PhD Position Indoor Thermal Natural Variation for Heat Resilience

For the PhD Position Indoor Thermal Natural Variation for Heat Resilience, you will combine citizen science, field data and modelling to help develop healthier and more energy-efficient homes.

Job description

Hot weather events are increasing, making adaptation of existing dwellings increasingly important to protect residents from unhealthy indoor conditions and limit future energy use for cooling. While we are instinctively drawn to natural conditions, residents are most of the time exposed to static environmental indoor conditions. Hot weather events can even amplify static conditions, for example through constant mechanical cooling. To support health and to lower energy use, current guidelines and standards allow for some variation. Yet we still know too little about how residents perceive and accept natural variation in indoor thermal conditions, and how this relates to building characteristics and resident behaviour.

As a PhD candidate at TU Delft, you will conduct research within the NWO-funded Nature 4 Homes project. Your research will address how natural variation in thermal conditions influences residents’ perceptions, acceptance and interactions with the building envelope under current and future Dutch conditions. This a unique opportunity to contribute to one of the most pressing challenges facing cities today: adapting existing dwellings to climate change while enhancing quality of life.

Using a citizen science approach, you will investigate indoor and outdoor thermal and ventilation conditions in existing dwellings in different regions of the Netherlands. You will combine measurements of environmental conditions with information about residents’ perceptions and behaviour and relevant building characteristics. A key part of your research will be developing new methods to characterize natural variation of indoor conditions in relation to outdoor conditions, and predicting this variation using climate scenarios and data collected in dwellings, in co-creation with residents, housing corporations and industy partners.

You will join the Architectural Engineering + Technology (AE&T) Department at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft, under the supervision of AnneMarie Eijkelenboom and Philomena M. Bluyssen and Gert-Jan Steeneveld of the Meteorology and Air Quality Section at Wageningen University and Research. You will collaborate closely with a postdoctoral researcher and three other PhD candidates, as well as research, industry and public-sector partners. We foster an open and collaborative environment, where independent thinking, knowledge sharing and interdisciplinary research are encouraged.

Job requirements

• You hold an MSc in architecture, architectural engineering, meteorology or atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, or civil engineering.
• You have a strong interest in human perception, building design, and climate change.
• You are motivated to conduct research with residents in real-world dwellings in the Netherlands.
• You have affinity with modelling and analysing indoor and outdoor environmental conditions.
• You enjoy interdisciplinary research and collaborating with academic, industry and public-sector partners.
• You have excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• You have a fascination for science, and love working in an interdisciplinary team.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with 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.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3204 - €4051 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

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.

• The position involves work in different regions of the Netherlands.
• The page lists hours per week as 36–38.
• The start date of this position is on March 1st 2027.
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

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 join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Architecture & the Built Environment

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty’s success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy, with four thousand people enthusiastically studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research’, which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.