The ICT post-master designers program is a two-year salaried program in the field of technological design in Electrical Engineering. The program leads to a Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) degree.

Project description

The design project will be carried out in collaboration with Signify (Philips Lighting) and addresses the development of a Human-Centric Lighting control system based on monitoring the biological clock and comfort of individual users.  

The biological clock generates the daily rhythms of rest and activity and is responsible for modulating the daily rhythms in several physiological phenomena, including the sleep/wake cycle, hormone secretion, and subjective alertness and performance in humans. As such, the biological rhythm influences the capabilities of a human throughout a 24-hour cycle.
For example, in athletes, the majority of peak performances are achieved at about the time that body temperature is at its circadian peak. It is well known that the biological rhythm of a person can be steered using light. Light is the main input signal to the biological clock and as such appropriate timed light can steer the timing of internal physiological properties. This is beneficial because it allows the internal state of the body to align with a person's activities. The proper coordination of our intrinsic rhythms with societal and environmental cycles contributes to a better evolutionary fitness and health.

In this project, you will design a system that monitors circadian rhythms exploiting observations from a diverse IoT sensor network. The system is connected to light sources enabling users to align their activities at the most beneficial times around the day, based on personalized estimations of their biological rhythms. You are expected to combine known mathematical models with machine learning and statistical signal-processing approaches to track the underlying circadian processes and to exploit real-time inputs from a diverse IoT sensor network that continuously monitors the user.

The project is spread over two years and aims to develop your abilities as a design engineer. In the project, a specific design objective must be reached within a restricted period of time and with limited means. In accordance with the supervising professor the candidate will be given the opportunity to gather specialized knowledge for the design project already in the first year of your Traineeship. You will be coached by experienced design engineers from industry and/or by TU/e staff with relevant design experience. You will acquire independence and learn to make choices and work well in a project-based manner. You will learn to obtain a high-level system overview and play an important role in architectural choices for future generation human-centric lighting systems.

About the Group

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a world-leading research university specializing in engineering science & technology. The Department of Electrical Engineering is responsible for research and education in Electrical Engineering. The discipline covers technologies and electrical phenomena involved in computer engineering, information processing, energy transfer and telecommunication. The department strives for societal relevance through an emphasis on the fields of smart sustainable systems, the connected world and care & cure. The TU/e is the world's best-performing research university in terms of research cooperation with industry
(#1 since 2009).

The candidate will work in the Signal Processing Group (SPS) at the Department of Electrical Engineering (https://www.tue.nl/en/university/departments/electrical-engineering/).
Within the EE department, research and education is done in domains of Telecommunication, Care and Cure, and Smart energy systems. The SPS group has a strong track record on medical applications and on intelligent lighting systems. The impact of the work of the group is evident from a very close cooperation with industrial partners and research institutes and from international recognition and awards of the team. The project is run in close cooperation with other departments at TU/e (Human-technology interaction & Building Lighting).

About Signify

Signify is the world leader in lighting for professional, consumers and the lighting for the Internet of Things. Our mission is to provide quality lighting products, systems and services that enable our customers to enjoy superior quality of light, and make people's lives safer and more comfortable, businesses more productive and cities more livable. And our connected lighting offerings bring light and the data they collect to devices, places and people - redefining what light can do and how people use it. Our innovations contribute to a safer, smarter more sustainable world.

What we are looking for in a candidate

We are looking for a candidate that matches the following profile:

• have a MSc degree in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering or any other relevant program.
• have theoretical and applied knowledge of signal processing and machine learning
• have an interest in human physiological processes and a keen motivation for the design of support tools and applications that enable a healthier way of living
• preferably have some experience with clinical or field studies and the collection of raw data inside or outside of a laboratory, or an interest to be engages in these studies
• experience in programing in at least one (embedded) software language such as Python, C++, C#, Java is highly appreciated
• have excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken).
• be a flexible team player, actively helping other team members, and see changes as an opportunity to learn and create new innovative solutions.
• be a quick learner, able to and interested in acquiring new skills and competences.
• show a hands-on attitude, taking responsibility for the process from specification to implementation and validation, including communication and alignment with peers.

This complex and multi-disciplinary project requires expertise in a number of diverse fields. We are looking for a strong candidate to fit in and strengthen our team. We encourage candidates with a strong proven track record in any of the above mentioned areas to apply, particular if there is also an interest and motivation to develop themselves in the other areas.

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with a close relationship to industry.
• A full-time employment for two years in a research group with an excellent reputation.
• To support you during your PDEng and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for PDEng trainees.
• A gross monthly salary and benefits in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
• A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.