SCARPA Doctoral Network - Joint Doctorate: DC3 on: "Product design for recycling"

(Ref. DC3 UNIBO)

Horizon Europe - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

The Sustainable and Circular Footwear Training Program (SCARPA) is a Marie Skłodwska-Curie Joint Doctoral Network composed of 29 high-profile European universities, research institutions and companies located in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Austria for recruiting, employing and providing advanced training for 15 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) in the area of footwear circularity.

Today, fewer than 5% of shoes are recycled, despite growing awareness around sustainability and initiatives from leading brands. Tackling the sustainability challenges of the footwear industry is one of the most pressing and overlooked issues in today’s circular economy transition. The main objective of SCARPA is to lay the foundations for a Circular Footwear Economy through a Network that trains a new generation of scientists, engineers, and policy makers who possess the skills and fundamental knowledge to understand how footwear should be designed to allow recycling, how consumers play a role in the value chain, how different recycling technologies can create high value recyclates, and how a decision in one part of the value chain influences the whole value chain’s sustainability. For more information, see: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101227206  

The University of Bologna (UNIBO, Italy) is recruiting one position (DC3) of these 15 to research and write a PhD thesis on “Product design for recycling” and be awarded a PhD degree from both Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna and MONTANUNIVERSITAET LEOBEN (Leoben, Austria).

We welcome applications from candidates with a degree giving access to doctoral studies, a demonstrable interest and experience in recycling methods across various waste streams, including plastics, foams, rubber, and other materials, knowledge of shoes design, construction and testing is a significant advantage, knowledge of design tools and FEM analysis is also an advantage, interest in collaborating with industry partners to develop eco-sustainable products, knowledge of LCA analysis, excellent communication skills for both research and industrial contexts and creative, open-minded, and able to work independently, good communication skills in English and ability to understand and express in both written and spoken English and a willingness to spend a period of up to 11 months in secondments (for further details see below and in the attachments).

The successful candidates will be employed by UNIBO and based in the DICAM Department, to conduct research while being guided by supervisors and complete PhD training across Europe participating in the network’s training activities at the laboratories of our academic and industrial teams, where the DC will also undertake transnational mobility to carry out part of their activity. Regular meetings and workshops within the EU-funded SCARPA project will supplement the training.

Please be aware that candidates should comply with the strict eligibility criteria associated with the recruitment of Doctoral Candidates in Marie Skłodwska-Curie Doctoral Networks. In particular:

• applicants must be doctoral candidates at the date of recruitment. They must have obtained a university degree which formally entitle them to access a doctorate and they must not have been awarded a doctoral degree. A PhD degree in any field is not compatible with these DC positions. Candidates who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.
• the fellow to be appointed may be of any age and nationality, but must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date (expected on 1^st November 2026), short stays such as holidays are not taken into account;

Applicants must also be prepared to be seconded for a total duration of up to 11 months to other network partners to carry out part of their work.

To apply see the attachments section below

Where to apply and for enquiries: dicam.scarpa-unibo@unibo.it

For more information see on EURAXESS (https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs /378922):

DC position at the University of Bologna in SCARPA Joint Doctoral Network: DC3 – ‘Product design for recycling’