The proliferation of technology has transformed societies and modern service landscapes at lightning speed. Technology profoundly shapes how people interact and positively and negatively affects people’s well-being. While centering lived experience has reaped its fruits in the service realm, a glaring gap exists in the knowledge of and the interplay between the understanding of people’s situated experience and the creation of compelling technology-infused service. To unravel this relationship, it is essential to involve a human-centered approach. This can prevent risks of mass-entrusted technology in service, especially given the increasingly rapid evolution of technology such as artificial intelligence.

Central research questions are: How do people experience technology-infused service? How does technology shape service experience?

The research may draw on philosophical concepts related to (embodied) experience, technology, desire, anxiety, and meaning. Philosophies of, for example, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Jacques Lacan can be considered. Qualitative research methods are central to acquiring data across multiple technological service contexts, such as healthcare or high-tech retail, involving numerous actors: businesses, customers, and consumers.

The research predominantly attempts to contribute to Organization Theory and Service Research. The research aspires to:

• Deepen the knowledge about the concepts and the relationship between experience and technology-intense service;
• Offer insights to service designers, managers, business leaders, and policymakers to craft, optimize, and deliver technology-supported service in tune with users’ experiences;
• Address and surmount the challenge of mass-customized high-tech service that ignores human experience;
• Design organization and service strategies based on a deep awareness of the position and significance of technology in people’s lives.

Keywords: Experience, Service, Service Design, Technology, Qualitative Research, Phenomenology, Psychoanalytical Theory

The PhD candidate will be guided by a multidisciplinary supervisory team with rich experience in various domains. Dr. Yasin Sahhar is the daily supervisor, Dr. Michel Ehrenhard fulfills the role of promotor and Dr. Suzanne Janssen co-supervisor.

The successful applicant will join the Entrepreneurship and Technology Management (ETM) section of the High-tech Business & Entrepreneurship Department (HBE) at the Faculty of Behavioural Management and Social Sciences

We look for a positive, highly dedicated researcher who is driven by curiosity and has/is:

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sociology, Science and Technology Studies, Service Design, or related fields;
• Close rapport with qualitative research and a demonstrated set of skills;
• Affinity with phenomenology and psychoanalytical theory;
• Highly motivated to conduct high-quality, meticulous, and ‘engaged’ academic research resulting in scientific publications, which is reflected in study results, personal skills, and experience;
• Able to carry out independent research and collaborate with a wide set of actors from academia and practice;
• Outstanding team spirit and seeks to work in an interdisciplinary team;
• Excellent oral and written language skills in English and preferably Dutch.

We encourage high responsibility and independence while collaborating with colleagues, researchers, other university staff, and partners. We follow the terms of employment by the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO). Our offer contains: a full-time 4-year PhD position with a qualifier in the first year; excellent mentorship in a stimulating research environment with excellent facilities; and a personal development program within the Twente Graduate School. It also includes:

• Gross monthly salary of € 2.770 in the first year, increasing each year up to € 3.539 in the fourth year;
• Excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• 29 holidays per year in case of full-time employment;
• A training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;
• A green campus with free access to sports facilities and an international scientific community;
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);

Full status as an employee at the UT, including pension, health care benefits, and good secondary conditions are part of our collective labour agreement CAO-NU for Dutch universities.

The HBE department is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive working culture. Our aim is that all job applicants are given equal opportunities. When we select candidates for employment, it will be on the basis of their competence and ability. To support workforce diversity, we are open to offering flexible working conditions on an individual basis to support work-life balance, which may include contract of employment, working hours and location, or childcare arrangements.

The High Business Entrepreneurship corporate video can be watched via this link.