Assistant Professor of Design Health and Care Systems

Assistant Professor focusing on the use of design methods, creative participatory design, and/or service design for transforming out-of-hospital health and care systems.

The IDE Faculty and the Design Organisation and Strategy (DOS) department are seeking an Assistant Professor to strengthen its research and education profile in design methods, creative participatory design, and/or service design, applied to the transformation of out-of-hospital health and care systems. We are looking for a colleague with a strong grounding in design methodologies and processes, who can apply these critically and creatively within complex, real-world care contexts.

In this role, you will develop and lead transdisciplinary research that uses design as a driver for systemic change in out-of-hospital care, including community care, home care, and informal care networks. Your work will focus on how design methods, participatory approaches, and service design can contribute to more resilient, fair, and inclusive care systems.

You will investigate, develop, and test design methodologies that support collaboration across disciplines and stakeholder groups, including patients, informal caregivers, care professionals, policymakers, and industry partners. A central aspect of the position is advancing knowledge on how design processes can mediate complexity in health and care ecosystems, beyond the hospital.

The position involves contributing to academic publications in design-oriented, health and care, and transdisciplinary journals, acquiring external research funding, and contributing to education at bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. You will play an active role in shaping IDE’s research agenda and educational programs, particularly where design research intersects with societal challenges in health and care.

• Development and critical application of creative design methods and methodologies for complex service systems in out-of-hospital care.
• Participatory and co-design approaches involving patients, informal caregivers, professionals, and communities.
• Service design for integrated care ecosystems that connect formal and informal care structures.
• Design-led approaches to systemic transformation, equity, and resilience in health and care services.

You are driven by working at the forefront of design methods and processes in the context of health, by involving participation and co-design approaches. You thrive in transdisciplinary environments and enjoy working with diverse teams, including those in technology disciplines, where your experience in design methods and design research methodologies can contribute to complex societal issues. Your strong communication skills enable you to inspire and convince stakeholders of your research proposals, and you are adept at teaching and mentoring students.

You are enthusiastic about growing these and other competencies during your tenure track.

• A PhD in design, or a PhD in a design-related context (e.g., healthcare, engineering, social sciences, psychology)
• Experience in conducting research in health or care-related contexts.
• Experience in writing academic publications.
• Teaching experience.
• Some experience with grant writing.
• A collaborative and open-minded approach to transdisciplinary research.
• The ability to engage with industry, societal partners and academic communities.
• A drive to develop innovative educational programs.
• A good command of spoken and written English. If you don’t speak Dutch, you have the willingness to learn the language, as your home base at TU Delft is bilingual.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

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