Two PhD fellowships in artistic method and conceptual development

*Would you like to contribute to the development of artistic methods and concepts that can deepen the understanding of architecture’s aesthetic dimensions? And would you like to be part of an environment in which collaboration across disciplines, generations, and perspectives is essential to shaping architecture that is sustainable, inclusive, and grounded in real\-world conditions?*

Aarhus School of Architecture invites applications for two PhD fellowships in artistic method and conceptual development. The positions form part of the school’s strategic commitment to strengthening architecture’s contribution to the discourse on a more beautiful built environment. The focus lies on how aesthetic values may be understood and advanced in response to contemporary planetary, societal, and spatial challenges.

In the coming years, Aarhus School of Architecture will place particular emphasis on transformation and artistic method. Across scales, typologies, and thematic domains, this focus unfolds in close interaction with related areas such as historical awareness, resource responsibility, technological literacy, and aesthetic resonance. The two PhD projects are expected to contribute to the development of new artistic concepts and methodologies that can qualify and nuance the understanding of architecture’s aesthetic dimensions.

The positions form part of the establishment of a new academic cluster on artistic method, bringing together established research environments with new perspectives and voices.

PhD Project 1 – Artistic Conceptual Development in Architecture

This call is grounded in ongoing shifts in architecture’s role, self\-understanding, and modes of practice. The planetary crisis challenges the modern distinction between nature and culture, drawing attention to the interconnectedness of human and more\-than\-human worlds. At the same time, a renewed interest in (hyper)local and site\-specific characteristics is emerging as a counterpoint to the extensive and uneven resource consumption associated with globalization. In parallel, there is a growing willingness to engage in radically preservative practices with existing structures, material assemblages, social formations, and ecologies, in which architectural interventions are increasingly conditioned by \- and subordinated to \- the pre\-existing.

These shifts point toward new aesthetic sensibilities and design practices. They challenge and transform established conceptions of architecture’s aesthetic foundations, its traditions and self\-understanding, as well as the conceptual vocabularies through which the discipline is described, interpreted, and evaluated.

Aarhus School of Architecture seeks projects that investigate how these transformations may serve as a point of departure for the development of new artistic concepts in architecture. Projects may be grounded in studies of concrete design practices, aesthetic inquiries, or architectural traditions. They are expected to contribute to new conceptual understandings of architecture’s aesthetic foundations, disciplinary identity, and modes of practice, and may, for example, address questions of the concept of beauty, new research and design practices, or pedagogical perspectives within architectural education.

Applicants are encouraged to formulate project proposals that clearly articulate the research questions, disciplinary foundations, and methodological approaches. The proposal must specify the architectural, aesthetic, or conceptual issues addressed, as well as how the project is expected to contribute to the development of new understandings and conceptual frameworks relevant to architecture’s self\-conception, practice, and aesthetic grounding.

PhD Project 2 – Material\-Based Transformation in Architecture

This call responds to the need to rethink architecture’s engagement with existing materials in light of climate impact, resource consumption, and the transformation of the built environment. Aarhus School of Architecture seeks projects that investigate how existing and recirculated building materials may be activated as architectural resources in interaction with spatial transformation, renovation, and the reuse of building structures. The aim is not material innovation in itself, but to generate new knowledge on how responsible material use, transformation, and architectural quality can be integrated through artistic and design\-driven research.

The project must be anchored in artistic and design\-driven research (Research through Design), where design processes, material exploration, and concrete experimentation constitute key research methods. Through sketches, models, prototypes, and 1:1 testing, the project is expected to explore and develop new architectural possibilities for reuse, transformation, and material circulation. The project must be tested in specific existing buildings, either proposed by the applicant or developed in connection with the school’s ongoing collaborations.

The project should examine how architectural approaches to reuse and transformation can be advanced with attention to material, spatial, and aesthetic qualities, as well as ethical perspectives related to responsible resource use. It is expected to generate knowledge, methods, or principles that extend beyond the specific case and contribute to new understandings of material\-based transformation in architecture.

Applicants are encouraged to formulate project proposals that clearly present the research questions, disciplinary basis, and working methods. The proposal must specify how design, materials, and concrete experimentation are integrated as part of the research, as well as which investigations, experiments, and tests are anticipated. Furthermore, the proposal should clearly articulate its expected contribution to the development of new architectural approaches to reuse, transformation, and material application, including how it addresses issues of architectural quality and responsible resource use.

About the positions

Enrolment in the PhD School with the aim of acquiring a PhD degree in architecture is a requirement for filling the position. The PhD programme is a three\-year scientific course of study comprising teaching and dissemination in accordance with Bekendtgørelse om ph.d.\-uddannelsen ved universiteterne og visse videregående kunstneriske uddannelsesinstitutioner.

All the advertised positions are full\-time positions (37 hours per week). The workplace is Aarhus School of Architecture, Exners Plads 7, 8000 Aarhus C. And PhD students are expected to be actively and regularly present in the PhD school environment.

The responsibilities of a PhD student include:

• Planning and carrying out a PhD research project and composing a PhD dissertation


• Authoring and co\-authoring scientific articles and other types of academic dissemination related to the PhD research project


• Participating in and completing PhD courses in accordance with the regulations of the PhD programme


• Participating in and co\-organising workshops, seminars and conferences


• Carrying out teaching in the school's educational programmes in subjects related to the PhD project and the knowledge areas of the research labs


• Completing a stay at a research institution outside Denmark of no less than two months


• Participating actively in the academic and social life of The PhD School and Aarhus School of Architecture

What we offer you

At Aarhus School of Architecture, we offer a creative and innovative research and teaching environment to which PhD students also contribute actively.

In 2021 we moved into Denmark's first new built school of architecture, in the heart of Aarhus, with greatly expanded workshop facilities and an open structure that appeals to collaboration across the school's many academic environments. Take a look at our new facilities.

The new building has made the school a more integrated part of the city and the surrounding area; an area that is now an environment that is creative and dedicated to social commitment. An environment in which tomorrow's architecture is created in collaboration with architecture firms and other stakeholders of the building industry, entrepreneurs, the municipality, the citizens of Aarhus, and partners from all over the world. Being a Scandinavian institution, we have a long\-standing tradition of cultivating a local approach to architecture. This tradition is also our starting point for a strong international focus.

Employees of Aarhus School of Architecture enjoy opportunities to work with people of different age groups and from many different cultures. We work together across the institution, and we all play an important role. For which reason, our voice is heard regardless of the position we are employed in. We believe that we create the best framework for an attractive and vibrant workplace through mutual recognition and by focusing on cooperation.

*We would like the positions to be filled from 1 December 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.*### How you apply

Aarhus School of Architecture is looking for PhD fellows with relevant academic backgrounds on the Master's level.

\<!\-StartFragment \-\>You are required to upload an application that includes a project proposal related to one of the PhD Projects. \<!\-EndFragment \-\>The project description should include a subject description and a problem statement supported by professional argumentation, reflections on the project's theoretical and methodological approach, as well as reflections on the expected results of the research. The total length of the application should not exceed six pages (A4\).

You also need to upload the following documents (as PDF files):

• A copy of certificates for exams you have passed on the Master's level


• A CV containing a list of publications, if relevant


• A portfolio (no more than 20 MB)

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