PhD in Damage and healing monitoring of ultra-high performance concrete

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculty of Engineering, Department Mechanica van materialen en constructies, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

This is a joint Doctoral (PhD) full time position in damage and healing monitoring of ultra-high performance concrete between Vrije Universiteit Brussels and Ghent University, Belgium.

The project is funded by FWO (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen, Research Foundation-Flanders). You will preferably start in September/October 2025.

The project aims to push the boundaries of monitoring ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) elements, specifically focusing on service loading, degradation, and self-healing. Despite its exceptional properties, UHPC faces challenges such as shrinkage cracking and degradation in aggressive environments, and its self-healing potential remains unexplored. The proposal seeks to explore the capabilities of air-coupled ultrasound for in-depth interpretation of UHPC behavior. By monitoring damage processes at an early stage, material optimization can be achieved, and prompt maintenance actions can be taken to prevent compromised performance, ensuring safety and reducing future maintenance costs. Additionally, evaluating the mechanical and durability restoration after repair or healing is crucial for continuous safe operation and extending the useful life of structures, contributing to sustainability. The use of advanced dispersive features of elastic waves allows for sensitivity to different length scales and physical properties, enabling the early detection and characterization of damage types induced by loading or durability loss. This approach also facilitates comprehensive mapping of the interior of UHPC elements using frequencies that provide the most accurate characterization, in a non-contact manner that has not previously been achieved in cementitious media, particularly in UHPC.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• You have a master’s degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Physics or related studies.

• An independent and well-organized working style, demanding high quality of your own work.

• Well-developed social skills directed towards working in an interdisciplinary team, excellent interpersonal and communicative skills.

• Strong motivation to succeed in scientific research.

• Excellent presentation and scientific writing skills.

• Excellent English language skills (verbally and written).

• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/10/2025. 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 30/04/2025, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents in English:

• your CV;
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni) and associated certificates;
• previous publications and proof of English language skills if any;
• at least one letter of support (reference letter).

Interviews will be held during the month of May.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Dimitrios Angelis at [email protected] or on 00 32 2 629 35 41.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.