University of Melbourne PhD Scholarship

PhD scholarship opportunity at the University of Melbourne for a project on automatic building permit assessment using artificial intelligence.

The project is led through the Digital Lab and the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA), in collaboration with the Urban Digital Twin Lab at SMST-UCF and the University of Auckland. The research sits at the intersection of Computer Science, Information Technology, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Geography, and Architecture, with a strong focus on AI-enabled regulatory compliance and digital governance.

The project aims to develop intelligent systems that can interpret building codes and application documents, then assess compliance in a consistent and scalable way. Methods mentioned include large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and multi-agent systems (MAS). The work is intended to improve efficiency, transparency, and accuracy in building permit assessment, while contributing to digital twins and smart city infrastructure.

The scholarship is a 3.5-year PhD position at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It includes tuition fee coverage and a living allowance, and there is no teaching requirement. Applicants should have a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Geomatics, or a related discipline, and experience with LLMs, RAG, and MAS is expected. Knowledge of the construction industry is an advantage.

Deadline: 30 April 2026. Start date: 1 July 2026.

To apply, email your CV and academic transcripts to Dr Davood Shojaei at [email protected].