Join TU Delft and the Horizon Europe project INTERWeuVEN, to explore how people experience temporal and biofabricated textiles through biosensing, user studies, and Material-Driven Design.

Job description

Our bodies are in constant dialogue with the textiles we wear. But what happens when textiles are no longer static, when they move, respond, grow, and change over time?

This PhD project investigates human experiences of animated textiles, including biofabricated materials and garments that evolve through morphing structures or embedded living organisms. How do we experience such materials against our skin? How do they change in response to our movements and bodily inputs? And what do these dynamic, evolving interactions mean for our wellbeing?

You will develop a novel methodology that combines Materials Experience thinking with biosensing, together with a toolkit, including a sensor-based system, for studying human-material experiences with temporal and biofabricated textiles. You will then apply this methodology and toolkit in user studies to investigate how people perceive, interact with, and adapt to dynamic textile materials over time, advancing methods for studying embodied interactions with emerging material technologies.

As a PhD candidate, you will join the Materialising Futures section within the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft. Your project will build upon internationally recognised research in Material-Driven Design, Biodesign, Materials Experience, and Temporal and Experiential Characterization of Materials, developed within the research group. You will further expand this body of work by generating new knowledge, methods, and tools, with particular attention to the relationships between material affordances and temporalities, bodily interactions, emotional responses, and human wellbeing. In doing so, you will contribute to advancing material experience approaches for future regenerative textile systems.

This PhD is part of the Horizon Europe project INTERWeuVEN, which explores new approaches to textile design and manufacturing through interdisciplinary collaboration between academic and industrial partners. As a PhD candidate, you will work with 16 academic and industrial partners across Europe and Canada, including lululemon athletica, alongside researchers and practitioners from the wider INTERWeuVEN consortium.

You will work both independently and collaboratively on research tasks, including (but not limited to):

• Developing and applying methods and tools for studying embodied human-textile/material experience.
• Developing material samples and wearable prototypes.
• Designing and conducting user studies.
• Collecting, processing, and analysing physiological and experiential data to understand human–textile/material experiences.
• Translating research findings into design guidelines and actionable recommendations for the development of materials, products, production systems, and/or digital design tools.

Job requirements

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• A Master's degree in Design, Design Engineering, Industrial Design, Product Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Proven experience with, or a strong interest in, sensor-based system development, biosensing technologies, physiological measurement, and data collection, including (but not limited to) approaches such as affective computing and emotion recognition.
• A strong interest in the intersections between materials, the body, and technology, including (but not limited to) approaches such as materials experience thinking and soma design.
• A combination of technical inventiveness, analytical thinking, and a strong design research sensibility, with proven experience in prototyping and/or user research.
• A strong motivation to conduct academic research and publish in peer-reviewed venues.
• Fluency in English and enthusiasm for working in an international research environment.

The following qualifications are considered an advantage:

• Experience with adaptive or responsive textiles, garment design, or wearable design.
• Experience with biofabrication, biodesign, or bio-based materials.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

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.

Conditions of employment
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 €3059 - €3881 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

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.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Dr. Stefano Parisi via s.parisi@tudelft.nl

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 2 August 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Updated CV
• Motivation/Cover letter

You can address your application to Dr. Stefano Parisi.

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.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
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