AI & DfMA Researcher

AI & DfMA Researcher - Job Grade 5
Location: Technology & Innovation

About Laing O'Rourke

Laing O'Rourke is a globally recognised engineering enterprise committed to innovation and technical excellence across design, manufacturing and construction. Our mission is to lead the industry through advanced product platforms, digital engineering and industrialised construction methods that improve quality, safety and sustainability.
The Technology & Innovation (T&I) Group sits at the centre of the Laing O'Rourke group of companies and is a key driver of the transformation of construction. T&I brings together engineering, manufacturing, digital, product development and systems thinking to create the next generation of construction products and delivery models.

The Opportunity
We are seeking an AI & DfMA Researcher to join the Product Development team within Technology & Innovation.
AI is developing rapidly, but its application within construction and industrialised product development remains largely unexplored. We are looking for someone with a strong understanding of DfMA, design and construction, combined with curiosity about how AI could fundamentally change the way we design, develop, manufacture and deliver construction products.
This is not an AI engineering role. You will not be expected to develop large language models or train complex machine-learning systems. Instead, you will identify opportunities, rapidly prototype ideas using existing AI technologies and work with specialist teams where deeper technical capability is required.
You will explore both how AI can improve existing processes and what DfMA and product development could look like if designed around AI from the outset.

Key Responsibilities
AI & DfMA Research
•    Identify opportunities for AI across product design, development, manufacturing and construction.
•    Map existing Product Development processes and identify potential AI interventions.
•    Research and assess emerging AI technologies and their relevance to DfMA.
•    Explore AI applications in design, configuration, optimisation, BIM, manufacturing and construction.
•    Investigate how AI could capture and reuse product and construction knowledge.
Prototyping & Experimentation
•    Rapidly prototype AI-enabled workflows and solutions using existing AI models, APIs and tools.
•    Experiment with LLMs, AI agents, generative AI, computer vision and optimisation.
•    Explore integration between AI, computational design, BIM and digital manufacturing.
•    Test ideas on live Product Development projects and demonstrate practical value.
•    Work with specialist AI, data and systems teams where deeper expertise is required.
Capability Development
•    Develop an emerging AI × DfMA roadmap for Product Development.
•    Capture and share learning from experiments and prototypes.
•    Identify high-potential applications for further development.
•    Help define where specialist AI/ML capability should subsequently be introduced.

What We're Looking For
Essential
•    Strong experience in DfMA, product development, design or industrialised construction.
•    Experience working with BIM and digital design processes.
•    Some experience with computational design, design automation or parametric modelling.
•    Strong understanding of how construction products are designed, manufactured and assembled.
•    Genuine curiosity about AI and emerging digital technologies.
•    Ability to identify practical opportunities and rapidly experiment with new approaches.
•    Strong problem-solving and systems-thinking mindset.
•    Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Product Design, Computational Design or related discipline.
Desirable
•    Experience with Grasshopper, Dynamo, Python, Revit or similar.
•    Experience experimenting with LLMs, AI agents or generative AI.
•    Experience with BIM-to-CAM or digital manufacturing workflows.
•    Knowledge of modular, precast, MEP, off-site or other industrialised construction systems.
•    Experience developing prototypes, configurators or automation tools.

What Success Looks Like
Within the first 6–12 months, you will have:
•    Identified key opportunities for AI within Product Development.
•    Prototyped and tested a range of AI-enabled approaches.
•    Demonstrated practical applications on live DfMA projects.
•    Established an initial AI × DfMA roadmap.
•    Defined where deeper AI/ML capability should subsequently be introduced.

This is an opportunity to help define how AI could change industrialised construction, rather than simply applying today's technology to existing processes.