Introduction
Are you eager to help shape sustainable cities and communities, improve health and well-being, and tackle climate challenges through the built environment? Join TU/e’s Building Lighting group as an EngD trainee and contribute to an innovative facade solution to reduce overheating while ensuring daylight for human comfort and health!
Job Description
To prevent overheating, buildings often use well-insulated facades while glass facades ensure daylight penetration for human health and comfort. A new semitransparent, well-insulated sandwich element with integrated optical fibers has been developed to combine both benefits. The main challenge of the EngD trainee position is to assess to what extent the innovative façade element meets the intended goals. These investigations will take place at three study sites in the Netherlands.
The TU/e Department of the Built Environment offers you a EngD trainee position to follow a two-year post-master technological designer program (Smart Buildings & Cities; SBC). After successfully completing all requirements, trainees are awarded the EngD degree (Engineering Doctor), formerly known as PDEng (Professional Doctorate in Engineering). The program consists of two main parts running in parallel:
- Half of the program consists of post-master level education in the form of generic design projects and courses about design methods, entrepreneurship and professional skills. Furthermore, it includes several technical courses about topics relevant to SBC. This part of the program also offers ample opportunity to develop professional skills.
- The other half of the program is dedicated to the individual design project in collaboration with a company. It is the trainee’s main responsibility to manage and execute the project. Each trainee is supported by an advisor from the company and an advisor from the university. A business plan for implementation or marketing of the designed product or process is part of the final deliverables.
Note that this program is about technological design, i.e., the process of solving problems by means of a technological design, this in contrast to (PhD) research, which is the process of understanding problems.
The EngD trainee will be embedded in the Building Lighting group within the TU/e’s Department of the Built Environment. The company involved in this project is Zospeum, a Dutch company that developed a new translucent insulated façade element. This work is part of the larger OPZuid project, where a consortium works on (1) improving the façade solution, (2) setting up a production line with automated optical fiber integration, (3) producing the façade elements for the three test sites, and (4) obtaining certifications such as LCA and a materials passport.
The company project focuses on the key challenge: assessing how well the innovative façade element achieves its goals - reducing overheating (and thus HVAC energy use) while allowing daylight penetration. As an EngD trainee, you will design and execute measurement campaigns at three Dutch sites: a prefab residential building, utility building, and a renovation project. The measurement campaigns will cover thermal performance, daylighting, and energy consumption inside and outside the façades. After analyzing the collected data, you will share insights with the project consortium and publish findings in (scientific) publications.
Job Requirements
- A master’s degree (or an equivalent university degree) in building or architectural engineering, or similar.
- A strong interest in (day)lighting engineering and design and energy savings
- A technological design-oriented attitude.
- Ability to work in a team and interested in collaborating with the industrial partners within the project consortium.
- Fluent in spoken and written English.
- Nice to have: fluent in spoken and written Dutch.
Conditions of Employment
A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an international setting with a close relationship to industry. 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 two years.
- 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 TOIO (€ 3,029).
- A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
- To support you during your EngD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for EngD trainees.
- 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.
About us
Eindhoven University of Technology is a leading international university within the Brainport region where scientific curiosity meets a hands-on mindset. We work in an open and collaborative way with high-tech industries to tackle complex societal challenges. Our responsible and respectful approach ensures impact — today and in the future. TU/e is home to over 13,000 students and more than 7,000 staff, forming a diverse and vibrant academic community.
Information
Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Juliëtte van Duijnhoven, assistant professor in the Building Lighting group, j.v.duijnhoven1@tue.nl, +31 40 247 4274.
Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices.BE@tue.nl.
Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.
Application
We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include:
- A cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
- A curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references. Kindly note that we may reach out to references at any stage of the recruitment process. We recommend notifying your references upon submitting your application.
- Copies of relevant BSc and MSc diplomas and grade transcripts.
- The result of an English proficiency test such as IELTS or TOEFL.
Ensure that you submit all the requested application documents. Please note that incomplete applications may not be considered and could be rejected.
The application deadline for this position is 31 January 2026. After this deadline the high potential candidates will be shortlisted. These candidates will be invited for an interview with a selection committee. For a potential second selection round, the candidates are requested to do a small assignment (give a presentation). After this round, the selection committee will decide who will be offered the EngD trainee position. Our aim is to have a candidate starting on this EngD project no later than 1 March 2026.
We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.
Please note
- You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
- A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.
