PhD position on Design for robotic recycling and material recovery

Overview

TU Delft’s faculty of Industrial Design Engineering offers a PhD position in the Design for Sustainability section. The candidate will research novel approaches to recycling electronic products.

Research Focus and Responsibilities

The PhD will explore how electronic products can be designed to enable controlled destructive robotic disassembly and advanced sorting/reprocessing technologies such as AI‑supported component recognition and chemical recycling. Tasks include:

• Analyze the relationship between product architecture and robotic disassembly processes.
• Investigate innovative joining technologies, including active disassembly triggered by robots.
• Assess recyclability across different end‑of‑life scenarios.
• Develop design guidelines and methods that integrate robotic disassembly into designers’ workflows.
• Validate methodologies through industrial case studies in collaboration with European manufacturing and recycling companies.
• Participate in two international secondments (2–3 months each) for exposure to industrial practice and real‑world recycling constraints.

Qualifications

• Master degree in Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Clear affinity with design engineering, if not from a design engineering background.
• Strong interest in design for sustainability and/or circular economy.
• Practical experience in design of electromechanical systems, robot programming, industrial or collaborative robots, or Life Cycle Assessment is considered an asset.
• Scientific writing skills and effective communication in English, both orally and in writing.
• Motivation to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment and participate in mandatory international secondments.
• International mobility rule: must not have resided in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding 01/10/2026 at the time of recruitment.

Employment Conditions

The PhD lasts 4 years, offered through two employment contracts: an initial 1.5‑year contract with a progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional 2.5‑year contract subject to performance.

Salary follows the Dutch Universities collective agreement: gross monthly pay from the first to the fourth year of a full‑time (38‑hour) contract, plus 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end‑of‑year bonus.

EEO Statement

Our recruitment is based on a broad definition of merit. We value academic grades, teamwork abilities, interdisciplinary knowledge and soft skills. We are committed to equal opportunity and do not tolerate discrimination based on ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religious diversity, neurodiversity, socioeconomic background or any other characteristic. Women, underrepresented backgrounds and new EU Member States are especially encouraged to apply.

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