Postdoc position: Design and implementation of a prototyping framework for the IoT

We are looking for a talented PhD graduate with a background in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Embedded Systems or related disciplines, to conduct research in tools to support non-engineers prototype decentralized applications and services. Candidates are expected to have advanced software development skills and a relevant publication record.

Background
Design research at our Department of Industrial Design strongly depends technologically on emergent technologies. Currently, connected products based on IoT technology and machine learning are at the core of many research projects and education initiatives at Industrial Design. Increasingly, our research depends on product capabilities such as autonomous decentralized operation and distributed contextualized learning. Consequently, data and connectivity are at the core of these developments. Yet, design researchers and students are limited in their freedom to prototype such highly connected and communicative IoT systems. They struggle with the complexity and required groundwork that needs to happen before a research project or design can actually take advantage of connectivity. Such technology is, in principle, available for broad use, but it is (1) not easily used in a design process, (2) not compatible with platforms that are established in ID research and education, (3) not matching designers' (future/innovating) needs. Further, (4) data is not inherently embedded in the design process (e.g., intuitively using a data canvas), and (5) does not address recurring and crucial security challenges that are important or working in particular domains such as health or domestic applications. This Postdoc will help address this current limitation to our research momentum by implementing a novel prototyping framework spanning platforms, networking layers and software technologies.

Research position
The postdoc will be involved in the scientific research and network of the Future Everyday group in the Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology. The FE group pursues ground breaking research in interactive, intelligent products, systems and services. The research will be executed in close collaboration with academic and industrial stakeholders, and with students in our education programs. This research project focuses on the development of a scalable, ease to use and future-proof prototyping platform based on the OOCSI[1] connectivity framework and platforms/technologies such as Arduino, ESP, Teensy, Raspberry PI, Processing and Docker. The postdoc will be in charge of developing the prototyping platform, example applications and demonstrators, dissemination and community building (e.g., through workshops, conference panels, and hackathons). The postdoc will be required to strengthen the scientific program of the group in this area and publish in relevant communities (such as ACM conferences on User Interface Software Technology, Engineering Interactive Computing Systems, or Computer Human Interaction). Equally valued is to publish (open-source) code and application software as well as documentation material. Apart from being research-centered, this position allows for building a track record in education in a renown, innovative Industrial Design education program. The research is supervised by dr. Mathias Funk from the Future Everyday group in the Department of Industrial Design, TU/e.

Location
Department of Industrial Design
Eindhoven University of Technology
Laplace 32, 5612AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands

[1] https://github.com/iddi/oocsi

The ideal candidate is pro-active, highly motivated, and independent, and has proven experience with designing prototyping technologies, end-user programming, software engineering, and open-source collaboration. The candidate should have excellent written and oral communication skills in English. We are looking for candidates that match the following profile:

A PhD degree in Computer Science, Industrial Design, Software Engineering, Embedded Systems or related disciplines with excellent grades.

Publication track record in conferences such as CHI, DIS, TEI and EICS.

Very good programming skills (in Java mandatory; C, C++ or Python appreciated).

Hands-on experience in designing tools and prototyping technologies.

A strong team player and communicator with organization skills.

Excellent English language skills (writing and presenting).

Affinity for design, designers and end-users.

We offer an exciting job in the Future Everyday group at the Department of Industrial Design. We are a vibrant community with state of the art facilities and make labs. Eindhoven and the Brainport region are an innovation hub with plenty of opportunities to connect and build your personal network. In this position we offer:

A full-time appointment with a perspective of two years (start date in the period June 2018 - October 2018) at Eindhoven University of Technology www.tue.nl/en/. The job will start with a one-year contract, and if the first year finishes with a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the second year.

A gross monthly salary between € 2.588 and € 4.084 (on a full-time basis), depending on experience and knowledge;

A yearly holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary;

A yearly end-of-year allowance of 8.3% of the yearly salary;

A broad package of fringe benefits (including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, savings schemes, and excellent sports facilities).