Post-doc researchers Consulting Room of the Future, integration between healthcare and technology (one position based at Erasmus MC and one based at TU Delft).

Erasmus MC department of Internal Medicine and TU Delft faculty of Industrial Design have joined forces to design the consulting room in the year 2030. Technological innovations such as virtual reality, speech to speech translation, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, wearables, chatbots, teleconsulting and telemonitoring are drastically changing the consultation room of the future, with large implications for doctor and patient. Healthcare has traditionally centered around the bricks and mortar of a hospital, a physical space where doctor and patient interact. But that has changed: healthcare is transforming into a system no longer defined by physical space. The practice of medicine has changed in a relative short time from a system where the exchange of information went mainly through personal, physical interactions with patients and colleagues, to a system that is dominated by information technology. 

The doctor-patient interaction most commonly takes place in the Consulting Room (Spreekkamer in Dutch). Whatever the complaint, wherever the location, be it the GP’s office, the hospital, an out-patient clinic or an emergency room, the interaction is within the domain of the so-called Consulting Room. Not much has changed in the consulting room in the last decades. The only ‘innovation’, namely the arrival of a computer in the room, sometimes has the unfavourable by-effect that the communication between the patient and the specialist competes with the computer screen and keyboard. However, since the introduction of the computer many more new technologies have been launched. A more holistic approach is needed that considers all the different stakeholders, and that goes beyond the current system and economic boundaries of healthcare. There is a real challenge in the transition from the traditional healthcare system to the future. How are healthcare professionals going to make new opportunities such as telemedicine, wearables and AI part of everyday practice? Depending on how these new propositions are designed they can either greatly enhance doctor-patient engagement, or drastically move away from it. 

In the coming years the Consultation Room of the Future research program will focus on technology development, health technology assessment and associated human factors. One postdoctoral researcher is already selected and will be positioned at Erasmus MC (department of Internal Medicine) and this vacancy is about the postdoc at the TU Delft (faculty of Industrial Design). Both postdoctoral researchers will work together closely and there is an intensive collaboration between the research groups and other departments and faculties within Erasmus MC and TU Delft. 

As a postdoctoral researcher you will play a central role in the Consultation Room of the Future research program. You will coordinate and supervise research based from the department of Internal Medicine at Erasmus MC or the faculty of Industrial Design at TU Delft. You will be responsible for new grant proposals that build on the Consultation Room of the Future research program, the day-to-day supervision of PhD and master students and the general logistics of the program, including accountability to grant providers. You will work together closely with medical staff and engineers. 

Whereas technology and the patient centered approach plays a role in all projects, the postdoc from Erasmus MC has more expertise in the medical domain (value-based healthcare, medical education) and the TUD postdoc has more human centered and technological expertise (healthcare design, data science, smart technology).    

We offer a challenging and varied job with societal impact where healthcare and technology interact in content as well as in the close collaboration between Erasmus MC and TU Delft. This postdoctoral position offers the opportunity to develop in different areas (academics/healthcare/engineering/ehealth), gain experience in leadership and build a large network. 

Qualifications and skills

• A PhD in medicine, technical medicine, engineering, health sciences or related fields;
• Affinity with technology, healthcare and innovation is essential; 
• Affinity with eHealth, big data, AI and digital health;
• Affinity with the development and execution of innovative healthcare projects;
• Good publication record and scientific writing skills;
• A proactive, hands-on mentality, flexible and independent;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
• Proficiency in the Dutch language is welcome, but not a prerequisite;
• Highly motivated and a team-player.

Fixed-term contract: 24 maanden.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount for health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. Coming to Delft Service organizes diverse events for new international employees and their accompanying partners, like Partner Career Workshops and Dutch Culture Workshops. Located on campus are the International Children’s Centre and an international primary school which are subject to availability as well as several bilingual schools in the nearby surrounding. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.

Technische Universiteit Delft

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is a multifaceted institution offering education and carrying out research in the technical sciences at an internationally recognised level. Education, research and design are strongly oriented towards applicability. TU Delft develops technologies for future generations, focusing on sustainability, safety and economic vitality. At TU Delft you will work in an environment where technical sciences and society converge. TU Delft comprises eight faculties, unique laboratories, research institutes and schools.

Faculty Industrial Design Engineering

Work environment

Erasmus MC

A healthy population and excellence in healthcare through research and education. This is what Erasmus MC stands for. Conducting groundbreaking work, pushing boundaries and leading the way. In research, education, and healthcare. We are practical people with a high level of expertise, working hard to improve and renew the healthcare of today and the public health of tomorrow. We work with the latest technologies in a state-of-the art building. 

The Department of Internal Medicine hosts a highly interactive group of researchers and physicians with a common goal to conduct basic and translational research in the field of clinical and experimental medicine and to improve patient health and the healthcare system. It accommodates a state-of-the-art infrastructure for translational and clinically applied research.

TU Delft

The faculty of Industrial Design Engineering is the largest and broadest scientific design institute in the world, with over 2,000 students, more than 6,000 alumni and 300 staff (researchers and lecturers, including designers from industrial practice). The faculty aims to contribute to a better living environment and respond to social challenges by combining human values and desires with technological feasibility and economic viability. We are excellently placed to do so, as we ground design methods and skills in scientific knowledge from a wide range of disciplines, leading to concrete solutions.

A post doc position is offered within the department of Industrial Design (ID). The department ID is recognized as an international leader in design research and was ranked excellent by an international review panel in 2015. Our research and education focusing on topics like design for happiness, prototyping in design thinking, design aesthetics, future interactions, ergonomics and social design. The department also houses the ID-StudioLab, a unique interdisciplinary design research community that facilitates design-driven research and education. We believe that a professional designer needs scientific knowledge and the skills to use systematic methods, techniques and tools. We teach future designers to conceptualize products and services that are understandable and stimulate meaningful experiences. We develop and improve the knowledge and skills that help designers and researchers contribute to relevant societal challenges and to have an impact.