Two PhD positions in User-centred Design of Public Transport

Design effortless public transport solutions in a trans-disciplinary environment, collaborating with multiple stakeholders from academia, government and industry.

Job description

Using public transport can feel cumbersome to many people. Making it effortless with all the variety of available services provided is a challenge of technical, service and organisational design. Therefore, we want to hire two PhD candidates to help the sector move forward in all three design aspects.

Both PhD positions are fully funded for four years and part of the research project 'Effortless public transport', in close cooperation with the Dutch public transport authorities, combined in DOVA, which is also funding the studies. Three TU Delft faculties are collaborating with DOVA in this 4.5-year project: Industrial Design Engineering (IDE), Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG), and Technology, Policy and Management (TPM).

As a PhD candidate, you will conduct research aimed at making public transport more accessible and making it an obvious choice for travellers, thereby reducing the environmental impact for travel.

We have two open PhD positions, so you will closely work together with the other PhD candidate. Next to that, we expect you to collaborate with several stakeholders, such as public transport operators, local governments and travellers, to conduct field research and experiments.

• Position A is a collaboration between IDE and TPM. In this position, you will study the transition towards public mobility, and what this means for travellers and how to design the governance system. Your supervisors will be Wijnand Veeneman (TPM) and Suzanne Hiemstra-van Mastrigt (IDE).
• Position B is a collaboration between IDE and CEG. Here, you will design and test interventions to convince the 'not-yet-traveller' to use public transport, with special attention to key events, such as changing jobs, moving house, or expecting a first child. Your supervisors will be Niels van Oort (CEG) and Suzanne Hiemstra-van Mastrigt (IDE).

During your PhD you will:

• Conduct user studies to evaluate current barriers in using public transport
• Analyse the links of those barriers with technical and organisational characteristics of public mobility
• Develop and test user-centred solutions to make public transport more effortless
• Set up, conduct and analyse (pilot) experiments together with public transport operators
• Collaborate with academic, governmental and industry partners across different disciplines
• Share your research findings with partners from practice, e.g. in working groups and at mobility conferences, such as the yearly ‘Dag van het OV’
• Disseminate your research through peer-reviewed publications, co-authored with your supervisors and collaboration partners

You will be based at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, and become a member of the Seamless Personal Mobility Lab at IDE as well as the Smart Public Transport Lab at CEG, where you can easily connect with other mobility and transport related PhDs and (post-doc) researchers. You are expected to work 1-2 days per week at the 'OV Campus' (DOVA office) in Utrecht, the place for transport operators, governments and researchers to connect.

Job requirements

We are looking for candidates that have:

• A Master's degree in a relevant field, such as industrial design engineering, business or innovation studies, transportation, mobility or a related field.
• A strong interest in mobility, traveller behaviour, and user-centred design.
• Affinity with design for policy (position A) or design for behaviour change (position B).
• Experience with participatory research methods, co-creation or co-design approaches.
• Strong skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Excellent communication skills and a strong motivation to collaborate across disciplines with diverse stakeholders from academia and industry (e.g. public transport operators, local governments, travellers).
• Scientific writing skills.
• Strong written and spoken communication skills in Dutch and English, given that fieldwork and pilots will largely take place in the Netherlands.

TU Delft as an employer

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional. Working at TU Delft means joining an international community of professionals and students.

Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering

The Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) focuses on bridging advances in technology and the needs of people, organisations and society to create products, services and systems with purpose. IDE is a leader in design research across the application areas of 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

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract includes an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.