Assistant Professor (tenure track)/Associate Professor in Computational end Generative Design

Are you interested in scientific computing, artificial intelligence, and how they can automate and enhance design of civil engineering structures? Are you interested in creating societal impact with your research? Then the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering of Aarhus University invites you to apply for this position.

Expected start date and duration of employment
The expected starting date is no later than August 1 2027.

Job description
This position is part of the section for Structural Engineering.
Your tasks will be:

• Teaching/upgrading existing courses related to Structural Engineering at both B.Sc. and M.Sc. level in Civil and Architectural Engineering programmes.
• Supervising students at different levels (e.g., multidisciplinary projects, master theses, doctoral theses).
• Conducting research through externally sponsored grants at national and international levels.
• Establishing relevant collaborations with the Danish industry.
• Contributing to the operation of the department.

Your profile
We are looking for a candidate that can enhance the department’s competencies in computational design. The candidate shall hold:

• Engineering background (B.Sc. and M.Sc.).
• Doctoral degree in a relevant field of research.
• High-level proficiency in English.

The following qualifications and experience are required:

• Scientific computing, possibly with different programming languages (e.g., Python, Julia, C#, C++ MATLAB).
• Parametric and algorithmic building design using, e.g., Rhino/Grasshopper tool suite.
• Physics-informed machine learning, generative and agentic AI for building design automation.
• Teaching and developing computational and generative design courses related to structural engineering.
• Supervision of undergraduate and graduate students (B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. theses).

Candidates must demonstrate potential for outstanding research and teaching. The selected candidate shall demonstrate:

• Some years of post-graduate research and publication experience are required. A pre-existing and growing international research network is expected. Prior collaboration with the Danish innovation ecosystem is desired, but not essential.
• Experience from successful external research collaborations with industry and academia, project management skills. Experience in the attraction of external funding is preferred.
• Research ability documented through rising publication and citation records evidenced by appropriate bibliometric parameters in reputable international peerreviewed journals.

Well-defined research focus and sound strategy to develop a research group.

Who we are
The Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Aarhus University is a growing engineering environment with a clear vision for the future of the built environment.

Established in 2021, the department today includes more than 100 researchers and educators and around 1.050 students. We conduct research and education within structural engineering, geotechnics, architectural engineering and design, sustainability, construction management, climate adaptation, indoor climate, building materials, and digital technologies.

The construction sector is facing major challenges related to climate, resource consumption, and the way we design and build our cities and buildings.

Through research, education, and collaboration with industry and public-sector partners, we contribute to developing technological solutions that support a more sustainable built environment.

Our research and development activities are closely connected to the needs of industry and society, and many projects are carried out in collaboration with companies, public authorities, and other research environments. This ensures that the knowledge and technologies developed at the department are relevant in practice and create value beyond the university.

Education is a central part of the department’s identity. We offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programmes in engineering and continuously work to improve the connection between research, teaching, and practice.

Across our programmes, students work with real-world challenges, current technologies, and sustainable solutions for the construction sector.

What we offer
We offer an innovative and collaborative teaching and research environment with close interaction between students, researchers, and industry partners. The department provides well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories, and access to shared technical facilities. We offer an interdisciplinary environment with national, international, and industrial collaborators. Our academic environment is built on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional dialogue. The workplace is characterised by professionalism, flexibility, and a healthy work–life balance. The department is located at Navitas on the waterfront in Aarhus, Denmark

Place of work and area of employment
The place of work is at Navitas, Inge Lehmanns Gade 10, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. The area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.

Contact information
For further information, please contact: Associate Professor, Giuseppe Abbiati +45 93 52 17 51, abbiati@cae.au.dk.

Deadline
Applications must be received no later than December 14 2026.

Application procedure
Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment.

Formalities and salary range
Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary and terms as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Unions at basic salary steps 4-8.

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.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.