PDEng trainee - Smart Care Neighborhoods

Smart Care Neighbourhoods PDEng program

The PDEng program wants to contribute to the transition to healthy and sustainable built environment in which indoor environmental quality is optimized for health, comfort and/or productivity. To achieve these goals a transdisciplinary approach is required which: integrates and optimizes the design, construction and operation of new and existing buildings, and integrates smart technological interventions into contemporary architecture, and asses and address its (social) impact on the user.

This requires technical designers who are able to work in a multidisciplinary environment and know how to communicate with different disciplines and stake holders. This PDEng program educates trainees to become those technical designers! Please note that this program is about technological design, i.e., the process of solving problems by means of a technological design, this in contrast to (PhD) research, which is the process of understanding problems.

After the two year program our trainees become technical designers with a broad technological understanding of energy related disciplines in the built environment (mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building physics and services and ICT), who excel in their own discipline and who are able to work in multidisciplinary design teams, contribute to design issues outside their own core disciplines, integrate different technologies into new products and concepts, and who understand the commercial aspects of these innovative products and concepts.

Job description

The Department of the Built Environment of the Eindhoven University of Technology offers you a trainee position to follow a two-year post-master technological designer program, which leads to the degree of 'Professional Doctorate in Engineering' (PDEng). The program consists of two main parts:

1. Workshops. You will follow technical workshops in which you acquire knowledge concerning important concepts of disciplines other than your own (master) specialism. You will follow these workshops with other trainees (all with different master specialisms). The workshops increase your ability to effectively and efficiently communicate with these other disciplines in multidisciplinary design teams. Furthermore, you will follow workshops on design methods, entrepreneurship and professional skills.

2. Design projects. You will work on a design project with a group of trainees and you will work an individual in-company assignment (see description below). The latter is a design project in collaboration with a company and the university. You work within the company structure (facilities, office desk, computer and other required equipment are provided by the company). It is your main responsibility to manage and execute the project. You are supported by an advisor from the company and an advisor from the university. A business plan for implementation or marketing of the project or product is part of the final deliverables.

A significant part of the first year of the program is dedicated to the workshops, while the second year is mostly dedicated to the in-company assignment. Nonetheless you will start working on the in-company assignment from the start of the program. The in-company assignment related to this traineeship is described below.

The chair of Smart Architectural Technologies is anchored in the social and technological developments of sustainability, aging and smart living technologies. The chair aims to crystalize the role and (im)possibilities of integrating smart technological interventions into contemporary architecture, and asses and address its (social) impact on the user.

This project will focus on the design and development of smart care neighborhoods. Smart care neighborhoods pertain to the next step in assisted living facilities where rather than internalizing all patients and care, shared care facilities are integrated into new or existing neighborhoods. These shared amenities facilitate senior citizens and those in need of special care to live longer independently in a more socially integrated way and as such contributes to the quality of life.

Specifically, the project will investigate the implementation of the intelligent use and integration of existing built and social structures by means of architectural design and engineering, as well as smart technologies.

Research will be done in an iterative process and amongst others by means of literature studies, architectural and urban design in collaboration with researchers from multiple departments, practitioners and experts in the field and potential future users.

Who can apply?

We are looking for:
• an excellent and highly motivated candidate with an MSc degree in Architectural Engineering, Building, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering or equivalent. A strong interest in the socio-technical aspects of the built environment and in architectural design (principles) in relation to the specific function and target groups of health/elderly care in the built environment is essential.
• an interest in developing new sustainable technologies and applications for the built environment.
• an academic attitude in order to develop new technologies and perform applied research with an integral view on what is needed for the future built environment.
• an excellent command of the English and Dutch language, both in speaking and writing.

We offer a fulltime traineeship of two years. The traineeship is a formal employment at the Eindhoven University of Technology according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (CAO-NU). Trainees receive a financial compensation according to this standard. Bruto salary: € 1.913 per month plus 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance. Trainees are provided with their own work place in the building of the Department of the Built Environment. The university provides all general modern facilities belonging to first class universities; mediation in housing, excellent sports facilities, language courses, modern digital library facilities etc. For more information please visit https://www.tue.nl/en/working-at-tue/why-tue/compensation-and-benefits/