Postdoctoral Position in Systemic Design

Job desctiption
Imagine designing for climate injustice, our healthcare crisis, or to convince people to eat less meat. Or finding new methods to understand the drivers behind democratic participation. Perhaps you dream of helping to relieve poverty in socially disadvantaged communities. Or assisting the local government in combatting street harassment. These are just a few of the many areas you could use Systemic Design to make the changes you want to see in society.

We invite you to advance our expertise in Systemic Design together at the prestigious Delft University of Technology. Join our world-class Systemic Design Lab in Delft and tackle the challenges of tomorrow. Here, you will be working at the forefront of the field as part of a young, international, cross-departmental team that learns together and believes in the power of integrating design and systems thinking to achieve systemic change. You will get to work on the causes closest to your heart while contributing to the advancement of Systemic Design as a field of design research.

The Industrial Design Engineering Faculty at Delft University of Technology is looking for a Post Doctoral researcher in the area of Systemic Design.

In this role, you will contribute to TU Delft’s research in systemic design and develop new methods and tools to design for complex societal challenges. You will contribute to our educational modules in Systemic Design in addition to building a systemic design research community within the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Department of Design, Organisation and Strategy (DOS) and help us to take a leading role in the field. Organising events and actively engaging with the (global) community will be part of your role. You will also liaise with external stakeholders varying from government agencies to social sector organisations, to design agencies and companies for education and research purposes. Writing articles to disseminate your research is also part of your responsibilities. In addition, you will supervise Master's thesis projects and teach design students. You will have the opportunity to further develop the Systemic Design Studio within our Master’s program. Down the road, a postdoc in Systemic Design at TU Delft will offer great prospects for advancement.

The Post Doc researcher will be part of the Design, Organization and Strategy (DOS) Department at the Industrial Design Engineering Faculty. DOS focuses on the strategic role of design in organisations and ecosystems with the intention to improve and renew their strategies and thereby concurrently co-create value for individuals, organisations, and society at large. He/she will be supervised by Dr. Sine Celik (DOS). He/she will become a part of the Systemic Design Lab and also be frequently interacting with the lively, international, and diverse partners within different projects.

The preferred start date for the position is beginning of 2025 (earlier starting date is preffered) until 31.12.2026.

Your primary duties as a Post Doc will be:

• Defining, coordinating and conducting your research activities that are needed to achieve the objectives of the Post Doc research
• Contributing to systemic design related courses at IDE
• Sharing and aligning your research activities and outcomes with related tasks
• Contributing and participating in the dissemination, communication and exploitation activities
• Publishing journal/conference papers
• Translating your research into educational modules for higher and professional education

Job requirements
You have the drive to make a difference. Designing for complexity captivates and inspires you. Open-minded and ambitious, you’re not daunted by big, complex topics, which can be cognitively and emotionally challenging to some. And you can deal with the ambiguities that come with pioneering in a new field.

You also have:

• A PhD in Systemic Design, Design Methodology, or a related area.
• Demonstration of publication track record in peer-reviewed journals and conferences relevant to Systemic Design
• Experience with teaching and coaching (design) students at bachelor and master level
• Teamwork skills and a collaborative mindset
• Excellent command of the English language

Additionally

• Experience with grant writing or other ways to acquire research funding is an advantage
• Proficiency in Dutch language is a plus

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
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, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Industrial Design Engineering
Matching the evolution of people with the speed of the revolution of technology. This is the focus of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE). 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 its development of design tools and methods. A 350-strong research team and over 2,000 students work together in our inspiring hall, labs and studios.

In close cooperation with industry, the public sector and NGOs we rehearse possible futures in research and education to design for a complex future.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 2 years.
• A job of 36-40 hours per week.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Additional information
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Sine Celik (g.s.celik@tudelft.nl). For more information about the application procedure, please contact:

secretariaat-DOS@tudelft.nl

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 22 Jan 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

36 - 40 hours per week

Mekelweg 5