EngD in Designing Human-System Interaction Eindhoven University of Technology in Netherlands

Position: EngD in Designing Human-System Interaction at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), The Netherlands.

This Engineering Doctorate project is part of the MEDAL consortium, which explores how personal life data and clinical measurements can be meaningfully integrated into cardiovascular care pathways. The specific focus is heart failure care at home: designing ways to collect, visualize, and use contextual data such as living patterns, activity, emotional signals, and social signals alongside physiological measurements.

The project is highly interdisciplinary and combines human-computer interaction, industrial design, healthcare innovation, and tangible/textile exploration. The work includes co-design workshops with heart failure patients and healthcare professionals at Catharina Hospital, translating their needs into concrete design requirements, and developing a prototype for home monitoring together with technology partners. In parallel, there is an exploratory collaboration with Fashion Tech Farm to investigate how health data can be experienced through material, textile-based, and wearable forms beyond standard screens and dashboards.

The successful candidate will iterate a data-driven prototype, conduct real-world pilot tests, and evaluate usability, clinical relevance, user engagement, and impact on self-management at home. The outcome is expected to be a validated prototype embedded in hospital systems for participatory home care, plus a conceptual textile/tangible design exploration that contributes design principles to the wider MEDAL framework for participatory healthcare.

Eligibility highlights include a relevant Master’s degree, preferably in industrial design, human-computer interaction, or a comparable area. Applicants should have an affinity with healthcare contexts, experience in co-design and prototyping, and interest in material/tangible design or wearables. Dutch is preferred for effective engagement in the local healthcare context, and applicants must provide evidence of English proficiency (IELTS or TOEFL).

Funding and employment: this is a full-time 2-year position at TU/e with salary scale TOIO (€3,173 gross per month full-time), plus 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus. The university also highlights strong employment conditions, training opportunities, and support services.

Application window: published 2026-09-15 with a last application date of 2026-10-18. Applications must be submitted online via the application link; email or postal applications are not processed.