How to apply

Architecture & Technology (A&T) Doctoral Programme, ETH Zurich

The Architecture & Technology (A&T) Doctoral Programme seeks to attract exceptional candidates to join our group of 50+ international doctoral students.

We offer two paid, full-time (100%), 3.5-year doctoral fellowships to start in October of each year.

About the Programme

The A&T Doctoral Programme is ETH Zurich’s interdisciplinary educational platform committed to training scholars in research and teaching of technology in architecture. The programme is offered and managed collaboratively by the professorships of the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA). The work of the ITA professorships assimilates many diverse aspects of employing science, technology and engineering in architecture, including computational design of buildings and structures, building processes and systems, digital and robotic construction and fabrication, and many others. For more information about our institute, please consult the ITA website, and check out the ten years of ITA external page video.

The following professorships are currently involved in the A&T doctoral programme:

• Architecture and Digital Fabrication (Gramazio Kohler Research)
• Architecture and Structures (Block Research Group)
• Structural Design
• Digital Building Technologies
• Architecture and Building Systems
• Architecture and the Building Process
• Construction Heritage and Preservation

Successful applicants will join one of the above professorships under the mentorship of the respective professor. Hence, we expect the candidates to define which professorship would be most suitable for the realisation of their research proposal and indicate this explicitly in their application packages. Although the selected applicant will be primarily associated with the selected professorship, the interdisciplinary character of the programme ensures the involvement of other parties during the studies. For example, one of the milestones of this doctoral programme is the Aptitude Colloquium, in which doctoral students defend their research plan before all ITA professors and researchers. Our work takes place in the Arch_Tec_Lab, a high-tech zero-emissions building designed and developed by ITA.

The Application Process

The application process starts in early October of each year - this is when the official job advertisement is published on the central ETH Job Board, and the link to it is shared here on this page of the ITA website. 

The earlier you start to prepare your application the better, and all interested candidates should follow these steps:

1. identify which of the above mentioned professorships you wish to apply to

2. make sure that you choose only one of the professorships

3. thoroughly study the work of the research group led by the professorship of your choice

4. start createing a clear and targetted application package:

- Cover Letter (1 page max, submitted as pdf file, named: lastname_firstname_Cover Letter.pdf), stating:

the applicant’s career plans
reasons for pursuing a doctorate in Architecture & Technology at ETH Zurich
arguments why they would be the right candidate
the relevance of their background/past experiences in pursuing a doctorate
under which ITA professorship they wish to conduct their studies (only one please)

- CV (3 page max, submitted as pdf file, named: lastname_firstname_Short CV.pdf), outlining:

the applicant's academic/professional progression
academic/professional achievements
clearly articulated set of competencies and skills (relevant to the job)
list of awards, publications, and/or other notable milestones

details of 3 referees (their name, professional title, organisation, email address)                                                                                                  

- Portfolio (12 pages max, submitted as pdf file, named: lastname_firstname_Portfolio.pdf), to include:

images/graphic content illustrating projects relevant to the job
short descriptions of the projects included

- Research Statement (3 pages max, submitted as pdf file, named: lastname_firstname_Research Statement.pdf), to include:

the identification of the principal research field(s) or topic(s) of interest
an outline and a summary of the research proposal

The Timeline (2025 intake)

31 January 2025 - deadline for both application package and recommendation letters submission, via online job portal once opened

01 February to 15 March 2025 - applications screening / eligible application packages are forwarded to the corresponding professorships who may conduct initial candidate interviews

late March 2025 - shortlisted applicants (maximum 6) are invited for an online interview with all participating professors

latest by 01 April 2025 - successful applicants are notified