The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is hiring a doctoral candidate on the topic of "Co-creating sharing and repairing practices".

Co-creation emerges as a powerful tool in inspiring innovation and driving the adoption and scale-up of the Circular Economy. As a PhD candidate, you will play a key role in developing and implementing co-creation methodologies to support the adoption and scaling of sharing and repairing practices. You will explore how products and services that support circular practices can be co-created, designed, prototyped, and tested, with a focus on integrating them into citizens' daily lives.

You will address the following research questions:

1. How can co-creation contribute to the effective development of new sharing and repairing practices?
2. Which products and/or services can actively facilitate the emergence of new sharing and repairing practices?
3. Which ‘practice-prototypes’ have potential to bring about real reduction in material consumption?

During your PhD, you will collaborate with industry partners, local governments, NGOs, end-users, and employees, drawing on real-life case studies and working within a dynamic, multi-disciplinary project team. Workplaces, neighborhoods, and community groups (e.g., sports clubs) will serve as case study settings. By leveraging existing social networks and employing a co-creation methodology, the project aims to explore how everyday citizens, in collaboration with industry and societal stakeholders, can develop and embed new circular practices.

About ShaRepair

This fully funded, 4-year PhD position is part of the NWO funded project Sharepair, which is aimed at embedding sustainable sharing and repairing practices into daily urban life. The project approaches circular consumption through the lens of social practice theory, recognizing that the meanings, skills and material conditions that make up sharing and repairing practices are deeply intertwined with wider social, political, and institutional contexts. Despite their potential for realising circular economy ambitions, sharing and repairing of consumer goods such as electric appliances, furniture, and clothing remain marginal in Dutch society, with challenges in participation and scaling across diverse communities. The ShaRepair project seeks to bridge this gap. Through a co-creative Living Lab approach, involving academic, industry and societal actors, we aim to explore, support, and scale sharing and repairing practices across societal contexts, addressing key knowledge gaps and mitigating unintended consequences like negative rebound effects. Partners include Wageningen University, RUG, Milieu Centraal, Gemeente Amsterdam and Wageningen, Circular IT Group, AMS institute, Circulair Netwerk Wageningen, Natuur en Milieu Gelderland, HAN, and PBL.     

Driven, enthusiastic and independent thinker

• MSc degree (or equivalent) in design, social sciences, or a related subject;
• Experience with participatory research methods, co-creation, co-design, or design thinking approaches and affinity with social practice theory.
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability, environmental issues, and circular economy, and motivation to contribute to positive societal and environmental impacts through research.
• Ability to present complex concepts in a clear and concise manner.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse stakeholders and in transdisciplinary research contexts.
• Proficiency in English (both written and spoken) is essential.
• Mastery of Dutch is an advantage.  

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology

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.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Industrial Design Engineering

Matching the evolution of people with the speed of the revolution of technology. This is the focus of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE). Delft designers act as a bridge between advances in technology and the needs of people, organisations and society to create products, services and systems with purpose.

IDE is a leader in design research across the application areas of mobility, sustainability and health, as well as its development of design tools and methods. A 350-strong research team and over 2,000 students work together in our inspiring hall, labs and studios.

In close cooperation with industry, the public sector and NGOs we rehearse possible futures in research and education to design for a complex future.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

If you have questions according the vacancy you can contact the vacancy holder Sonja van Dam s.s.vandam@tudelft.nl

If you have questions about the application procedure please contact Ioanna Charalampous i.charalampous@tudelft.nl