Vacant job

PhD Student in Building and Architecture with a Focus on Human-Centric Lighting

Workplace Description

The Department of Built Environment and Energy has a stimulating and international environment consisting of PhD students, postdocs, and teachers from many parts of the world. Here, research and teaching take place in an open and progressive climate with challenges and collaborations both within academia and with industrial partners, both nationally and internationally. The work environment is characterized by commitment, collaboration, creativity, and personal responsibility.

The position will be located at the Division of Energy and Building Design (EBD) at LTH, and you will work from LTH's campus in Lund.

EBD offers a dynamic and international research environment at the forefront of energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable building. Our division conducts leading research on buildings' environmental impact, energy efficiency, daylight, and lighting performance. As part of our team, you will become part of an engaged and collaborative community that values a positive and supportive work environment. The staff at EBD are active in both research and teaching, primarily within the master's program Energy-Efficient and Environmental Building Design.

The work involves close collaboration with supervisors, other PhD students, and other parts of the operation, meaning that a large part of the work takes place on-site at LTH's campus in Lund.

More information about EBD at LTH.se.

Being a PhD Student

As a PhD student, you are both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University.

As a doctoral student, you are trained in a scientific approach. This can be briefly described as gaining practice in critical and analytical thinking, solving problems independently using appropriate methods, and developing research ethics awareness. Additionally, as a PhD student, you are given the opportunity to work on projects, develop your leadership skills, and enhance your pedagogical abilities. Throughout your studies, you are guided by supervisors. The doctoral studies conclude with a thesis and a doctoral degree.

More about being a PhD student at LTH on lth.se.

Subject and Project Description

This research project investigates how energy-efficient home lighting affects sleep quality in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The PhD project has three main objectives:

• Development of a specially adapted energy-efficient luminaire in collaboration with an industrial partner. The luminaire should provide smoother lighting, higher light intensity without causing discomfort, a wider range of color temperatures, reduced flicker, and easier control.
• Investigation of long-term effects through a two-year study in families with children, covering all seasons and including at least 35 participants.
• Analysis of the results with the aim of identifying the lighting system's effects on sleep quality and the underlying mechanisms. The analysis will, among other things, use chronobiological questionnaires to determine if observed effects, for example, are due to shifts in circadian rhythms or psychological signaling mechanisms.

Job Responsibilities

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral education, which includes both research and doctoral courses as well as participation in seminars and conferences. The job responsibilities may also include teaching and other departmental duties equivalent to up to 20 percent of full-time employment. Through the project, you will contribute to new knowledge in the field of human-centric lighting for people with neurodivergence.

The research project involves a combination of research, development, fieldwork, data analysis, and dissemination of results.

The main job responsibilities include:

• contributing to the development of an energy-efficient lighting luminaire,
• planning and conducting a field study in private homes, including recruiting participants as well as installing and calibrating the lighting system,
• collecting qualitative and quantitative data,
• critically analyzing the collected results.

The job responsibilities also include:

• conducting a comprehensive literature review,
• contributing to the design of the experimental study together with the research group,
• calibrating the equipment using advanced light measuring instruments,
• conducting interviews and administering surveys,
• leading the interpretation and critical discussion of research results,
• since the installations take place in private homes, the position involves travel to various locations in Skåne and some flexibility regarding working hours.

Expectations for Publications and Dissemination of Research Results

As a PhD student, you are expected to:

• publish research results in high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific journals and present your research at international conferences,
• contribute to disseminating research results to both the scientific community and the surrounding society.

Qualifications

To be eligible for admission and employment as a PhD student, you must meet the following requirements.

Eligibility

A person meets the general eligibility for doctoral education if the applicant:

• has completed a degree at advanced level, or
• has completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level, or
• in other ways, within or outside the country, has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge.

The requirements for special eligibility for Building and Architecture (TEABAF00) are met by those who have at least:

• at least 90 higher education credits relevant to the subject area, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level and a degree project of at least 30 higher education credits at advanced level within the subject area, or
• a degree at advanced level within a relevant subject area

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