PhD Scholarship in Simulating Rebound Effects in the Early Phases of Design at Technical University of Denmark

Do you want to break new ground and push the boundaries of sustainable design towards higher impact?

At DTU Construct you will break new ground at the absolute forefront for enabling the design of sustainable solutions and be an active part of REBOUNDLESS, a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant project, awarded by the European Research Council. 

Your main goal will be to drive a paradigm shift in design science to enable the simulation of rebound effects (i.e., negative consequences of interventions that arise due to behavioural and systemic changes, which undermine ca. 40% of all potential sustainability gains) in the early phases of design. 

You will have the opportunity to join top interdisciplinary scientists from all over the world and make a personal impact in solving some of the most critical challenges the world is facing. Never has there been a stronger global focus on solving the pressing sustainability challenges, but the expected positive societal impact will not be achieved unless rebound effects are prevented.

Responsibilities and qualifications
We are looking for a skilled and ambitious early-stage scientist with a collaborative mindset and critical thinking backed by excellent communication ability in written and spoken English. Equally important is it that you like to create results based on knowledge sharing and positive teamwork.

Modelling and simulating the occurrence of rebound effects
Your focus will be to support the modelling and simulation of rebound effects triggered by efficiency, effectiveness and sufficiency design strategies at the product, business model, and socio-technical systems levels, building upon systemic mechanisms of rebound effects across four needs (housing, nutrition, mobility, and consumables).

More specifically, you will focus on quantitative simulation of rebound effects, enabling the ex-ante quantification of their magnitude, the identification of key leverage points and the evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative design strategies. Your primary tasks will include:

• Develop a modular approach for building customizable simulation models building upon the configuration of generic structures 
• Support the identification of the key leverage points for preventing the occurrence of rebound effects.
• Simulate the potential of design strategies in preventing rebound effects through alternative “what-if” scenarios.

You will work in an interdisciplinary team, in close collaboration with the other team members in REBOUNDLESS.

The obtention of the PhD degree is conditioned to:

• Research work resulting in the publication of high-end scientific articles and conferences.
• Completion of 30 ECTS in courses, which can be done at DTU or other universities.
• Department work, including support with teaching activities and the co-supervision of BSc/MSc students.
• Participation in external research environments through external research stay.

The rules for the PhD education at DTU can be checked at www.dtu.dk/english/education/phd/rules.

You must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree. Furthermore, it is an advantage if you have knowledge of design for sustainability, behavioural design and/or behavioural economics.

Application deadline: 1 January 2025.

Read about DTU at www.dtu.dk/english.