PhD opening in 3D printed stone for heritage buildings

ETH Zurich seeks a PhD candidate to research 3D printed stone for heritage conservation, focusing on powder-bed printing techniques and material grading.

This doctoral position focuses on utilizing stone material properties as a design medium through powder-bed printing. The research involves varying constituents within single pieces to control composition, porosity, and appearance. The role requires close collaboration between various research groups and field practitioners to address heritage building needs.

Responsibilities

• Design, assemble, and set up a laboratory-scale powder-bed printer capable of handling dual powder and liquid feeds.
• Create stone replacement components for heritage structures that meet conservation compatibility standards.
• Develop structural strategies for integrating printed elements with existing building fabrics.
• Explore how graded color, texture, and veining influence surface interactions in printed elements.
• Provide printed samples to support the partner chair's research on material deterioration.
• Publish findings in prominent academic journals and present results at international conferences.
• Supervise semester and master's projects as part of teaching duties.

Requirements

• Master's degree in architecture or a closely related field.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating substantial design work.
• Proficiency in mechanical design and prototyping.
• Advanced skills in computational design.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong communication abilities and a collaborative mindset.

Nice to have

• Proven experience in digital fabrication.
• Background in electronics, sensing, or control software.
• Interest in stone behavior.
• Conversational German.

What the company offers

• Chance to work at the intersection of computational design, materials, and construction-scale fabrication.
• Access to powder-bed and extrusion-based printing systems at architectural scale.

About the company

ETH Zurich is a leading research university with a strong focus on science and technology. The specific group has over a decade of experience developing architectural-scale printing systems and has built the tallest 3D-printed structures in the world.

• Over a decade of experience in architectural-scale printing systems.
• Record-breaking achievements in 3D-printed structures.