Postdoctoral researcher SpecMix project

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR TASKS

The SpecMix project is a project funded by the Industrial Research Fund of Ghent University (IOF-UGent). The focus of this project is on valorisation with spin-off finality, associated to advanced mix design of low carbon concretes. The project will be carried out at the Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials, in collaboration with Department of Information Technology, at Ghent University.

Within this project, we are seeking a full-time postdoctoral researcher who will play a key role in the further development and optimization of the mix design and associated strength and carbon impact prediction, related to a pending patent protected technology developed at Ghent University on alkali activated concrete. The postdoctoral researcher will closely collaborate with an entrepreneur in residence within the same project and together they will pave the way towards valorisation of the subject matter. Furthermore, the postdoctoral researcher will closely collaborate with the team acting on physics informed machine learning.

The postdoctoral researcher will build on existing expertise and preliminary results within the research groups and will focus on advancing the proposed technology on predictive mix design and associated properties (workability, strength, durability) of low carbon concretes. The postdoctoral researcher will be involved in extending databases of low carbon concretes mix design and its properties as input for machine learning, acting on the physics informed dimension of the predictive tools and its multi-objective optimization protocols. The focus will be on advancing the scientific knowledge towards a more industrial level.

The postdoctoral appointment is foreseen for a fixed duration of 12 months, starting at the earliest on 15/11/2026 (or as soon as a suitable candidate is available). The position is offered as a full-time postdoctoral research appointment at Ghent University, in accordance with the university’s regulations for postdoctoral researchers.

The selected candidate will benefit from the strong interdisciplinary research environment at Ghent University and its international partner institutions. Ghent University staff members enjoy a range of benefits, including access to extensive training and professional development opportunities, flexible working conditions, bicycle allowance, eco vouchers, and other social benefits.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You hold a thesis-based doctorate closely related to the SpecMix scope of work (as described above).
• Knowledge of low carbon concretes, mix design, concrete properties (workability, mechanical performance, durability), machine learning
• An independent and well-organized working style
• Having an entrepreneurial mindset and related experience (associated to the potential spin-off setting of SpecMix, experience with patents, …) is regarded as an added value
• Well-developed social skills directed towards working in an interdisciplinary team
• Excellent Dutch and/or English language skills

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer you a contract of definite duration for the period of 12 months.
• Your contract will start on 15/11/2026 at the earliest.
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits .

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.