research assistant/PhD student – Pavement Engineering

The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) is an independent and internationally prominent research institute in the transport sector with some 215 employees and an annual turnover of roughly MSEK
245. We are seeking a research assistant/PhD student in pavement engineering with an emphasis on pavement structural design and performance development for our Pavement Technology division. The position will be based in Linköping, Sweden.
As a research assistant/PhD student you will be a VTI employee, while concurrently being accepted into the doctoral programme in civil and architectural engineering (division of building materials) at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden.
About the position
The goal of the project is to develop a mechanistic based pavement design method which takes into account ambient climate regarding temperature and moisture within the layers of the pavement structure. Your assignment will be to develop models for fine-grained unbound material (subgrade) behaviour as a function of moisture content, suction and load levels together with the Division’s professor of Road and Railway Engineering. The project aim is to predict the mechanical performance of subgrade materials under different moisture and suction conditions in a pavement structure as a function of time. The Swedish Transport Administration is funding the project for four years.
Your work will involve dynamic triaxial testing in laboratory, analysis of data and modelling, and evaluation of existing field and laboratory tests. Although you will devote yourself mainly to your doctoral education, you will also work to some extent with other research, field and laboratory testing, and the dissemination of research results to various actors and stakeholders.
Your qualifications
You have an MSc or equivalent in engineering or the sciences, preferably within Civil and Environmental Engineering or related fields.
You are interested in laboratory and experimental work, analysis of data and modelling. Experience in the field of pavement/structural/geotechnical engineering and in modelling is beneficial. The job duties require a solid foundation in the relevant theory and methodology, and you must be able to compile, analyse and present material independently.
The work will entail numerous contacts with various organisations within the transport field, cooperative partners and other researchers. You must consequently possess both good organisational and cooperative skills, as well as strong skills in written and spoken English. A good knowledge of Swedish is advantageous, but not a requirement.
We will place major emphasis on your personal characteristics, analytical abilities, and ability to take personal initiative and work independently.
Duration of employment
The duration of employment will be until further notice in increments of a maximum of one year at a time, and will be reassessed on an ongoing basis each year. The position is predicated upon your acceptance into the postgraduate programme at KTH.
More information
Additional information about the position is available from Research Director Björn Kalman, +46 (0)13-20 42 55 or Professor Sigurdur Erlingsson, +46 (0)13-20 41 23. The union representatives are Jonas Ihlström, Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations and Thomas Lundberg, Swedish Union of Civil Servants, whom you can reach via the VTI switchboard at +46 (0)13-20 40 00.
We decline all offerings of advertising or recruiting assistance in connection with this recruitment.
The application
We welcome your application, which must include a personal letter, CV, transcripts, and any other documents you wish to cite. Please label your application “Forskningsassistent/doktorand vägteknik, dnr 2020/0305-3.1” and submit it to VTI, HR-enheten, SE-581 95 Linköping or by e-mail to vti@vti.se.
The deadline for applications is 24 August 2020.