Assistant Professor Sustainable and Circular Healthcare Design

Join TU Delft to help develop design-driven approaches for medical devices and services that support the transition towards a more sustainable and circular healthcare system.

Job description

Join TU Delft as an Assistant Professor in Sustainable and Circular Healthcare Design at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE), where you will help develop design-driven approaches for medical devices and services that support the transition towards a more sustainable and circular healthcare system. TU Delft is seeking a talented and proactive Academic Career Track (ACT) candidate to strengthen its rapidly growing research area on sustainable and circular healthcare.

We welcome applicants who are eager to establish an independent research line in the field of (smart) products and services for a circular and sustainable healthcare economy, grounded in creative and innovative research ideas.

Healthcare systems are under growing pressure to reduce their environmental impact while continuing to deliver high-quality and safe care. In the Netherlands, the healthcare sector accounts for more than 7% of the national ecological footprint and is still largely dependent on single-use products—a linear economic model. This creates an urgent need for circular strategies such as reducing, reusing (including reprocessing), remanufacturing, repairing, and recycling medical devices to extend product lifetimes and close material loops.

Developing and implementing sustainable medical technologies requires close collaboration between designers, engineers, clinicians, business developers, and healthcare organizations. This Academic Career Track position is designed to connect industrial design engineering, the medtech industry, and clinical practice, accelerating the creation and adoption of sustainable and circular healthcare solutions.

The successful candidate will establish an independent research line focused on the design of sustainable and circular medical technologies, including physical and digital medical products and product–service systems. The research will develop methods, tools, knowledge, and prototypes that support designers and healthcare professionals in addressing environmental impact alongside clinical effectiveness, safety, and usability.

The work will result in academic publications as well as practical interventions to support the transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. The candidate will actively seek external funding and further extend collaborations with clinical and industrial partners.

In addition to research, the candidate will contribute to the educational programmes of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. This includes developing and teaching new courses and contributing to curriculum development in the area of medical technology and healthcare design at both Bachelor’s and Master’s levels. The candidate will supervise MSc graduation projects and PhD candidates.

At TU Delft, within the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, we are actively involved in several circular and sustainable design research projects in the healthcare sector. These include the NWO ESCH-R (Evidence-based Strategies to Create Circular Hospitals: Applying the 10-Rs Framework to Healthcare) project, the EU DICE (Digital Health in the Circular Economy) project, and the Convergence ZEE (Zero Emission Endoscopy) project. In collaboration with societal and industrial partners, our interdisciplinary team is developing circular, safe, and scalable strategies aimed at accelerating the transition to more circular hospitals.

Job requirements

We are looking for candidates that have the drive to make a difference. Circular Economy, Sustainability and Healthcare Systems inspire and motivate you.

• You have a PhD and teaching experience in industrial design engineering, (bio)mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, or other related fields.
• Preferably, you have a Post Doc or an equivalent of at least two years of post-PhD experience.
• You have experience in conducting research and writing academic papers in health or care-related contexts.
• You have affinity and preferably experience with Design for Sustainability, Medical Device Design, Circular Economy, Co-creation, and Human Centered Design.
• You have good social, communication, and organization skills to work effectively in transdisciplinary teams.
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills, good proficiency in English, and knowledge of Dutch is an advantage.
• You have a demonstrated ability to engage with industry, societal partners, and academic communities.
• You are a team player who wants to contribute to the sustainable transition of the healthcare sector.

TU Delft

At TU Delft, within the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, you will join a research environment that is actively involved in circular and sustainable design projects in the healthcare sector and collaborates closely with societal and industrial partners to accelerate the transition to more circular hospitals.

Faculty Industrial Design Engineering

The Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering focuses on connecting advances in technology with the needs of people, organisations, and society to create products, services, and systems with purpose. IDE is a leader in design research across mobility, sustainability, and health, as well as in the development of design tools and methods.

A 350-strong research team and over 2,000 students work together in halls, labs, and studios. In close cooperation with industry, the public sector, and NGOs, the faculty explores possible futures in research and education to design for a complex future.

Conditions of employment

This position is offered as an Academic Career Track position (0.8 – 1.0 FTE). During the Academic Career Track, you are expected to grow towards an Associate Professor position within a maximum of eight years, for which a position will be available.

With other Academic Career Track colleagues, you will participate in the Academic Career Track Development programme, where you are offered ample opportunities to develop yourself in the areas of Education, Research, Societal Impact and Innovation, and Leadership and Organisation. You will regularly discuss your development and results with senior staff based on a personalized development plan and performance criteria agreed upon at the start of your Academic Career Track.

You will start with a temporary contract that will be converted to a permanent contract no later than 12–18 months after a positive evaluation, based on continuous confidence in your development potential and fit in the organisation.

Inspiring, excellent education is our central aim. You are expected to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) within three years if you have less than five years of teaching experience. This is provided by the TU Delft UTQ programme as part of the Academic Career Track Development programme.

TU Delft sets high standards for the English competency of the teaching staff and offers training to improve English competency. If you do not speak Dutch, courses are offered to learn the Dutch language within three years.