Do you want to help make interactions between pedestrians, cyclists, and micromobility users safer through eXtended Reality?
Job description
Cities worldwide are experiencing rapid growth in active and micromobility modes such as cycling, e-scooters, cargo bikes, and mobility aids. While these modes offer significant environmental and societal benefits, they also create new interaction challenges between road users in increasingly complex urban environments. We are seeking an ambitious and highly motivated PhD candidate to join the SAFE MOVE project that brings together universities, industry partners, public authorities, and mobility stakeholders to improve the safety, inclusiveness, and uptake of active and micromobility modes in urban environments.
As part of the SAFE-MOVE project, this PhD position will focus on employing immersive eXtended Reality (XR) and wearable sensing technologies to systematically study interaction dynamics and the relationship between objective risk, perceived safety, stress, and comfort across diverse user groups, mobility modes (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists, micromobility users, and wheelchair users), and infrastructure contexts.
In this role, you will:
- Develop a common XR multimodal ontology framework and scalable XR simulators representing diverse urban traffic scenarios and infrastructure types while ensuring portable and transferable across XR simulator platforms.
- Conduct XR experiments to investigate behavioral, cognitive, psychological, and physiological responses of different road users and derive stress, comfort, and perceived safety indicators.
- Validate XR findings through mixed-reality and real-world experiments.
- Design and evaluating XR-based safety training programmes for active and micromobility users.
- Collaborate closely with project partners across different work packages, such as integrating XR with microscopic traffic simulation, developing explainable behavioral and safety models using behavioural data, surrogate safety measures, and AI techniques.
- Contribute to the development of the SAFE MOVE integrated UMO data platform that ingests heterogeneous data types generated in the SAFE MOVE pilots.
The PhD project is conducted at the Department of Transport and Planning (T&P) of the Delft University of Technology. T&P aims at top-level fundamental research that contributes to a more efficient and robust design and reliable operation of transport systems. You will be member of the Mobility in eXtended Reality Lab (MXR Lab) as well as the Urban Mobility Observatory (UMO) lab. The MXR Lab conducts research on mobility behaviour by using controlled virtual environments to study how pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, and mobility service users navigate spaces, respond to infrastructure, interact with technology, and behave in both every day and safety critical situations. The UMO lab aims to design data collection systems and supporting methods (e.g., sensor network design, experimental design, sensor validation, data fusion).
Job requirements
We are looking for a motivated candidate who has:
- A Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., transportation, human-computer interaction, mechanical engineering, cognitive science, or related disciplines).
- A solid background and strong interest in XR technologies and skills in developing XR applications using Unity/Unreal game engine.
- Strong and demonstrable experimental skills, including experimental design, experimental setup, conducting experiments, and data collection.
- Strong analytic and programming skills (e.g., Python, C#) with proficiency in statistics.
- Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis.
- Excellent communication and writing skills in English and the ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
- Prior research and work experience that is relevant to this PhD position is a bonus.
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.
TU Delft (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 of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.
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
For more information, please contact Dr.Yan Feng ([email protected]).
#EUfunded This is an EU funded project, named SAFE MOVE, with project number 101319217, within program HE.
Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 19 July 2026 upload the following documents:
- CV (maximum 2 pages).
- Motivational letter (maximum 2 pages).
- One-page summary of your MSc thesis.
- A writing sample, such as a chapter from your Master’s Thesis, demonstrating your research methodology and/or data analysis (e.g., Methods and Results sections); or a (forthcoming or published) article or presented conference paper.
- Transcripts of academic qualifications (BSc and MSc), including list of courses and marks.
- A three-slide presentation (PDF) with your initial research ideas and directions for this PhD project.
You can address your application to Yan Feng.
The first round of interviews will be held by the end of July, the second round of interviews will be held early September.
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.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.
