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Two postdoc positions ‘URBAN-DELTA: Metropolises in the Mud’ (3 years; KU Leuven) – deadline 16 March 2026
The Department of Architecture (Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Heverlee Campus, KU Leuven) has vacancies for two postdoctoral researchers (36 months) for the ERC-funded project ‘URBAN-DELTA: Metropolises in the Mud. Innovation in Delta Building Technology in Europe and China before 1800’, directed by Professor Merlijn Hurx.
URBAN-DELTA hypothesises that major advances in the history of water-related engineering were not random but occurred at specific places and times. Several pioneering hotspots in the pre-industrial age seem to have existed. Therefore, the aim of URBAN-DELTA is to attain an entirely new, multidisciplinary understanding of technological innovations by tracing and explaining their historical emergence in the production of the built environment in Eurasian deltas before 1800.
Postdoc 1: Construction Techniques and Knowledge in the Yangtze River Delta before 1800
The postdoctoral researcher will identify what was considered building know-how specific to the Yangtze River Delta with its early ‘megapolises’ (e.g. Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou) and will trace the development of a range of techniques for building in marshy urban conditions, particularly in the Song and Ming dynasties. The postdoc will develop three distinct lines of study grounded in the rigorous analysis of primary sources, both written and material. The first consists of an in-depth study of techniques that negotiated difficult conditions by providing greater stability, in particular, the development of foundation techniques. The second line examines how architecture was built and focuses on the mechanisation of construction processes through the use of pumps, drainage devices, pile drivers etc. The third trend focuses on Chinese building manuals on architecture and hydraulic works and questions whether they merely recorded existing practices, enabled the emergence of a common language, or even stimulated innovation. Since innovations occurred not only in the Yangtze delta, this research will necessarily look beyond its confines and consider inventions for construction in other Chinese deltas (the Yellow River and Jin River) as well.
Postdoc 2: Construction Markets in Deltas in Europe and China before 1800
The postdoctoral researcher will examine how markets structured the construction industry in the Po, Rhine–Scheldt–Meuse, and Yangtze deltas. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative sources, the postdoc will explore how and when competitive markets developed and identify the conditions that either fostered or impeded the commercialisation of building services and the trade in materials. The postdoc will trace the evolution of entrepreneurial practices in Holland and Venice and compare these findings with the organisation of construction in China, where building activity was long shaped by state bureaucracy.
Applications for either of these two positions should be submitted via the dedicated application portal of KU Leuven (link to be found in the full info via the button below) ultimately by 16 March 2026.
