Doctoral student in Fire Safety - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Subject description
The Division of Fire Safety Engineering conducts research and education in the area of fire protection. We are responsible for essential parts of the Swedish fire protection engineering programme and the International Master of Fire Safety Engineering (IMFSE). In addition, we are responsible for the training of doctoral students in the field of fire safety engineering. Cooperation with other universities and institutions takes place both in terms of education and research.

Work duties
This doctoral position relates to the area of evacuation and the study of people’s behaviour during fire scenarios. In particular, this doctoral position refers to the use of simulation tools (e.g. Virtual Reality) for the study of evacuation and human behaviour in building fires. Part of the work will involve the use of such tools to develop fire evacuation scenarios to study human behaviour in fire for different populations. The position also involves conducting interviews and focus groups with vulnerable populations in Sweden on the topic of egress. The doctoral student will be involved in the project “Building egressibility in an ageing society” funded by FORMAS, the Swedish research council for sustainable development. This is a Swedish national project led by the Division of Fire Safety Engineering at Lund University in conjunction with CASE, the Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environment at Lund University.

The main duties of the doctoral student are to devote him/herself to his/her research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Fire Safety if he or she has:

• a BSc in Fire Protection Engineering comprising 210 credits, or
• a second-cycle degree in a relevant field

Finally, the student must be judged to have the potential to complete the programme.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
2. An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
3. Written and oral communication skills.
4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:

• Experience with Virtual Reality capable tools (e.g. Unity3D, Unreal Engine)
• Experience within the fire evacuation domain
• Knowledge of programming languages (e.g. Java, C#, VBA)
• Good oral and written knowledge of Swedish or other Scandinavian language

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, at least 2 references, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).