In the Netherlands, and especially in the Brainport region (Eindhoven and surroundings), there is lots of high tech industry. This industry needs highly educated engineers that can understand, innovate, and design complex equipment, instruments, robotic and manufacturing systems. In addition, there is a trend towards smart components and systems. This requires new generations of engineers with additional skills and training.

Eindhoven University of Technology* (TU/e) in the Netherlands plays an important role within the high tech industry in the Netherlands and in the world. With the purpose to support the high tech sector by training engineers in systems design, the competitive Engineering Doctorate (EngD, former PDEng) track Mechatronic Systems Design (MSD), accredited by the Dutch Ministry of Education, was established in 2015, as a track of the EngD program Automotive Systems Design. Working with industry is an essential ingredient of this program. It is organized with close links to and cooperation with other EngD programs such as Software Technology and Data Science. For the next round of the 2-year traineeships offered by the EngD program track Mechatronic Systems Design, the TU/e is looking for new candidates.

Profile 

We are looking for talented engineers with a university Master degree or with equivalent knowledge and experience who:

• Have a clear ambition in an industrial career, and an inclination towards the design and development of innovative, complex products, transforming academic research results into practical solutions.
• Are highly motivated and ambitious;
• Want to learn more technically as well as professionally.
• Want to further accelerate their career while helping their colleagues to further develop;
• Can think critically, and on various levels of abstraction.
• Want to learn how to communicate their ideas and thoughts effectively and efficiently to a broad, varied audience.

The next round of the 2-year traineeships starts on November 4, 2024. The program track MSD focuses on systems design and architecture in a high tech systems context. It trains graduates from mechatronics related disciplines to become the professional system designers and grow faster towards system architects.

The program is devoted to deepening, broadening and reinforcing mechatronics related technological knowledge and competencies, as well as personal and professional skills. This program with a unique structure consists of an educational year, followed by a 1-year individual design project for industry. During the first year about half the time is spent on lectures, workshops and training, and the other half on projects on solving a real-world problem from one of the industrial partners with a team.

The lecturers, who mostly have an extensive experience in industry and who cover the theory on topics such as systems architecture, design, and problem solving, return as coach during the projects to help translate the theory to practice. The lectures are in part general, in and part tailored to the problem domain coming up. Team projects are selected from different domains and address various technological areas to both provide multidisciplinary exposure and enhance cross-domain thinking. In this set-up the trainee gets the opportunity to experience the different roles that make a good team.

Program graduates will be awarded a certified diploma and the degree 'Engineering Doctorate' (EngD). Their name will be entered in the EngD register of the Royal Dutch Institute for Engineers (KIVI). The program is affiliated to the British Association of Engineering Doctorates (AEngD). As of 1 September 2022, the PDEng degree changed into EngD, which is just a new name for the same education.

The EngD program track Mechatronic Systems Design is open to engineers with a university Master degree (or similar level) in the field of mechatronics, robotics, systems & control, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, embedded systems, aerospace engineering, applied physics, or comparable.

The program is internationally oriented and taught in English.  The candidate should furthermore have:

• Affinity with technology, keen interest in and good awareness of the current technological developments; knowledge of and affinity with mechatronics; experience with Matlab/Simulink or similar; preferably knowledge of classical feedback control theory, state space systems, and signal theory (or extended knowledge of other fields that are in high demand in de high tech sector such as sensors, machine learning, material science, tribology, cryogenics, vision, and energy).
• An academic, critical attitude and a good awareness of the state of the art in engineering design for high tech systems, most notable in the area of the Master thesis project.
• The ability to choose and apply methods, tools and techniques to solve actual, practical problems.
• The ability to stay abreast of current developments in the field of high-tech mechatronic systems.
• Better than average social and communicative competencies, including an excellent English proficiency in writing, speaking, reading, and understanding.
• A clear ambition in an industrial career, and an inclination towards the design and development of innovative, complex products, transforming academic research results into practical solutions.
• Interest in being part of an international program with various cultures including the Dutch culture (and language).

Fixed-term contract: 2 jaar.

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an international setting with a close relationship to industry. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for two years.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale TOIO  (€2,844).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• To support you during your EngD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for EngD trainees.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

The formal employment position at the Technical University of Eindhoven is according to the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch academic universities (VSNU). Trainees do not have to pay tuition fees. The program is financed by the Dutch Government and the industrial partners.