Smart Energy Buildings & Cities PDEng program

The Smart Energy Buildings & Cities (SEB&C) PDEng program wants to contribute to the transition to an energy-positive 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:

• addresses technological solutions for energy generation, storage, distribution and demand reduction, and

• integrates and optimizes these in design, construction and operation of new and existing buildings.

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 SEB&C 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 SEB&C 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 SEB&C 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. 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.

You will start working on the in-company assignment from the start of the program. In addition you will participate in workshops. The in-company assignment related to this traineeship is described below.

The company assignment is related to a larger project on potential grid-flexibility in the built environment. The objective of the PDEng assignment is to design a guideline that is able to identify potential flexibility for existing office buildings assuming the most beneficial thermal comfort control strategy(-ies) as defined beforehand. Thermal comfort control strategies refer to transient conditions and zonal gradients. Building parameters in this analysis refer to, amongst others, the amount and distribution of thermal mass in the building, façade type and heat/cold delivery system. The type of renewable source can be introduced as an additional variable, e.g. wind, sun or combination. The PDEng trainee will be embedded in the Building Performance group - www.tue.nl/buildingperformance. For questions about the project contact dr.ir. M.G.L.C. (Marcel) Loomans.

Who can apply?

We are looking for

• an excellent and highly motivated candidate with an MSc degree in Architectural Engineering, Building Science, Building, Civil, Mechanical or Environmental Engineering, or equivalent. Interest in physical processes (heat, air and moisture transfer) in the built environment, sustainable energy technologies and computational building performance simulation 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 language, both in speaking and writing.

What do we provide?

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: € 1828

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 www.tue.nl/en/.