Postdoc - Future Engineering Skills

TU Delft prepares its graduates for future engineering skills.

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is looking for a post-doc researcher within the Innovation for Delft Engineering Education (IDEE) initiative, on the theme "Future Engineering Skills".

You will work in a cross-faculty research team of more than twenty TU Delft staff members, an educational development specialist, PhD student and student assistants. The group works on four work packages and conducts educational research with respect to:

• Finding and analysing current good practices and helping to create an inventory of what skills are desired from engineers by potential employers.
• Co-developing pilot teaching activities focusing on various transdisciplinary skills on the basis of theory, literature and best practices.
• Testing these activities and investigating how transdisciplinary skills may develop in practice and create a knowledge base on how various skills could be taught.
• Inform and assist the team in activities on institution wide educational development with respect to future engineering skills.

You will work closely with a PhD student on making the inventory of TUD inventories on transdisciplinary skills.

For this post-doc position, you will work on the first two workpackages. You will explore what are the current skills taught as part of TU Delft's engineering education. Your initial goal will be to produce an overview of skills, strategies, and tools for our students, our teachers, and our organization at large. You will define the common ground within the theme and explore various dimensions of the theme through the perspectives of students and teachers, theories and concepts, and means and methods.

You will assess and implement the framework by seeking answers to the questions:

• Which skills are currently taught at TU Delft? What do we know about the learning outcomes? How do the skills are embedded in the current curriculum?
• What are the skills engineers need or should have for their future work? Does the view on these skills differ between society, employers, students and the different faculties of TUD?
• How can future skills (already identified) best be embedded, taught and learned based on theoretical insights and tacit knowledge?

You will be coordinating and implementing work on:

• Literature review on the current paradigms and endeavors in relation to future engineering skills, with the focus on teaching the teachers.
• Creating a platform/repository for learning initiatives.
• Workshops, panel talks, and interviews with a wide and diverse group of students, teachers, educational managers, and other stakeholders to gain insight into the different perspectives of what skills are needed to be taught at TUD.
• Setting up a teach the teacher pragramme to embed future engineering skills teaching strategies into TUD curricula.

The outcomes of this two-year position include, but are not limited to:

• Publications such as conference proceedings and journal papers.
• An international workshop or a round-table session to involve feedback from other universities.
• A symposium that will introduce common ground to all actors in the university and stimulate a larger group toward the goal of the theme.

Institutional setting of this PD position

This PD position is part of the Initiative on Innovation in Delft Engineering Education (IDEE). IDEE is a cross-faculty program for innovations and research in engineering education for degree programs at TU Delft. This PD project is one of the research projects within IDEE at TU Delft. The candidate will work in close vicinity of the other IDEE PhD and PD candidates, supported by Scientific Expert and the TU Delft Teaching Academy.

TU Delft Teaching Academy

The Teaching Academy is the network for and by lecturers of TU Delft with the mission to collaboratively enhance engineering education and drive education innovations acrross faculty boundaries.

You have:

• A PhD related and not limited to education sciences, engineering education research, policies or management.
• Experience with publishing scientific results in academic journals.
• Strong experience in designing, performing and analysing qualitative research methods, interviews and focus groups.
• Teaching experience (or proven interest) on subjects within TU Delft disciplines related to engineering, social science, design or applied sciences (desired, not compulsory).
• Experience with organizing round tables and workshops, and writing policy recommendations.

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!

The Faculty of TPM provides an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. TPM does this with its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. We combine insights from both engineering and social sciences as well as the humanities. TPM develops robust models and designs, is internationally oriented and has an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

Click to go to the website of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.

• Duration of contract is 2 years.
• A job of 30-40 hours per week.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

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• Motivation letter (2 A4 pages).
• CV that includes education and employment history, publications, and courses taught.
• A research statement that includes applicant's vision on the theme, supported by relevant publications (max 2 A4 pages).
• A diversity statement (optional).
• Names and contact details of at least two references who may be contacted at a later stage of the procedure.

The Interviews will take palce in the third week of May. Selected applicants should be available from May 19th -  May 28th for interview.

You can address your application to .

Please note:

• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.