PhD position Co-creating circular business models and services e-bikes and home appliances

Are you eager to make repair, refurbishment and reuse the new normal for e-bikes and white goods? Do you want to co-create product‑service systems that nudge sustainable behavior with firms and users?

The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is hiring a doctoral candidate on the topic of “Co‑creating circular business models and product‑service systems (PSS) for consumer behavior change”. Despite growing policy attention and the introduction of new legislation such as Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the Right to Repair Directive, household consumption stays locked in a linear “take‑make‑dispose” pattern. This PhD project will focus on circularity for two product categories in the Netherlands: e‑bikes and washing machines.

Behavioral data highlights a problematic reality: 43 % of users would replace their e‑bike if the motor failed, and 23 % if the battery failed; 31 % of washing machines are discarded while still working.

• How can circular business propositions be co‑created to make repair, reuse and refurbish strategies simultaneously attractive for consumers and viable for firms across the value chain?
• Which behavior‑change elements are needed to nudge consumers into new PSS business models?
• How can co‑designed propositions be piloted and tested in the case of e‑bikes (primary case) and white goods (comparative case) – and what cross‑sectoral learnings emerge?

During your PhD you will:

• Co‑create user‑centered opportunity spaces and R‑strategy requirements with consumers, translating behavioural insights into personas, user journeys and opportunity spaces.
• Co‑create circular propositions with value‑chain and societal actors – e.g. repair subscriptions, (like‑for‑like) refurbished offers, deposit and take‑back systems, mapping (legislative) barriers and enablers across the chain.
• Pilot the propositions in real‑world settings, focusing first on e‑bikes and then on white goods, qualitatively evaluating feasibility, desirability and product life‑extension.

This fully funded, 4‑year PhD position is part of the NWO KIC funded project CIVIC‑4CE (Circular Consumption through Value‑Chain Integration and Co‑Creation for the Circular Economy), a five‑year programme combining behavioural science, circular PSSs, immersive technologies, transition pathways and agent‑based modelling to make R‑strategies the norm. The consortium unites TU Delft, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Wageningen University, The Hague University of Applied Sciences and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, together with manufacturers and retailers (e.g. Decathlon, ATAG, Van Raam Mobility), designers, repair and reverse‑logistics SMEs, platform and innovation partners, civil‑society organisations and municipalities.

• Driven, enthusiastic and independent thinker
• MSc degree (or equivalent) in design engineering, business or innovation studies, or a related field
• Experience with participatory research methods, co‑creation, or co‑design approaches and their application in product‑service system development
• Experience in the micromobility sector or affinity with e‑bikes is highly beneficial
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability and circular economy
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in transdisciplinary contexts engaging with diverse stakeholders
• Affinity with design for behaviour change
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken) is essential; working knowledge of Dutch is a strong advantage, given that fieldwork and pilots will largely take place in the Netherlands.