Job Description

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is seeking a Research Fellow to join a high-impact project on the use of limestone aggregates and fines as alternative materials for concrete production in Singapore.

The project, “Enhancing Concrete Resilience in Singapore: Evaluating Limestone as an Alternative for Concrete Applications,” aims to assess the feasibility, performance, durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of limestone-based concrete. The research will support Singapore’s efforts to diversify construction material sources, strengthen supply-chain resilience, and develop more sustainable concrete solutions.

About the Role

The Research Fellow will work with a multidisciplinary NUS team and industry partners to evaluate limestone aggregates and fines for structural concrete applications. The work will cover material characterisation, concrete mix design, mechanical and durability testing, recyclability, cost analysis, and potential long-term field monitoring.

This role is well suited for candidates with expertise in concrete technology, cementitious materials, aggregate characterisation, durability, sustainable construction materials, or structural concrete testing.

Key Responsibilities

• Characterising limestone aggregates and fines from different regional sources and comparing them with conventional granite aggregate, natural sand, and granite fines.
• Designing and optimising concrete mixes incorporating limestone materials for commonly used concrete grades, including C32/40, C40/50, and up to C50/60.
• Testing fresh concrete properties such as workability, slump retention, stability, and fresh density.
• Evaluating hardened concrete performance, including compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, elastic modulus, creep, shrinkage, and density.
• Assessing durability performance, including alkali–aggregate reaction, sulphate and acid attack, chloride ingress, carbonation, permeation, and elevated-temperature behaviour.
• Supporting reinforced concrete specimen testing, non-destructive testing, recyclability studies, and cost analysis.
• Contributing to technical reports, journal publications, conference papers, and practical guidelines for industry adoption.