We invite applications for a fully-funded 4-year doctoral position on hands-on exploration of research through making and design archives.

This PhD aims to advance strategies for generating knowledge through design and sample making practices. The aim is to explore lively ways of engaging with sample collections and their documentation as collaborators, keeping them actionable and open to revisit and reinterpretation. As such, the focus of the work is on the design artifacts made along the process as a source of knowledge.

This is informed by notions from feminist technoscience, particularly processes of becoming with1 and diffraction2, and more-than-human thinking that promote relationality and multiplicity in design practice3. In practice, this work will be conducted through engagement with digital craftsmanship, taking a first person perspective to create situated and detailed understandings of relations between machines, material, people and samples. The Wearable Senses Lab will be the main site for making and researching, but the project will also seek to collaborate with other labs and design collections.

As outcomes, this PhD candidate will make both methodological and material contributions to the fields of HCI and design research through innovative and emerging techniques (by making new samples and artifacts) as well as with strategies and insights on designerly practice related to documentation and archiving systems devised to support designers in revisiting and cross sharing their work.

This work is situated at the intersection of digital craftsmanship, explorative making and feminist theory. Candidates should have a master's degree in a related area and demonstrable skill and interest in research through design.
Ideally, you have the following qualifications: 

• Strong background in making/fabrication and craft and curiosity towards collaborations with/through (digital) textile machinery.
• Experience or keen interest in broadening our understanding of Research through Design, feminist methodologies, explorative making and digital craftsmanship.
• Experience in designing and making explorative design intervention as evidenced in a portfolio.
• Experience of and interest in working in diverse teams, with the ability to think across various disciplines.
• The potential to publish academically or a track record of publications in design related research areas.
• Ability to work independently.
• Strong communication and academic writing skills, including proficiency in written and spoken English (C1).
• Readiness to relocate to the Netherlands.

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,770 max. €3,539).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.