PhD position vacancy

3D reconstruction and modelling of roofs in European cities

Are you passionate about urban innovation, advanced 3D modelling, and impactful European research? Join the EU-funded “MultiRoofs” project, and shape the European cities’ skyline of tomorrow!

The overall goal of this fully-funded PhD position is to support the researchers and practitioners in the project “MultiRoofs” by designing and implementing algorithms for the 3D reconstruction of buildings and for the classification of roofs.

MultiRoofs (Multifunctional Roofscapes for smart, green and just urban densification) is an EU-project that aims to enable public authorities to increase the multifunctional use of rooftops in their urban areas. The project is composed of 25+ industry and academic partners in Western Europe (including Rotterdam, Paris, Dublin, Brussels) and it is an extension of a prototype developed by MVRDV in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The backbone of the current prototype is the 3DBAG, a dataset containing automatically reconstructed 3D models of all 10M+ buildings in the Netherlands; this dataset is (jointly) developed and maintained by our research group.

The main goals of the PhD candidate will include:

Enhancing 3D building reconstruction algorithms: Refine and adapt existing 3D building reconstruction algorithms to incorporate additional data sources, such as aerial imagery, lidar datasets with varying densities, and coarser building footprints, enabling the generation of 3D models for various European cities.
Advancing LoD3.0 model reconstruction: Improve algorithms to support detailed LoD3.0 models by identifying and modelling roof structures such as dormers, chimneys, and other significant architectural elements.
Improving dormer reconstruction: Create robust techniques for better regularisation and symmetry of dormers (a current limitation).
Optimizing roof categorization workflows: Design improved workflows for categorizing roofs according to the various use-cases defined by project partners.

The project will take place in the 3D geoinformation group at TU Delft under the supervision of Dr Hugo Ledoux and Prof. Jantien Stoter

Research group

The 3D geoinformation research group at the Delft University of Technology focuses on advancing the technologies and algorithms essential for (3D) geographical information systems (GIS). Our mission is to design, develop, and implement cutting-edge systems for modelling 3D buildings, cities, and landscapes.

We are a multidisciplinary team comprised of computer scientists, geomatics, mechanical and aerospace engineers, and geographers. Our group includes 8 permanent research staff, along with numerous PhD students, postdocs, and visiting scholars. This diversity allows us to address 3D urban challenges from various perspectives, process and analyse raw data, and apply our findings to real-world applications like wind and energy consumption modelling in urban environments.

Our group has a strong track record of successful collaborations with both industry and government entities. Our research has resulted in several widely-used open-source software projects and has resulted in the international open standard CityJSON. We have notably developed and we continue to co-maintain the award-winning 3DBAG, an open dataset comprising all 10 million+ 3D buildings in the Netherlands.

Job requirements

We are looking for one highly motivated candidate who holds, or will complete by 1 July 2025, an MSc degree in geomatics/civil/aerospace/environmental engineering, geoinformatics, computer science, or in a related discipline.

The candidate is expected to have:

strong interest in computational geometry and 3D reconstruction
experience with the management and analysis of 3D geo-data
good programming skills (C++ being an advantage)
an affinity for working in multi‐disciplinary teams in an international oriented environment
excellent oral and written communication skills in English; see requirements at TUDelft.

The starting date is in consultation with the candidate, and we aim at 1 July 2025 at the latest.

What we offer

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The gross monthly salary ranges from €2,872 to €3,670, accompanied by an 8% annual holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
The position is offered on a fixed-term, four-year contract.
As a PhD candidate, you will join the TU Delft Graduate School, benefiting from a dynamic research environment and personal guidance from a team of supervisors, academic staff, and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, domain-specific expertise and research skills.
The TU Delft offers a customizable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, a monthly work expense contribution and flexible work schedule.
For international applicants we offer comprehensive relocation support through the Coming to Delft Service and the Partner Career Advice. An International Children’s Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

More information about doing a PhD at TU Delft and in the Netherlands can be found here and there.

How to apply

Application deadline: Sunday 2 March 2025 23:59.

You can apply via the official TU Delft webpage.

To apply, please submit:

Motivation letter (maximum 1 page) addressing your interests and describing how your experience and plans fit with the position
Detailed CV, it should contain examples that prove your previous work related to the position (projects, experience, software, research, publications)
Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
The names of two references, with contact information (letters not required at this stage).