PhD Inclusive Urban Mobility

Join an ambitious, multidisciplinary project at the crossroads of urban design, inclusive mobilities and interaction design where your research can shape the vision of open and accessible cities! This position is part of the NWO-funded research project BEAT (Building Equitable Accessibility Together), which starts in January 2026.

What are you going to do?

Mobility is not only about infrastructure or transport modes, it is something people live and feel every day. BEAT studies how mobility barriers show up during daily routines for people with physical and cognitive diversities, and how those barriers affect social life, work, care, and wellbeing. The point of departure is "people"—their routines and travel behaviours, their daily frustrations with various mobility obstacles, and the impact of these hindrances on their personal, social, and professional lives. BEAT investigates a wide range of barriers that may be labelled as temporary or even mundane. Examples of such temporary-but-everyday barriers include construction sites and road works planned by municipalities, but also a variety of unplanned situations, such as improperly parked delivery vehicles, poorly placed planters and bikes on the sidewalk, unauthorised market stalls, and so forth. While each of these situations may be perceived as a temporary problem, collectively they form a permanent reality of how we experience our cities. These barriers constitute an “informal” layer of inaccessibility superimposed on more structural or “formal” accessibility problems in the city. This informal layer is highly diverse, stems from many underlying causes and factors, and highlights a notable knowledge gap.

The specific objectives of the BEAT project are two-fold: (1) to co-create a comprehensive and holistic understanding of informal urban mobility barriers and their impacts while co-identifying key priorities to address, and (2) to co-design and assess innovative solutions using three levers: human-centred artificial intelligence, urban design, and policy. The PhD candidate will study mobility barriers as part of people’s everyday practices, routines, and spatial experiences. They will do this by using a combination of qualitative and participatory methods (e.g., in-depth interviews, go-alongs interviews, travel diaries, wearable camera recordings, participatory mapping/PPGIS), to understand what barriers matter, to whom, when, and why. In addition, the PhD candidate will work with partners (e.g., communities, disability organisations, urban professionals) to identify priorities for change, ; and Contribute to co-designing and evaluating solutions via three “lever: 1) human-centred AI, 2) urban design, and 3) policy—ranging from interactive accessibility tools (e.g., real-time accessibility maps) to spatial interventions and guidelines for policy and planning. 

The successful candidate will have:

• MA or MSc degree in Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Architecture, Interaction design, Human or Cultural Geography, Environmental Psychology, Public Health, or related interdisciplinary fields.
• Knowledge and skills in qualitative research methods and ideally, participatory methods like PPGIS.
• Strong interest in accessibility, co-design research, and developing digital tools/interactive maps.
• Ability and willingness to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder environment.
• Ability to make research usable: translating findings into actionable insights for design and policy.
• Personal or professional experience of working with people living with disabilities or marginalised communities.
• Excellent research skills.
• Fluency in English and experience in academic writing in English.
• Strong conceptual thinking.
• Good communicative skills, proactive and independent work attitude.
• Strong planning skills, ability to organize own work and related activities, ability to meet deadlines.
• A great curiosity and enthusiasm for scientific research.

• 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
• End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
• Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.

At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.

The Faculty of Spatial Sciences (FRW) is an interdisciplinary faculty that makes a significant impact on societal issues such as climate, broad prosperity, population decline, healthy ageing, and sustainable energy. With approximately 100 staff and over 100 PhD students, we engage daily in up-to-date and relevant teaching and research in the fields of planning, demography, and geography. Through our research programme TRACE (Transformations, Communities, and Environments), we are committed to internationally oriented, interdisciplinary research. With two Bachelor's and seven Master's programmes, the Faculty offers broad educational opportunities to about 1,100 students from around the world. The Faculty of Spatial Sciences plays a crucial role in understanding and shaping the living environment of the future. We work for and with society. Our motto is: we are making places better together. If you would like to learn more, visit rug.nl/frw. 

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application.

Do you have any questions or need more information?

Questions about the content of the job?
Farzaneh Bahrami (Assistant Professor): F.Bahrami@rug.nl

Questions about your application process?
Farzaneh Bahrami (Assistant Professor): F.Bahrami@rug.nl