Delft University of Technology
Top university
Just Landed
New Today
PhD in Twin Transition of Infrastructure: Paradoxical Leadership Delft University of Technology in Netherlands
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Environmental Science
Funding
Doctoral candidate position with a 4-year employment period in principle, split into a 1.5-year contract plus a 2.5-year extension subject to a go/no-go assessment and performance. Salary ranges from €3204 to €4051 gross per month based on full-time employment, plus 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. TU Delft also offers a customizable compensation package, health insurance discounts, and a monthly work costs contribution.
Deadline
Nov 3, 2026
Country
Netherlands
University
Delft University of Technology

How do I apply for this?
Sign in for free to reveal details, requirements, and source links.
Apply for this position
Keywords
Suggested positions
About this position
PhD opportunity at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in paradoxical leadership, infrastructure management, digitalisation, and sustainability transitions.
This PhD project, titled Twin Transition of Infrastructure: Paradoxical Leadership, is part of the NWO-funded Vidi project Infra-PaX. The research examines how infrastructure leaders and their teams navigate tensions between digital efficiency and environmental impact, as well as short-term performance and long-term value. The project focuses on how leaders make decisions when digital twins, AI, and other data-driven solutions both enable better services and create new energy use and dependencies.
The work is based at TU Delft, within the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, and is embedded in a multidisciplinary environment connected to infrastructure management, project studies, and sustainability transitions. The research design is a longitudinal, embedded case study in the Dutch infrastructure domain, using qualitative interviews, observations, document analysis, and ethnographic fieldwork. The PhD candidate will contribute to academic debates on paradox theory, leadership, infrastructure, and project management, while also producing practical outputs for the sector.
Eligibility highlights: a master’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, project management, business administration, information systems, innovation studies, or a related field; strong interest in leadership, organisational change, digitalisation, sustainability, and infrastructure; strong analytical skills; excellent English; and willingness to conduct fieldwork and collaborate in a multidisciplinary team. Dutch is helpful but not formally required.
Funding: 4-year doctoral employment, with salary from €3204 to €4051 gross per month, plus holiday allowance and end-of-year bonus. TU Delft also mentions health insurance discounts and a monthly work costs contribution.
Application deadline: 3 November 2026. Apply online with a CV, cover letter, and one-minute video introduction; optionally add a scientific outputs document. Interview rounds are planned for 17 and 24 November 2026, and the target start date is 1 February 2027.
Funding details
Doctoral candidate position with a 4-year employment period in principle, split into a 1.5-year contract plus a 2.5-year extension subject to a go/no-go assessment and performance. Salary ranges from €3204 to €4051 gross per month based on full-time employment, plus 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. TU Delft also offers a customizable compensation package, health insurance discounts, and a monthly work costs contribution.
What's required
A master’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, project management, business administration, information systems, innovation studies or a related field. Strong interest in leadership, organisational change, digitalisation, sustainability and infrastructure. Affinity with empirical qualitative methods such as interviews, case study research, observations, document analysis and ideally ethnographic work. Strong analytical skills, curiosity about decision-making under competing demands, excellent written and spoken English, ability to work independently and collaboratively, and willingness to conduct fieldwork and contribute to publications and stakeholder engagement. Dutch is an advantage but not a formal requirement.
How to apply
Apply online via the application button by 3 November 2026. Upload a CV, cover letter, and a one-minute video introduction; optionally include a scientific outputs document if relevant. Selected applicants will later provide at least two references.
More information can be found here
Ask ApplyKite AI

How do I apply for this?
Sign in for free to reveal details, requirements, and source links.