The scope of design - as a discipline and profession - has been expanding from focusing on individuals to society, and from designing products to (re-)imagining socio-technical systems. This expansion renders design methods and approaches (e.g. human-centred design, participatory design, systemic design, speculative design…etc.) relevant for transdisciplinary practices. Such practices integrate the disciplinary knowledge of academic disciplines and the experiential knowledge of societal stakeholders to create scientific and societal impact. Because of this, they are key to addressing complex societal challenges.

The challenge

Designers and engineers at the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the University of Twente envision a world in which technological innovations are developed with one single purpose: to serve humanity. A world in which technology, design and engineering drive change in ways that benefit society, people and our planet. Long term effects for human wellbeing and working on societal challenges steer our work. We are looking for a versatile academic at the assistant professor level who can independently develop and advance a research line that will support the future of the field and who is an inspirational teacher in the industrial design engineering program.

In this position you will set out research lines on how embedding and acceptance of transformations in society can be enhanced through better understanding and affirming the role of design in enabling transdisciplinary collaboration. Aim is to (further) develop and validate approaches for transdisciplinary design, with specific attention to value tensions, power dynamics and ethical consequences.

We invite inspiring, enthusiastic, innovative and entrepreneurial candidates to apply for this position. You are expected to contribute to and take responsibility for research and teaching development in the following ways:

• You work as an independent researcher who can identify academic questions related to design methods, with sensitivity towards ethical and political aspects of multi-stakeholder and transdisciplinary collaborations.
• You are able to bridge between academic research results and practice of industrial design engineering, systemic design, design ethics and/or design for transitions.
• You are an impact-oriented researcher, willing and able to build connection between societal challenges and research questions
• You have a good track record of publishing research results in high quality international refereed journals and conferences.
• You can build relevant and necessary networks to attract external funding (national science foundation, EU, government and industry)
• You have a consistent record in teaching and in development of new courses in the area of industrial design engineering, systemic design or social design.

• You hold a PhD in industrial design (engineering), interaction design, human computer interaction, philosophy of technology or another field relevant to the position;
• You are an expert design researcher who can adopt and develop situated research and design methods;
• You are a passionate academic and experienced teacher in higher education or striving to become so;
• You are able to build great relationships with co-workers and practice and operate at the intersection of disciplines;
• You have good mentoring skills to supervise BSc, Msc, PDEng and PhD students;
• You have good communication skills and an excellent command of English and preferably also of Dutch.

• We offer an excellent and stimulating scientific environment on an attractive and green campus with lots of facilities for sports and leisure;
• The university provides a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda;
• A fulltime position for 1 year, with the prospect of a permanent position after a positive evaluation;
• A gross salary between € 3.974,- and € 7.362,- per month, depending on experience and qualifications. The salary is in accordance with Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities;
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3% and a solid pension scheme;
• Professional and personal development programs;
• A high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other university staff is strongly encouraged.
• Proximity to Enschede, a mid-size city with a large social offer, immersed in the nature of the Twente region;
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid) and career support for partners.