PhD in Interoperable Digital Workflows for Regenerative Building Design and Performance École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland

EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) is recruiting a full-time PhD student for the South–North Laboratory for Sustainable Construction and Conservation (SONO Lab) within the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), based at the EPFL Fribourg associated campus in Switzerland.

The project sits inside REGEN4BE—Regenerative Design for the Built Environment, a Horizon Europe initiative under the New European Bauhaus framework. The doctoral research focuses on interoperable digital workflows for regenerative building design and performance, linking Building Information Modelling (BIM), openBIM/IFC, Building Energy Modelling (BEM), Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), whole-life carbon, circularity indicators, monitoring data, occupant feedback, and Post-Occupancy Evaluation (PoE).

The successful candidate will help develop and scientifically validate the Regenerative Design Intelligence Platform (REDIP) and related data pipelines, connectors, APIs, and information structures. The work includes full-scale testing with Smart Living Lab data and infrastructure in Fribourg, collaboration with Building2050 and other EPFL research platforms, and assessment of reliability, traceability, uncertainty, reproducibility, and usability across design, construction, and operational phases.

A second strand of the PhD applies and adapts the REGEN4BE framework to earth-block and Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3)-based housing systems in African contexts. This includes BIM structures for local materials and assemblies, BIM-to-BEM workflows for passive environmental performance, and BIM-linked LCA and circularity methods for low-carbon, repairable construction. The project aims to produce transferable design recommendations for climate-responsive and regenerative housing across different climates, materials, and digital infrastructures.

Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in architecture, architectural engineering, building science, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, computational design, environmental engineering, or a related field. Strong interest in BIM, interoperable digital environments, environmental performance, building simulation, LCA, carbon assessment, circular construction, monitoring, and computational methods is expected. Python or equivalent scripting skills are highly desirable. Excellent English is required; French is an asset.

The position offers four years of funding/contract duration under EPFL employment conditions, with a 100% activity rate. Applications must be submitted via the official EPFL recruitment platform by 1 October 2026. A separate EDAR application deadline is 15 September 2026. The planned contract start date is 15 January 2027.