Two EXPLORA training network PhD projects on perception of light art and materials

Become an EXPLORA-er to study how exploratory behavior impacts perception! Design multisensory EXPLORA kits with your team to show the world what light and materials can do.

Job Description

Two PhD projects are available in the EU training network EXPLORA, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral network funded by the HORIZON 2020 framework. The network will start on 1 February 2026, and within this network, two positions are available (preferably starting also on February 1, 2026; a little later is possible). EXPLORA offers a cross-sectoral, multi-disciplinary research and doctoral training programme, and a network of colleagues and friends for life. Training includes hands-on research, the EXPLORA doctoral programme (integrated with the TU Delft Graduate School education), and two exchanges. A special element is the design of EXPLORA kits: through teamwork with other doctoral candidates, you will create a kit contributing to science literacy and STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics) education.

The network’s focus: Exploratory behavior is at the core of what it means to be human. When confronted with novel materials, tools, or artistic creations, humans instinctively explore the unknown to acquire information, make sense of their environment, act, and appreciate what is in front of them. This involves dynamic engagement such as walking, observing, and handling objects. The relationship between perceptual experiences and the dynamic structures of multi-sensorial information generated by active exploration is complex and not yet well understood. EXPLORA aims to uncover links between perceptual impacts and active exploration systematically, quantitatively, and empirically. The network creates impact through transfer between science, engineering, design, arts, and industry, and by connecting multiple levels of STEAM education from middle schools to doctoral education. Understanding active exploration has the potential to advance multi-sensory interactive technologies, immersive system design, and modeling of intelligent adaptive behavior, thereby affecting nearly every facet of our life, including healthcare, education, mobility, AI, robotics, and culture.

The Positions

• PhD candidate / project 10: Focuses on understanding the effects of lighting on, in, and around modern artworks on active exploration dynamics, learning, and perception of light, materials, shape, and space. The project involves recording and characterizing exploratory eye and body movements during art (exhibitions) experiences and relating those to parameters of lighting design and perception. This project will be supervised by Maarten Wijntjes and Sylvia Pont.
• PhD candidate / project 13: Focuses on understanding how social, multisensorial material interactions can be translated to VR and XR interactions. The project captures real-world material explorations and converts these into interactive images based on pseudo-haptics. The goals are to understand the interaction between exploration movement, multisensorial cues, and material properties, and to enhance material experience and object handling in shared VR/XR environments. This project will be supervised by Gijs Huisman and Sylvia Pont.

These positions are embedded in the Perceptual Intelligence section of the Human Centered Design department of the Industrial Design Engineering Faculty. This section includes expertise on perceptual intelligence for design of multisensory experiences and smart products, services, and systems. Researchers in this section explore how auditory, visual, haptic, multimodal perceptual and cognitive factors such as memory and attention relate to human information processing, (inter)action, and experience design. Their research contributes to the theory and practice of sensory and cognitive communication and augmentation design, and the section is unique for its cross-disciplinary approach to design for real-world perception and cognition problems.

Job Requirements

• A Master’s degree in psychology, cognitive science, computer science, industrial design, lighting design, architecture, or equivalent.
• A keen interest in human perception and cognition.
• Experience in experimental methods, computer rendering or VR/XR, programming.
• Affinity with multidisciplinary work, combining science, art, and technology.
• Enthusiasm to work in a large European Training network, combining basic research with transdisciplinary collaborations and international exchanges.

Eligibility Criteria

• You must not already be in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment. If you have successfully defended your doctoral thesis but have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree, you are also not eligible.
• You must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the envisioned date of recruitment (earliest date possible: Feb 01, 2026). Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.

About TU Delft

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft 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. For generations, TU Delft engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

Faculty Industrial Design Engineering

The Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) focuses on matching the evolution of people with the speed of technological revolution. Delft designers act as a bridge between 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 inspiring halls, labs, and studios. In close cooperation with industry, the public sector, and NGOs, the faculty rehearses 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 with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years, assuming performance requirements are met.
• As a PhD candidate, you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School, which 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.
• TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.
• During the first three years, the salary will be covered via the Marie Curie Project allowances. The successful candidates will receive a competitive and attractive academic remuneration package in accordance with MSCA regulations for doctoral candidates. This package consists of a living allowance, monthly mobility allowance, and a monthly family allowance (if applicable, depending on family situation). Note that these amounts do not include obligatory tax, social security, and pension deductions.

Additional Information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Sylvia Pont at S.C.Pont@tudelft.nl

For PhD project 10, the first round of interviews will be November 6th and the second round November 18th, 2025.

For PhD project 13, the first round of interviews will be November 10th and the second round November 24th, 2025.