About this role
We have the strength of over 40,000 students and staff. Students who provide hope for the future. Staff who contribute every day to Linköping University addressing contemporary challenges. Our values are based on credibility, trust, and security. By being courageous, thinking freely, and innovating, we create a better future together, through both large and small actions. Welcome to apply for a job with us!
At Malmstens, furniture design and craftsmanship meet where tradition encounters innovation. Hand tools meet CNC, wood meets biocomposites, and craftsmanship meets robotics. Together, we shape the future's design language and sustainable methods in furniture design and craftsmanship. The future is in motion – how can analog and digital craftsmanship create new expressions and strengthen education, research, and society?
Become a PhD candidate with us and help build tomorrow's craft and design heritage. Shape the future!
Your Responsibilities
The purpose of this PhD position is to investigate how upholstery and furniture design can be developed through the integration of new materials and more sustainable techniques. The research will examine design strategies to achieve comfort through various materials, including upholstery, springs, flexible materials, bio-based foams, recycled fibers, adaptive textiles, fabrics, padding materials, and composite structures. It will also address the reduction of environmental impact while expanding the expressive and functional possibilities within furniture design.
The project entails a critical reassessment of current upholstery methods and materials, which are often environmentally unsustainable, by combining craftsmanship, emerging material technologies, and modular design. The goal is to explore how comfort, sustainability, and aesthetics can be achieved within a circular design framework.
Through practical experimentation and furniture manufacturing, the PhD project will develop material-driven design strategies that respond to the inherent properties of materials – their resilience, tactility, elasticity, and surface structure – rather than forcing new materials into conventional patterns. This approach will lead to a methodological framework for material-conscious design, offering designers and upholstery specialists tools to integrate sustainability and innovation from idea to finished product.
The research findings are expected to contribute to both academic knowledge and professional practice, supporting the transition to more regenerative and adaptable furniture systems. The results will be shared through publications, demonstration projects, and educational models, strengthening the connection between research, teaching, and craft-based innovation at Malmstens.
As a PhD candidate, you will dedicate yourself to your doctoral education and the research project you are part of. Your work may also include teaching or participating in other departmental assignments, up to 20 percent of full-time.
Your Qualifications
You hold a master's degree in upholstery, furniture design, craftsmanship, textile design, or another relevant area for material-based design and manufacturing, or have completed courses totaling at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at the advanced level, including 30 credits for a thesis, or equivalent. Your degree must be completed by the time the employment decision is made.
It is advantageous if you have prior experience in upholstery or furniture manufacturing, particularly in projects exploring experimental materials, sustainable production methods, or the combination of digital and traditional techniques. A digital portfolio (e.g., PDF, video, or website) should demonstrate this capability through examples of material exploration, prototypes, or finished works.
Additional merits will be given if you have experience or interest in working with new upholstery materials, such as bio-based foams, recycled textiles, or innovative filling and support systems, as well as familiarity with visualization and design tools such as CAD/CAM or digital textile design platforms.
Since some scientific publications may be in English, good proficiency in English, both spoken and written, is required.
Your Workplace
Malmstens Linköping University (MLU) is a creative center for Furniture Design, Furniture Craftsmanship, and Upholstery, rooted in Carl Malmsten's vision of “hand and thought in vital interplay.” At Campus Lidingö (Stockholm), students and researchers work closely with industry, conducting projects that often result in prototypes and demonstrators. Workshops, studios, and galleries provide an inspiring environment where craftsmanship and innovation thrive. At MLU, the creators of the future shape not only furniture but also a meaningful and beautiful future through skilled hands and visionary ideas.
Read more about our activities here: https://liu.se/organisation/liu/iei/mlu
About the Employment
Upon starting the position, you will be admitted to the doctoral program. Read more about the respective faculty's doctoral education here.
The employment is limited to normally four years full-time. Extension of employment up to five years may occur based on the degree of teaching and departmental assignments. In special circumstances, further extension may be granted. You will initially be employed for one year, and thereafter the employment will be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time, based on the achieved study plan.
Start date according to agreement.
A security check may be conducted before a decision on employment is made.
Salary and Benefits
The PhD salary is regulated based on a locally