be given to candidates who possess experience and/or competencies in one or more of the following areas:
- Advanced computational design with Grasshopper.
- Programming (e.g. Python, C#).
- Robotic fabrication, digital manufacturing and 3D printing with sustainable materials.
- Experience in robot tool development.
- Work experience in a biomaterials/chemistry/biology lab and development of biomaterials for architecture and design.
The above skills and experience need to be showcased in a submitted portfolio through relevant projects and examples.
Other mandatory skills and personal traits:
- Deep interest in biobased materials, biodesign, and circular solutions for architecture as well as in digital design and construction technologies for a circular built environment, motivated in the personal letter.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Excellent graphic and visual communication skills.
- Interest in academic excellence and in producing high-quality academic output.
- Perseverance, diligence, patience, flexibility and genuine interest in making things work out despite encountered challenges and changing conditions.
- Attention to details while being able to zoom out and have a broad outlook on the research at hand.
- Natural ability to take initiative, work independently, and take responsibility for driving your work forward.
- Problem-solving, highly motivated personality.
- Ability to create and maintain structure and order in your research work.
- Ability to create realistic schedules to meet the project deadlines while producing high-quality output.
- Excellent collaborative skills and a deep interest in working with our cross-disciplinary project team and the AMMP research environment.
What you will do
As a PhD student, you will plan, drive and carry out the research activities of our project to achieve its aims and produce the expected deliverables. You will also take part in research communication through co-authored articles in top-ranked academic journals and conferences, industry papers and exhibitions of architectural demonstrators and prototypes.
The biomaterial development part of your project will involve the creation of scalable, 3D printable biobased material formulations. You will conduct systematic material development at the crossing of architectural design, biology and materials science. This part will include qualitative and quantitative data collection for our biomaterial material characterization and environmental impact assessment using methods such as LCA, and analyses of the material's performance in the biochemistry and material testing labs.
The digital design and robotic fabrication part of your project will involve systematic design experiments and architectural prototyping rounds using the developed material formulations, ending with the construction of a full-scale demonstrator of a biobased wall paneling system. Your detailed tasks will involve parametric and computational design in Grasshopper, physical computing and digital sensing, robot toolpath design and optimization, as well as custom programming in Python or other languages. Your work will also include custom robot hardware development, such as material sensing and monitoring systems, and a new end-effector for full-scale biomaterial extrusion.
Besides research within the given project, as a PhD student you will also:
- Participate in the research environment activities.
- Take and share responsibility for research tools, equipment and lab procedures with other group members.
- Take and share responsibility for the organization of events related to the PhD project topic and larger agendas in architectural biodesign, computational design, robotics, and sustainable materials.
- Disseminate research results through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences.
- Communicate research results to the industry and the public, through digital platforms, exhibitions and other channels.
- Prepare material for and participate in project meetings, research environment meetings, stakeholder workshops, and other relevant events.
- Teach and co-supervise master-level students, support student assistants and research assistants at AMMP, and carry out other department work in a scope that does not exceed 20 % of a full-time position.
The anticipated PhD project start is September 2025.
Contract terms and what we offer
- Fully funded PhD position.
- PhD position limited to four years, extendable to five years with up to 20% teaching and subject-related department work.
- Employee status with full benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers and our employee benefits.
- The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers offers access to cutting-edge research labs in robotic fabrication and digital manufacturing, woodworking, material testing and characterization, and advanced software and digital facilities.
- Being part of Chalmers, a top Swedish university with strong industry ties and a vibrant research community.
- Working in Gothenburg, a coastal city with an excellently connected Chalmers Campus environment—labs, departments, and facilities all within walking distance.
- Joining a university committed to equality and inclusion. Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence.
- Swedish courses to help international employees settle.
Discover more
Find more general information about doctoral studies at Chalmers here.
The application should be written in English be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.
CV (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number):
- CV.
- Names and contact details of two references that we can contact.
- If applicable, bibliographic details and copies of academic publications if unavailable publicly online.
Personal letter (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number), 1-2 A4 pages where you:
- Introduce yourself.
- Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, research activities).
- Describe, exemplify and motivate your interest in the PhD project topic stated under the heading "PhD project summary".
Design portfolio, comprising 3-5 examples of architectural or other relevant projects showing your skills in circular/sustainable design, biodesign, computational design and digital fabrication; if relevant, also projects involving the construction and/or exhibition of architectural demonstrators, installations, or prototypes (please explicitly state your tasks if the projects were collaborative).
Research synopsis for the given PhD project (max 3 pages A4, font Arial 11 pt, single line spacing). It should be directly linked to the theme of our research project as described under heading "PhD project summary" above, and contain:
1) Introduction and background (why is the research important and short overview of relevant architectural projects and research on the topic, including references to sources and articles),
2) Project goals and anticipated results (what do we want to achieve in our project, described in concrete terms),
3) Research methods (what will be the specific approaches, procedures or techniques you plan to use to tackle the project and reach the goals stated in point 3), and
4) Conclusion (summarize the relevance, state why undertaking this research is important for architectural design practice and generally for society and the natural environment).
IMPORTANT: All attachments need to be included in the application - please do not provide them as links to cloud-based and digital repositories such as Google Drive.
The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Please submit via the "Apply" button below.
Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.
Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered.
Application deadline: July 27, 2025
For questions about the position, please contact:
Associate Professor Malgorzata Zboinska, Dept. of Architecture and Civil Engineering, [email protected]
Please note that in July and August responses may be delayed due to the vacation period in Sweden.
We look forward to your application!
*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***
Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level. The university has 3100 employees and 10,000 students, and offers education in engineering, science, shipping and architecture. With scientific excellence as a basis, Chalmers promotes knowledge and technical solutions for a sustainable world. Through global commitment and entrepreneurship, we foster an innovative spirit, in close collaboration with wider society.
Chalmers was founded in 1829 and has the same motto today as it did then: Avancez – forward.
