Vacant job

Are you ready to take the next step in your academic journey? As a PhD student with us, you will work closely with leading researchers in a strong and international research environment, with access to advanced laboratory equipment and good funding opportunities. You are offered a secure employment, high-quality supervision, and room to grow, both as a researcher and as an individual.

We want to strengthen our research group in construction production and construction technology at the Department of Industrial and Sustainable Construction with a new PhD student to build knowledge on how reuse can be established as an integrated part of construction companies' regular operations. The research group conducts research and education within the construction process – from early planning and design through construction to management. Our core competencies today lie in management and digitalization of the construction process as well as in industrial construction and production systems. The research group is leading in Sweden within its core area and has around 20 employees, of whom 5 are PhD students. The research is applied and starts from relevant issues in close collaboration with stakeholders in the construction and civil engineering sector.

Subject Description

Construction production and construction technology encompass research on the management and development of construction-related projects and activities, as well as research on construction-related methods, techniques, and their applications for sustainable societal development. The subject includes research specifically related to digitalization and industrial processes.

Project Description

The PhD project is carried out within the project "From pilot to practice: how reuse can be established in the daily life of construction companies," which is funded by SBUF. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with NCC, but also with other actors in the construction and property sector who play central roles in enabling reuse in construction projects.

The research project aims to increase knowledge about how reuse can be integrated into the regular operations of construction companies, with a particular focus on the early stages of projects such as design, where the conditions for reuse are largely shaped. The project is conducted as practice-oriented follow-up research with a focus on contractor-driven construction projects, where organization, control, and collaboration are studied in relation to how reuse is actually carried out in daily project work.

Through qualitative case studies, the project will analyze how goals and ambitions for reuse are translated into concrete decisions, working methods, and routines in design. Special attention is directed towards how roles, responsibilities, and coordination develop in the meeting between established working methods and new circular requirements. Furthermore, how reuse is handled in relation to project logics, such as time, cost, and quality, is studied.

The project is expected to contribute with both empirical and theoretical knowledge about how reuse can be integrated into the daily life of construction production. The results will provide a basis for the development of working methods, routines, and control forms that support a more circular construction process, and contribute to increased understanding of how new working methods are established and institutionalized in the construction sector.

Job Responsibilities

The work in the current research project involves conducting practice-oriented research in collaboration with industry actors, where data collection takes place through interviews, observations, and document studies in ongoing construction projects. As a PhD student, you will also be trained in scientific work in the form of publishing scientific articles in journals and presentations at national and international conferences. Additionally, you will take mandatory and elective PhD courses. In the departmental service included in the role, you will also have the opportunity to contribute to the department's teaching of students in courses and degree projects.

Qualifications

Eligibility requires a Master of Science degree (or equivalent basic eligibility requirements, Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 7, Section 39) in a relevant direction, i.e., civil engineering, road and water engineering, architecture, or industrial economics. You are expected to take initiative, develop your own ideas, and work independently but also have high collaboration skills. Since the research work is very communicative, we require that you have very good ability to express yourself in speech and writing in English.

Meritorious criteria are:

• Knowledge in project management and control, especially in early stages.
• Knowledge and skills in planning, implementation, and control of value-creating processes, for example in design, production, and/or logistics.
• Experience of working in or close to construction projects, for example with a contractor, consultant, or client.
• Good knowledge of Swedish, in speech and writing.

For further information about specific PhD education see: https://www.ltu.se/research/Utbildning-pa-forskarniva/Studieplaner/Allmanna-studieplaner-Teknisk-fakultetsnamnd (https://www.ltu.se/research/Utbildning-pa-forskarniva/Studieplaner/Allmanna-studieplaner-Teknisk-fakultetsnamnd).

A continued academic career at Luleå University of Technology may be an opportunity for further development.

Information

Employment as a PhD student is time-limited for 4 years, teaching and other departmental service may be added up to 20% of full-time, which extends employment to a maximum of 5 years. Place of work is Luleå. Start date by agreement.

For further information, you are welcome to contact Emilia Nilsson Vestola, postdoc, 0920-49 1050, [email protected].

Union Representatives:

SACO-S: Diana Chroneer, 0920-49 2037, [email protected]

OFR-S: Marika Vesterberg, 0920-49 1721, [email protected]

Application

We prefer that you apply for the position via the application button below where you attach a cover letter as well as CV/merit list and copies of verified degree certificates. Please mark your application with the reference number below. Both the application and degree certificates should be written in Swedish or English.

Last day for applications: August 16, 2026

Reference number: 3232-2026