BEACON-URBANRISK: Mekanik og jordobservation opdager bygge‑ og klimarisici

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Civil and Architectural Engineering programme. The position is available from 01 September 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title
BEACON-URBANRISK: Blending Mechanics and Earth Observation for the Detection of Construction and Climate-Induced Urban Risks

Research area and project description
We are looking for a PhD candidate in Geotechnical Engineering to join our research team at Aarhus University working at the interface of mechanics, Earth observation, and underground construction. Your focus will be on BEACON-URBANRISK: Blending Mechanics and Earth Observation for the Detection of Construction and Climate-Induced Urban Risks.

Your research will contribute to safer and more resilient cities by enabling earlier and more reliable detection of ground and structural movement patterns associated with underground construction (e.g. tunnelling, deep excavation), weather and seasonal variability, and longer-term climate trends. The central research question guiding the project is: Can soil–structure interaction (SSI) models, Earth observation, and environmental data be integrated to detect construction- and weather-induced urban risks?

As part of your work, you will collaborate with a group of experts at Aarhus University and engage with international academic experts and relevant stakeholder organisations, ensuring that the research remains scientifically rigorous and practically meaningful.

In the first phase of the project, your research will focus on developing modelling and analysis approaches that connect SSI with satellite-based Earth observation (EO) deformation products, with the aim of improving the physical interpretation of observed signals at building and infrastructure scale. Following a conceptualisation phase, you will establish a generic, transferable workflow that links mechanics-informed understanding with EO time series, while accounting for key sources of uncertainty and variability that typically arise in urban environments.

In the next phase, you will investigate how EO time series can be combined with environmental variables and ancillary information to support attribution between construction influences, environmental drivers, and longer-term trends. Finally, you will be involved in translating these advances into a screening framework suitable for urban-scale monitoring, alongside structured validation on representative case studies using available EO and monitoring datasets.

The results of your work will be shared through publications and conference presentations. The position may include teaching and co-supervision duties in accordance with departmental needs.

Project description
For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences
Applicants must have a relevant master’s degree (120 ECTS) in Civil or Geotechnical Engineering (or a closely related discipline).
Knowledge of underground construction and/or Earth observation is considered an advantage. Familiarity with soil–structure interaction and data analysis is also beneficial. Programming skills (for example Python or MATLAB) are an advantage but not a strict requirement.

Place of employment and place of work
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Inge Lehmanns Gade 10, 3210 Navitas, 8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.

Contacts
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:

• Andrea Franza, anfrccolonwilsonjillericchung@skinnercae.augreen.dk (main supervisor)
• Lars Vabbersgaard Andersen, wendypopeddaviskarla48lva@norton-mccallfleming-collinsgilbert-matacae.au.dk (co-supervisor)

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:

• admission.gradschool.tech@au.dk

How to apply
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 15 February 2026 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 01 September 2026.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.