Postdoc in Application of eXtended Reality for Inclusive Automated Vehicle and Road User Interaction

Automated Vehicles (AVs) are set to transform road travel, promising significant improvements in road safety, accessibility, and transportation equity.

As autonomous vehicles move closer to widespread deployment, a critical question remains largely unanswered: how can AVs interact safely and effectively with vulnerable road users (VRUs), including people with disabilities? Such interactions involve complex human decision-making processes that span behavioral, cognitive, psychological, and physiological dimensions. To date, these dimensions have largely been studied in isolation, leaving their interconnections and their role in real-world AV–VRU interactions poorly understood.

The postdoc researcher will focus on employing Virtual Reality technologies to understand this complex interaction process and explore how external Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) can enable safer and more inclusive interactions.

The postdoc position will be based in the Mobility in eXtended Reality lab at the Department of Transport & Planning, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology.

Job description

• Develop a theoretical framework for identifying key characteristics of AV–VRU interactions and define design criteria for inclusive eHMIs.
• Develop accessible VR simulators for people with disabilities.
• Conduct VR experiments to collect data and model decision-making processes in AV–VRU interactions.
• Conduct real-world testing to evaluate the effectiveness of inclusive eHMI design.
• Collaborate closely with other PhD researchers on related projects and relevant topics.
• Support other researchers and ongoing projects in the lab and contribute to the management of lab activities.
• Publish in high-impact scientific journals and disseminate findings through conferences and stakeholder workshops.

Your profile

• Hold a PhD degree in a relevant field (e.g., transportation, human-computer interaction, mechanical engineering, or related disciplines).
• Solid background in XR technologies and skills in developing XR applications using Unity/Unreal game engine.
• Strong and demonstrable experimental skills, including experiment design, setup, execution, and data collection.
• Strong skills in quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
• Strong analytic and programming skills (e.g., Python, C#) with proficiency in statistics.
• Ability to work independently while actively contributing to a collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English.
• Strong publication record in relevant scientific journals.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society.

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 3 years.
• Temporary appointment.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave.
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.
• If relocation to the Netherlands is needed, TU Delft offers support through the Coming to Delft Service, events to help you settle in the Netherlands and expand your network in Delft, and a Dual Career Programme to support an accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.