DIAMOND seeks to appoint 16 highly motivated Ph.D. candidates to a range of positions across Europe. These Doctoral Candidate (DC) positions offer an exciting opportunity to work with leading experts across Europe to develop solutions for Decentralised Critical Infrastructure Asset Monitoring and Condition Assessment . This position focuses on next-generation distributed intelligence and decision support for large fleets of civil infrastructure assets, including bridges, railways, and wind turbines.
Project backgroundThe scientific aim of DIAMOND is to develop decentralized, data-driven frameworks that enable robust monitoring and condition assessment of infrastructure fleets. By combining smart sensing with distributed intelligence and advanced stochastic modelling, the project delivers new methods for scalable prediction and decision support across diverse asset types.
The DIAMOND network brings together leading academic institutions and major industrial partners from across Europe, spanning Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
Job descriptionIn this role, you will benefit from advanced training in various European universities and industry, participate in scientific discussions within the rich context of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Doctoral Network (MSCA DN) DIAMOND.
Doctoral candidate position
A-DC1 will be hosted and matriculated at ETH Zurich, with planned secondments at Rambøll (RamG) and the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA). The doctoral candidate will work on distributed intelligence and decision support for fleet-level monitoring of critical infrastructure.
The objectives of this thesis include:
- developing graph-based and stochastic models for decentralized condition assessment and predictive maintenance across fleets of assets; and
- creating decision-support modules that integrate sensing, uncertainty quantification, and asset typologies to enable scalable, real-time evaluation and mitigation strategies.
This position is offered for
36 months, with the earliest starting date as agreed upon recruitment. The primary academic advisor is
Prof. Eleni Chatzi (ETH Zurich, D-BAUG), under close collaboration with Dr. Michele Magno (ETH Zurich, D-ITET, supervisor of A-DC2, A-DC3), and additional mentorship provided during secondments.
ProfileApplicants must hold a
- M.Sc. Diploma (120 ECTS points) or equivalent in civil, mechanical or electrical engineering, geosciences, physics, applied mathematics, computer sciences or related fields, and be at the beginning of their research career.
- Principal qualifications include strong analytical and quantitative skills in numerical analysis, programming, high-performance computing, as well as skills in dynamics & structural health monitoring, data analysis and modelling, and interest in laboratory-based experimentation and engineering applications.
- A solid knowledge of English as the spoken and written language of work is mandatory.
We expect good interpersonal skills, the ability to thrive in a diverse, multidisciplinary environment, ability to present work in international conference, as well as the willingness to spend a number of months working with project collaborators at partner universities in this project.
Eligibility Criteria: Researchers can be of any nationality. At the time of recruitment, researchers:
- Should not have been awarded a title of PhD (Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.)
- Should not have resided or carried out your main activity in Switzerland, for more than 12 months within the last 3 years
We offerWe offer you the opportunity to be a part of DIAMOND, which will not only facilitate sixteen DCs in reaching a high level of technical and project-specific excellence but will also provide you with many opportunities for developing skills that are transferable to a broader landscape of opportunities. You will have the opportunity to visit industry and other academic institutions within the consortium. After completing the program, you will have a thorough understanding of the process from research via innovation to industry implementation and a strong career-defining network.
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