项目介绍

2026年5月7日

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Built Environment

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Civil and Architectural Engineering, specialisation in Structural Engineering and Bridges

The division of Structural Engineering and Bridges at KTH is now starting a research project in collaboration with the Swedish Transport Administration focused on developing new guidelines for soil-steel composite bridges with larger spans.

Soil-steel bridges are currently among the most cost-effective and sustainable type of bridges and are very common in Sweden. However, the span of existing Swedish soil-steel bridges is limited to approximately 15 meters. The reason is that the current Swedish design guidelines, which rely on empirical formulas cannot be used for larger spans.

The aim of this project is to develop design recommendations and calculation models for soil-steel composite bridges exceeding 15 meters in span. This will be achieved through a combination of experimental testing on both new and existing bridges, as well as advanced numerical modeling using the finite element method. Two specific issues that will be studied are the fatigue behaviour and the ultimate limit state analysis.

As a doctoral student, you will be part of our internationally leading research group and will collaborate closely with the Swedish Transport Administration, as well as leading industry partners specializing in soil-steel bridges construction.

Supervision: Jean-Marc Battini is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master’s degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge.
• The applicant should have a master’s degree in structural or civil engineering.

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach,
• analyze and work with complex issues and
• good knowledge and great interest in structural mechanics, finite element methods, numerical and experimental methods

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree: Licentiate degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years’ time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

As a doctoral student, you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement. Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) | KTH | Sweden.

Union representatives

Contact information forunion representatives.

Doctoral Student’s network (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information forPhD chapter.

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH’s recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must include the following elements:

• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified.
• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Other information

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant’s consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

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Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.