The Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) research group of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven conducts research on sustainable product and process design across the full product life cycle. The group focuses on methodologies and technologies that support circular economy strategies such as reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling.
Research activities combine ecodesign, manufacturing/robotic systems, software/computer vision tools, and sustainability assessment, and are carried out in close collaboration with industrial partners and public organizations. The group actively contributes to European and international research initiatives and provides a multidisciplinary research environment for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers working on the transition towards more sustainable production and consumption systems.
Website unit
Project
This PhD position is part of the academic network working on ecodesign, an international research and training initiative. The network aims to advance ecodesign methodologies and manufacturing strategies that enable circular economy practices at industrial scale, in line with European sustainability and resource efficiency policy objectives.
Re and demanufacturing of electromechanical products is increasingly recognized as a key enabler for circular economy strategies such as reuse, repair, refurbishing, and remanufacturing. However, current re and demanufacturing processes still face major challenges due to product variability, process complexity, limited automation scalability, and high operational costs. While robotic disassembly technologies have progressed, existing approaches typically focus on isolated process steps and do not sufficiently account for human robot cooperation, nor do they fully integrate sustainability considerations into product design decisions.
Existing design assessment tools, such as disassembly oriented metrics (e.g. Re DiM), remain limited in scope, primarily addressing disassembly while neglecting other critical activities such as diagnostics, cleaning, sorting, and remanufacturing. Moreover, comprehensive methodologies that systematically support design for human robot cooperative re and demanufacturing across different electromechanical product categories are currently lacking.
The objective of this PhD project is to develop an ecodesign framework for electromechanical components and systems that enables efficient and robust human robot cooperative re and demanufacturing processes. The research will explicitly address design trade offs between durability, ease of automation, human intervention, and sustainability performance.
Building on existing methodologies, the project will expand the scope of current design metrics to cover a wider range of re and demanufacturing activities and product types. In the larger project setting, the development of this framework will be combined with a holistic sustainability assessment framework, integrating environmental (LCA), economic (LCC), and social impact perspectives, to support informed design decision making.
- Validation and industrial relevance
The developed methodologies will be validated through industrial case studies in collaboration with European manufacturing and remanufacturing companies. For this the PhD includes two mandatory international secondments (2-3 months), providing direct exposure to industrial design practice, advanced manufacturing technologies, and real world remanufacturing constraints.
The objective is that the information acquired through the proposed methodologies throughout the design process, to assess and steer product design, is also included in the Digital Product Passport to support re- and demanufacturing activities. Diverse robotic setups will be available to validate both design improvements and the value of the acquired information and proposed data structures in the newly established remanufacturing light house laboratories at Flanders Make @ KU Leuven, in Belgium, Heverlee, managed by the LCE research group.
Through this combination of methodological development, experimental validation in the laboratories, and industrial collaboration, the objective is to generate actionable design knowledge that supports the goal of advancing scalable, sustainable, and policy-aligned circular design and manufacturing strategies.
Profile
- Education: You do not hold a doctoral degree. You hold a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline, obtained with at least distinction (cum laude) or an internationally recognized equivalent, as required for admission to the KU Leuven Doctoral School.
- Technical skills: Practical experience in the mechanical design of electromechanical systems, combined with robot programming skills and hands-on experience with industrial or collaborative robots.
- Communication: You communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing; knowledge of Dutch is considered an asset, but is not required.
- Research focus: You have a strong interest in ecodesign, re‑ and demanufacturing, and human‑robot collaboration in an industrial context.
- Drive: You are motivated to conduct doctoral research and to work in a multidisciplinary and international research environment.
- Hands-on approach: You are willing to carry out experimental research and participate in mandatory international secondments at our industrial partners.
- International mobility rule: To foster international exchange, at the time of recruitment, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work or studies) in Belgium for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding 01/10/2026.
Beyond academic excellence, we value candidates with strong teamwork abilities, interdisciplinary curiosity, and an awareness of the socio-economic and policy impacts of sustainable engineering.
Offer
A funded PhD position, including international secondments, competitive salary, doctoral training, and access to state‑of‑the‑art robotic labs. The EU Researcher Allowances will be used to cover both the employee's as the employer's mandatory charges
The network adheres to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, ensuring a transparent and fair selection process. We believe that ambitious research requires a variety of voices, and we view diversity as a core strength of our team.
Our recruitment is based on a broad definition of merit: we value not only academic grades but also your teamwork abilities, interdisciplinary knowledge, and soft skills. We are committed to equal opportunity and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including, but not limited to, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religious diversity, neurodiversity, or socioeconomic background.
In line with our commitment to gender balance, we particularly encourage applications from women. We also welcome researchers from underrepresented backgrounds and new EU Member States to join our multidisciplinary environment.
To support our commitment to equity and meritocracy, please ensure you compile the “Summary Sheet” document (available here: https://kuleuven-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/nuria_boixrodriguez_kuleuven_be/IQCOwYLom5SDTaRkTWtdT4b9AZD_-MJxaohko2Jk-Atq3AY?rtime=vLYz5G2v3kg) and include it as the first pages of your motivation letter. In addition, avoid using your family name or first name in the Motivation Letter and when naming your files (e.g., Summary_Motivation.pdf).
Interested?
For more information please contact Dr. Núria Boix Rodríguez, mail: [email protected].
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
