PhD position on Ecodesign and mitigation of rebound effects

Job Description

TU Delft's faculty of Industrial Design Engineering has an opening for a PhD candidate in the Design for Sustainability section, who will contribute to the research on mitigation of rebound effects through design.

Your challenge: Eco-design interventions do not always deliver their promised environmental benefits. Rebound effects, i.e. systemic responses that partially or fully offset environmental gains, can undermine even the best-intentioned designs. Beyond well-known economic rebounds, such as increased consumption following energy savings, rebound effects can emerge through the interaction of behavioural, social, technological, infrastructural, and systemic dynamics. These effects often propagate across multiple scales, from individual user practices to broader societal transitions. Yet such interactions remain poorly understood. As a result, designers currently lack the conceptual frameworks and practical tools needed to recognise recurring rebound patterns, anticipate unintended consequences, and intervene more strategically at multiple levels of the system.

Your research: You will build a deeper understanding of rebound effects in eco-design and develop practical methods to help designers recognize, predict and mitigate them. Starting with a systematic review of documented rebound cases, you will map the mechanisms behind rebounds and categorize their patterns. In-depth studies of current eco-design cases will uncover contextual factors and the interrelation of different rebound effects. Building on these insights, you will develop and refine a predictive method together with designers and stakeholders in real-world case studies, in collaboration with European companies. For this, the PhD includes two international secondments (2-3 months), providing direct exposure to industrial design practice and real world constraints.

This PhD position is part of the academic network working on Ecodesign, an international research and training initiative. The network aims to advance digital and Ecodesign methodologies that enable circular economy practices at an industrial scale, in line with European sustainability and design objectives.

The research will be carried out in the Design for Sustainability section, part of TU Delft's Department of Sustainable Design Engineering. Our research focuses on sustainable and circular product design throughout the entire product life cycle. It offers a multidisciplinary environment where researchers work toward a circular economy transition, developing design methods that enable strategies like reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling. The section's work spans design activities, material selection, implementation of emerging technologies, societal impact, and sustainability assessment, frequently in close partnership with industry and public organizations.

Job Requirements

• Master degree in Industrial Design, Industrial Ecology, or a closely related field. Clear affinity with design engineering is required if you don't have a design engineering background.
• Demonstrated strong interest in design for sustainability and/or circular economy
• Scientific writing skills and effective communication in English, both orally and in writing.
• Motivated to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment and to participate in (mandatory) international secondments.
• International mobility rule: To foster international exchange, at the time of recruitment, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work or studies) in the Netherlands for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding 01/10/2026.

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 Promovendus 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 you can contact Professor Conny Bakker - [email protected] or Professor Ruud Balkenende [email protected].

Application Procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 21 June 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Cover letter

The application process adheres to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, ensuring a transparent and fair selection process. We believe that ambitious research requires a variety of voices, and we view diversity as a core strength of our team.

Our recruitment is based on a broad definition of merit: we value not only academic grades but also your teamwork abilities, interdisciplinary knowledge, and soft skills. We are committed to equal opportunity and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including, but not limited to, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religious diversity, neurodiversity, or socioeconomic background.

In line with our commitment to gender balance, we particularly encourage applications from women. We welcome researchers from underrepresented backgrounds and new EU Member States to join our multidisciplinary environment.

To support our commitment to equity and meritocracy, please ensure you compile the "Summary Sheet" document and include it as the first pages of your motivation letter. In addition, avoid using your family name or first name in the Motivation Letter and when naming your files (e.g., Summary_Motivation.pdf).

Please find the document here: Summary Sheet document

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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