Four PhD positions: Climate-driven geohazards in coastal and urban areas
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Four PhD positions: Climate-driven geohazards in coastal and urban areas
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 July 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title
Four PhD positions: Climate-driven geohazards in coastal and urban areas
Research area and project description
We are looking for excellent PhD candidates in structural, geotechnical, and coastal engineering to join our multi-disciplinary research team working with climate-driven geohazards in coastal and urban areas. Over the next years, we will investigate how climate change amplifies geohazards such as coastal erosion, rainfall-induced landslides, wetting- and drying-related ground movements, and the resulting risks to near-shore infrastructure and urban environments.
Especially, we welcome applications targeting:
Within one of these areas, you must demonstrate your motivation and fit, and you must write a research proposal as described below.
During your PhD project, you will engage with Danish and international academic experts and relevant stakeholder organisations, ensuring that the research remains scientifically rigorous and practically meaningful. The results of your work will be shared through scientific journal publications and international conference presentations. Also, the position may include teaching and co-supervision duties as well as other dissemination activities in accordance with departmental needs.
The research is part of a grand 10-year research programme sponsored by Villum Foundation. You will thus be part of a greater community of PhD students, young researchers, and leading experts, all with the common goal of placing Denmark in the forefront of research regarding “Civil Engineering and the Green Transition in the Built Environment” (CEBE).
Research proposal (max. 4000 keystrokes):
As part of the application, you must upload a document entitled “Project Description”. Related to one of the research areas 1–4, you must here present a research proposal (max. 4000 keystrokes) that briefly outlines the state-of-the-art, identifies gaps, formulates research questions/hypotheses, and describes methodology. The PhD plan will be refined in collaboration with the supervisors after selection of the candidates.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have an MSc degree (120 ECTS) or demonstrate equivalent competencies in civil, structural, geotechnical, or coastal engineering (or a closely related engineering discipline).
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Navitas, Inge Lehmanns Gade 10, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 20 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Preferred starting date is 01 July 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter.
Please note:
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.
Title
Four PhD positions: Climate-driven geohazards in coastal and urban areas
Research area and project description
We are looking for excellent PhD candidates in structural, geotechnical, and coastal engineering to join our multi-disciplinary research team working with climate-driven geohazards in coastal and urban areas. Over the next years, we will investigate how climate change amplifies geohazards such as coastal erosion, rainfall-induced landslides, wetting- and drying-related ground movements, and the resulting risks to near-shore infrastructure and urban environments.
Especially, we welcome applications targeting:
- LiDAR mapping of near-shore waves and coastlines to investigate morphodynamics (supervisors: Julie C. Kristoffersen, Lars V. Andersen).
- Multi-physics geo–hydro modelling of wetting–drying induced ground movement, landslides and erosion (supervisors: Felipe Prada, Lars V. Andersen).
- Mapping climate-driven risks to port infrastructure combining satellite and terrestrial data with soil–structure interaction modelling (supervisors: Andrea Franza, Lars V. Andersen).
- Hydro-mechanical characterisation and constitutive modelling of challenging Danish soils relevant to ground movement and landslides (supervisors: Kenny K. Sørensen, Felipe Prada).
Within one of these areas, you must demonstrate your motivation and fit, and you must write a research proposal as described below.
During your PhD project, you will engage with Danish and international academic experts and relevant stakeholder organisations, ensuring that the research remains scientifically rigorous and practically meaningful. The results of your work will be shared through scientific journal publications and international conference presentations. Also, the position may include teaching and co-supervision duties as well as other dissemination activities in accordance with departmental needs.
The research is part of a grand 10-year research programme sponsored by Villum Foundation. You will thus be part of a greater community of PhD students, young researchers, and leading experts, all with the common goal of placing Denmark in the forefront of research regarding “Civil Engineering and the Green Transition in the Built Environment” (CEBE).
Research proposal (max. 4000 keystrokes):
As part of the application, you must upload a document entitled “Project Description”. Related to one of the research areas 1–4, you must here present a research proposal (max. 4000 keystrokes) that briefly outlines the state-of-the-art, identifies gaps, formulates research questions/hypotheses, and describes methodology. The PhD plan will be refined in collaboration with the supervisors after selection of the candidates.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have an MSc degree (120 ECTS) or demonstrate equivalent competencies in civil, structural, geotechnical, or coastal engineering (or a closely related engineering discipline).
- Good communication skills in oral and written English are required.
- Specific competencies relevant to the selected project line (e.g. advanced constitutive and numerical soil modelling, analysis of soil–structure interaction, laboratory testing, remote and terrestrial sensing, Earth observation, ocean waves and coastal dynamics) is considered an advantage.
- 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 Navitas, Inge Lehmanns Gade 10, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:
- Lars Vabbersgaard Andersen, lva@cae.au.dk
- Andrea Franza, anfr@cae.au.dk
- Kenny Kataoka Sørensen, kks@cae.au.dk
- Felipe Prada, felipe.prada@cae.au.dk
- Julie Carøe Kristoffersen, jck@cae.au.dk
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 20 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Preferred starting date is 01 July 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter.
Please note:
- Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be considered.
- 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.