PhD Position Application of eXtended Reality for Inclusive Wayfinding and Infrastructure Design 1

Are you passionate about making public transportation and public space more accessible? Join the BRIDGE-XR project and design inclusive wayfinding systems using XR to help make urban travel accessible for all.

PhD position in eXtended Reality for inclusive wayfinding and infrastructure design

Job description

As cities become denser and more intricate, wayfinding and navigating urban environments during travel is becoming increasingly challenging for people with disabilities. Outdoor spaces, indoor areas and transport facilities connecting them can become formidable barriers for people with disabilities during a travel journey.

The diverse needs of individuals with different types of disabilities further complicate this issue, as each group may face unique obstacles during wayfinding and navigation. There is an urgent need for innovative approaches and methods to design and test accessible and inclusive infrastructure and wayfinding systems.

This PhD position is part of the NWO-funded BRIDGE-XR project, which aims to provide a comprehensive examination of accessibility barriers in the Dutch public transportation and public space context. You will focus on employing Virtual Reality technologies to design and test inclusive wayfinding systems and infrastructure.

In this role you will:

• Develop a theoretical framework for designing accessible and inclusive infrastructure and wayfinding systems.
• Develop VR simulators for people with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities.
• Conduct VR experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of inclusive infrastructure and wayfinding systems.
• Employ real-world testing to evaluate inclusive solutions in real-world urban settings.
• Collaborate closely with other PhD researchers and project partners across different work packages to ensure that findings contribute to the shared goals of creating accessible and inclusive travel journeys.

Your home base will be the Mobility in eXtended Reality Lab in the Department of Transport & Planning within the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences. You’ll join an open, supportive environment that fosters learning and professional growth.

Job requirements

Must haves:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., transportation, human-computer interaction, architecture, cognitive science, or related disciplines).
• Experience with XR technologies, including development in Unity or Unreal Engine.
• Demonstrable experimental and analytical skills, including designing and conducting studies, programming (e.g., Python, C#), and statistical analysis.
• Proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English and ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in serious game development or interactive simulation design.
• Curiosity-driven mindset with openness to interdisciplinary research across mobility, HCI, and urban planning.

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.

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.