TU Delft is recruiting a researcher for a PhD-project titled “Perceived Motion Comfort for Automated Driving”.

Automated Vehicles (AV’s) offer great potential to reduce congestion in traffic, improve fuel economy and reduce accident risk. A major incentive for the end users of AV's is that drivers may effectively become passengers: combining door-to-door travel with the freedom to engage in any task other than driving. However, these benefits will only materialize when passengers feel comfortable using AV's.

Traditionally, comfort has been defined as a state of physical ease, or absence of discomfort. Comfort can thus be thought of as a composite of various psychological and physiological factors. At present, little is known about how these factors are processed by the brain to ultimately result in a percept of comfort.

This PhD project will investigate the human perception of comfort in the context of AV's. The researcher will develop and validate a model of perceived comfort based on theories of multisensory perception and sensory integration in the control of posture, with a focus on the effects of vehicle motion. The researcher will also develop tools to measure perceived comfort by combining psychological and physiological measurement techniques.
Insights and models developed in this project can be used by fellow researchers to optimize, for instance, path planning and vehicle control strategies, with respect to perceived comfort.

The researcher is expected to:
- Review the scientific literature to develop a model of perceived comfort.
- Develop novel measurement techniques based on (existing) questionnaires, expert opinion, and/or physiological measurements.
- Perform experiments to validate the model and measurement techniques, using the department's experimental automated vehicle; motion base driving simulator; state-of-the-art technology to capture postural, physiological and psychological responses to motion.

- Applicants must have a background in Neuroscience, Human Movement Science, Data Science, Control Theory, or similar.
- We typically expect applicants to have recently obtained an MSc degree, but applicants with experience in industry are also welcome to apply.
- Applicants are preferably experienced in performing experiments with human participants, and should be comfortable with data analysis techniques typical for the Human Factors and/or biomechanical engineering fields.
- We are seeking an enthusiastic applicant with a strong interest in performing cutting-edge research in the very active and exciting field of self-driving cars.
- The successful applicant(s) will be able to conduct work independently as well as collaborate effectively with members of a larger team.
- Good English skills are required.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

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. An International Children’s Centre offers childcare and an international primary school. Dual Career Services offers support to accompanying partners. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment; an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor; and a Doctoral Education Programme aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. Please visit www.tudelft.nl/phd for more information.

TU Delft creates equal opportunities and encourages women to apply.

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 Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

The 3mE Faculty trains committed engineering students, PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers in groundbreaking scientific research in the fields of mechanical, maritime and materials engineering. 3mE is the epitome of a dynamic, innovative faculty, with a European scope that contributes demonstrable economic and social benefits.
The Cognitive Robotics department within the 3mE Faculty aims to develop intelligent robots and vehicles that will advance mobility, productivity and quality of life. Its mission is to bring robotic solutions to human-inhabited environments, focusing on research in the areas of machine perception, motion planning and control, machine learning, automatic control and interaction. The department combines fundamental research with work on physical demonstrators in areas such as self-driving vehicles, collaborative industrial robots, mobile manipulators and haptic interfaces. Collaborations exist with cross-faculty institutes TU Delft Robotics Institute and TU Delft Transport Institute), the national robotic ecosystem (RoboValley, Holland Robotics) and international industry and academia. For more information, see Cognitive Robotics (CoR).