FACULTY OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN ENGINEERING IS HIRING 9 TENURE-TRACKERS! – DEPARTMENT HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN

“Matching the evolution of people with the revolution of technology”. This is the mission of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE). Delft designers act as a bridge between advances in technology and the needs of people, organisations and society to create products, services and systems with purpose. In order to futureproof this mission, IDE offers 9 tenure-track positions in order to strengthen three strategic design themes. 

• SYSTEMIC CHANGE: placing a product or service within higher level systemic thinking and detailed local thinking creates meaningful insights leading to a greater impact. The combination of systems thinking and design is a powerful tool that shines a light on what is actually happening and offers a language and vocabulary to describe it. It highlights the elements which may be used in making improvements. 
• EMBEDDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI): society is adopting AI technologies at an ever-faster pace. This poses opportunities and challenges for designers. What is the role of a designer in an increasingly automated society where machine learning and AI alleviate us of many our daily routines and processes? Which of ‘our’ (human) skills will become obsolete or might be re-appropriated to serve as new tools which will help us operate in our ever-changing design practice? 
• DESIGNING DESIGN: design methods are integral to IDE research and teaching.  The development and availability of design methods mean that a growing number of progressive organisations, governments, and municipalities are choosing to integrate a design approach. While designs become more organic and responsive, it risks excluding designers from the loop. As well as developing and testing new methods we also need to find ways to critically evaluate how methods are used in practice - particularly the social, political, and ethical consequences of using particular methods to enable technological change.

IDE has organised its scientific staff in 3 departments: Sustainable Design Engineering (SDE), Design, Organisation and Strategy (DOS) & Human-Centered Design (HCD) under which the 9 tenure track positions will be divided equally. The text below explains the strategy of the HCD department, the other two department texts can be found here and here.

Department of Human-Centered Design (HCD)
In addition to IDE’s main strategic themes, the HCD department is looking for candidates who are able to expand our design research in one (or more) of the following areas: 

• DESIGN FOR CHANGE How can design contribute to major societal challenges such as energy, healthcare, safety, via processes of social, transition or systemic design? These transitions often involve changes in behaviour and lifestyle. What role can the field of design play in instigating these changes? What concrete possibilities can it offer people going through such transitions?
• FOUNDATIONS OF INTERACTION we aim to fundamentally study human capacities and human-design interaction in the context of the new relationships that result from changing perspectives on design, such as a systems view, or changing design parameters, including intelligence, information, service dynamics, etc.
• THE HUMAN TOUCH How can design interventions promote and/or help us shape our values and quality of life? This domain is about how we can use design to continually ensure meaning and purpose in our lives, in light of the increasing opportunities of technology (i.e. AI) and personal data (i.e. quantified self)

Candidate Profile 
You enjoy the scientific challenges of doing design research. You are pioneering in your approach, something which will help you excel in an interdisciplinary environment where designers and researchers work across research groups, and together contribute to the larger research agenda of the department, faculty and university. Through research and teaching you will inspire your colleagues and your students. 

All candidates should meet the following essential criteria:

• Has a background in design, engineering, computer science, or social science and a demonstrable ability to conduct design-related research;
• holds a PhD in a design-related area;
• has a track record of conference and journal publications;
• has a collaborative attitude to research.

In addition, we are looking for candidates that also meet the following desirable criteria:

• has a track record in applying, or contributing to applications, for external research funding;
• has experience in supervising Masters and/or PhD students;
• a postdoc or the equivalent of at least two years of postdoctoral experience;
• has experience of working in international collaborations;
• brings a designerly approach to problem solving and advocacy for design;
• has experience in teaching in higher education.

Conditions of employment 
We offer a six-year tenure-track position. At the start of the tenure-track you will be appointed as Assistant Professor. Together with you section leader and department leader, you will make agreements on the expected performance and (soft) skills. You will receive formal feedback on performance and skills during annual assessment meetings and the mid-term evaluation. If the performance and skills are evaluated positively at the end of the tenure track, you will be appointed as a permanent Assistant Professor. 

TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount for health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 

Our Moving to Delft Service can help you, your partner and family with advice and practical support as you settle in the Netherlands. Located on campus are the International Children’s Centre and an international primary school, with several bilingual schools nearby. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. 
TU Delft sets specific standards for the English competency of teaching staff, with training courses on offer. If you have less than five years of teaching experience and do not yet have your teaching certificate, you will be given the chance to obtain this within three years.

How to apply
Please submit a motivation letter, a detailed CV, and an original research statement presenting your research aspirations in connection to one, or a combination of the research areas mentioned above (max. 2 pages A4). Submit by April 13, 2020, 12:00h (GMT+1). When applying for this position, please refer to vacancy number ATIO 0813. You can send your application to hr-io@tudelft.nl. For more information about the vacancy, please contact Joost Niermeijer, department secretary HCD, r.j.niermeijer@tudelft.nl. For more information about the procedure, please contact hr-io@tudelft.nl.  

The Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE)
Delft’s Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) is the largest and broadest scientific design institute in the world, with over 2,000 students, 350 staff members and over 7000 Alumni. Delft designers strive to improve lives and address societal challenges with integrated solutions for products, services and systems by taking a human-centered approach integrated with technology and organisations, achieved through education and research.