Research Assistant in Robotic Construction

The primary function of the role is to work on a British Council funded project: ‘Robotic Construction in the UK and China - Towards Affordable Net Zero Carbon Housing’ supporting research, teaching, and preparing research outcomes. The project is set as a collaboration between the University of East London and Tongji University in Shanghai.

The project is in line with the UEL Vision 2028 demonstrating our commitments to Sustainability and the Zero Carbon initiatives and aims at the development of sustainable efficient housing using new strategies of manufacturing namely robotic means. In the UK, the project is being led at UEL by Dr Arman Hashemi and co-led by Dr Deborah Benros. In China, the project is being supported by Tongji University in Shanghai, led by Prof. Yunsheng Su.

As a member of the project team, the post-holder will support the daily aspects of the research project, from actual contribution to the proposal, participation in the weekly or bi-weekly coordinating meetings, preparation of presentation material, organising project meetings, researching previous references, and reporting back to the project team.

The post-holder will need to be familiar with academia, have an interest in sustainability principles, awareness of the climate crisis and the role of architecture in mitigating carbon emissions in construction.

Essential skills include knowledge of robotic manufacturing, experience in material research and proficiency in programming using Rhino and visual scripting with Grasshopper. Desirable qualities for this job include knowledge on lifecycle assessment, awareness of material research with sustainable low-carbon materials, and practical ability to work with construction materials, as the end goal is to erect on campus a real-scale prototype. The role might include occasional travelling to either attend meetings with international partners or conferences.