PhD in Design for Scarcity, Extreme Conditions and More-than-Human Cooperation

Introduction

Join TU/e for a PhD on how design research responds to scarcity, extreme conditions, and more-than-human cooperation. You will do justice-oriented, community-centered design research through fieldwork with diverse actors, from cultural and creative sectors to policymakers and informal communities.

Job Description

This PhD position is part of the Horizon Europe project UnEXTRA ("Uncovering a new design competitiveness for European conteXts in TRAnsition"). UnEXTRA studies how design can contribute to a different model of European competitiveness in conditions where resources become scarce, social and physical environments grow more extreme, and collaboration between humans and more-than-humans becomes tighter. UnEXTRA approaches these themes through justice-oriented, community-centered, and more-than-human design research.

This PhD position sits in the methodological and empirical core of UnEXTRA, and will require engaging with a broad range of stakeholders - from policymakers, to design practitioners, informal communities, and more-than-human constituencies.

The PhD student will combine conceptual research, community-centered design, qualitative analysis, co-creation, and design-oriented knowledge curation. This includes attention to uneven representation, more-than-human perspectives, contested priorities, and the ways community input changes design concepts in practice.

The position offers a strong basis for developing into a researcher at the intersection of academia, the creative and cultural sector, and policymaking, with expertise in design research, STS-informed methods, and justice-oriented community-led design.

You will be part of the Making With cluster https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/making-with within the Department of Industrial Design. You will also work closely with colleagues and partners across the UnEXTRA consortium, including among others the University of Bologna, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, and Dutch Design Foundation.

Responsibilities

• conduct literature review and conceptual synthesis related to community-centered design, justice-oriented design research, and design under scarcity, extreme conditions, and more-than-human cooperation
• contribute to the methodological framing of the project and to stakeholder mapping, recruitment, and engagement across the consortium
• design, prepare, run, and document stakeholder workshops, interviews, and related participatory processes
• collect, analyze, and interpret qualitative data from local and cross-site activities
• help translate fieldwork findings into community-accountable concept development and knowledge infrastructure
• contribute to consortium outputs, and writing your PhD dissertation
• support teaching activities and student coaching within the department

The final dissertation trajectory will be developed together with the supervisory team. Strong thematic directions include:

• The role of design in conditions of scarcity, extreme change, and tighter more-than-human cooperation.
• Stakeholder and community-centered methods for cross-site design research across policy, civic, and community settings.
• How qualitative fieldwork informs design concepts and European design curricula.

Tentative Timeline

Year 1

• literature review and conceptual framing
• stakeholder mapping and engagement strategy
• development of the methodological approach
• early contribution to consortium deliverables

Year 2

• co-design of fieldwork instruments
• stakeholder workshops, interviews, and comparative qualitative analysis
• co-creation with communities and experts around emerging design concepts

Year 3

• consolidation of cross-site patterns, frictions, and exclusions
• translation of stakeholder findings into design concepts
• synthesis across work packages

Year 4

• consolidation of the knowledge-infrastructure dimension
• final project contributions
• dissertation writing

Job Requirements

• A master's degree in design. We are also open to applicants from other disciplines – for example, the humanities, education, social sciences, engineering, business – as long as the candidate can show a clear affinity with design research through elective courses, work experience, etc.
• A research-oriented attitude and a strong interest in justice-oriented, community-centered design research.
• Experience with qualitative methods such as interviews, workshops, observation, or thematic analysis.
• Ability to move between conceptual work and hands-on empirical design work.
• Interest in collaborating with the creative industry, public-sector actors, informal communities, and interdisciplinary research partners. Previous experience in addressing more-than-human actors is a plus.
• Motivation to develop your teaching skills and coach students.
• Fluent in spoken and written English, at C1 level.
• Additional proficiency in Dutch is helpful for fieldwork in the Netherlands.

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: 

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. 
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 - max. € 3,881 gross per month).  
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. 
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. 
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.  
• Unlimited access to the modern on‑campus TU/e Student Sports Center at an exceptionally affordable rate.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

On our website you can discover even more information about our conditions of employment. Build on your career at TU/e!

About us

We are a leading international university where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community.

Our university is located in Brainport Eindhoven — a world‑leading tech region with more than 7,000 high‑tech companies and strong R&D activity. Known for breakthroughs in AI, photonics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, Brainport is a place where technology serves people and society. Learn more about the Brainport region here.

The Department of Industrial Design conducts research on and education in the design of systems with emerging technologies in a social context. We excel at integrating various academic disciplines, including engineering, design, business, and social sciences.

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Gabriele Ferri, [email protected]. 

Visit our website for more information about the application process.

Curious to hear more about what it’s like as a PhD candidate at TU/e? Please view the video.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

"#EUfunded This is an EU funded project, named UnEXTRA, with project number 101286736, within program Horizon Europe."

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications, if available and pertinent.

Ensure that you submit all the requested application documents. We give priority to complete applications.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.

Please note

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.