Assistant/ Associate professor in Resilient Infrastructure

Critical infrastructures, such as energy, water, mobility, food and digital systems, are becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Decisions or disruptions in one domain can have far-reaching consequences for others, affecting the essential services that people and societies rely on every day. Addressing these challenges involves a wide range of actors, such as public authorities, private operators, regulators, and citizens, each bringing different perspectives, priorities and responsibilities. Ensuring resilience of such infrastructures is the core challenge that this position addresses.

Understanding these complex systems requires methods that capture interactions between technical, social, organisational and institutional factors. It also requires approaches that can reveal cascading effects across infrastructure domains and help identify effective interventions to strengthen resilience. Drawing on systems analysis, modelling and simulation, and participatory approaches, this research can support a deeper understanding of how critical infrastructures function and how they can better withstand and adapt to disruption.

As an Assistant / Associate Professor, you will contribute to this mission through both research and education. You will help advance knowledge and methods for resilient critical infrastructures while inspiring students to address complex societal challenges through systems thinking and inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations.

Your responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Teach and coordinate courses in our core educational programmes, contributing to the development of students’ knowledge of systems thinking, modelling and complex socio-technical challenges.
• Develop and apply methods to analyze, model and design interventions to address the resilience of complex socio-technical critical infrastructures.
• Investigate the socio-technical characteristics of infrastructure systems and cascading effects across vital societal functions, such as healthcare systems, energy, water management, food and mobility.
• Publish your research and contribute to national and international collaborations.
• Acquire research funding and supervise PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers, appropriate to your career stage.
• Supervise Bachelor’s and Master’s students and contribute to the continued development of our educational programmes.
• Strengthen and complement the section’s methodological expertise through mixed-methods research, building on approaches such as systems engineering, agent-based modelling, participatory modelling and design, co-design and data analytics.

Your work environment

You will join System Engineering section, part of the Multi-Actor Systems department within the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management (TPM) at TU Delft. The section brings together expertise in systems engineering, modelling and simulation, agent-based modelling, participatory modelling and design, co-design, and data analytics. These approaches provide a methodological foundation for studying complex socio-technical systems and developing ways to address challenges in critical infrastructure resilience.

We believe that we are humans first and academics second. Diverse perspectives strengthen both our research and education, and we foster an environment where colleagues support one another, exchange ideas and have the space to develop their own academic profile. You will work in an academic environment that brings together researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds and perspectives. As part of this community, you will contribute to research and education that addresses societal challenges and helps develop knowledge for positive change.

Job requirements

We are looking for a collaborative and motivated academic who is passionate about teaching, supervision and research. You bring strong analytical and communication skills, enjoy working across disciplines, and can contribute to a team-oriented research environment while developing your own academic profile.

Furthermore, you meet the following requirements:

• You hold a relevant Master’s degree and PhD in industrial engineering, systems engineering, systems analysis, environmental engineering or another methodologically relevant field.
• You have a strong publication and research track record, appropriate to your career stage.
• You have the ability and vision to develop competitive research proposals and secure external research funding.
• You have enthusiasm for academic teaching and supervision, and can teach courses related to design, modelling and simulation at Bachelor’s and Master’s level.
• Excellent command of the English language, both spoken and written.
• Command of the Dutch language is preferred but not required at the start of this position. As all Bachelor's courses are taught in Dutch, we expect the willingness to learn Dutch within two years of your appointment.

We realise that we ask for the proverbial 'sheep with five legs' here, so we explicitly encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all criteria but think you are a good fit.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional. Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Technology, Policy & Management

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.

Conditions of employment

The position is at the level of assistant professor (Academic Career Track) or associate professor, depending on background, experience and leadership (potential). For candidates with a strong interest in education, TU Delft offers a full teaching career path alongside the research track.

Assistant Professor

During the Academic Career Track, we expect you to grow towards an Associate Professor position within a maximum of eight years, for which a position will be available. With other Academic Career Track colleagues, you will participate in the Academic Career Track Development programme, where you are offered ample opportunities to develop yourself in the areas of Education, Research, Societal Impact & Innovation, and Leadership & Organisation. You will regularly discuss your development and results with senior staff based on a personalized development and performance criteria agreed upon at the start of your Academic Career Track. You will start with a temporary contract that will be converted to a permanent contract no later than 12-18 months after a positive evaluation, based on continuous confidence in your development potential and fit in the organisation.

Salary scale 11-12: €4.925,-- to €7.573,-- per month gross.

Associate Professor

For an Associate Professor position, we offer an initial temporary position with the prospect of a permanent contract. The duration of the temporary position is a maximum of 1 year. After a positive performance assessment, you will be employed in a permanent Associate Professor position.

Salary scale 13-14: €6.764,-- to €8.992,-- per month gross.

Inspiring, excellent education is our central aim. We expect you to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) within three years if you have less than five years of teaching experience. This is provided by the TU Delft UTQ programme as part of the Academic Career Track Development programme.

TU Delft sets high standards for the English competency of the teaching staff. The TU Delft offers training to improve English competency. If you do not speak Dutch, we offer courses to learn the Dutch language within three years.

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 and you can work partly from home.

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, provides information and personal one-on-one guidance to help you prepare your relocation, and to find housing and schools for children (if applicable). 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 about this vacancy, please contact dr. ir. Igor Nikolic, head of the Systems Engineering Section of the MAS Department of TPM, email: recruitment-tbm@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure

Are you interested in this position? Please apply no later than 7 December 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Motivation letter (aim for one to a maximum of two pages). We value personally written, authentic letters. Please explain your interest in joining this specific section within TU Delft at this stage of your career, and how you connect with our values, mission, and leadership style.
• Detailed CV, detailed list of your publications (including a selection of your top 5 publications and a reason of why you chose those ones) as well as key initiatives and contributions in other areas such as communication, (personal) leadership, teaching, entrepreneurship, and societal impact.
• Statement on research. Your research vision should include a brief overview of your current research and a more extensive description of the future research you aim to pursue in our department as part of your appointment. It should primarily be written from the heart, reflecting your intrinsic motivation for an academic career within your chosen direction. What drives and inspires you in your research work? In addition, it should provide an intellectual reflection on how your research vision aligns with this position and, where possible, how it connects with other research lines in our department. The research statement may be as short as one page, but no longer than three pages.
• Statement on education. Your teaching vision should outline the topics or course programmes you feel confident teaching and can bring to life with that magic touch of contagious enthusiasm. We are also interested in your perspective on teaching and supervision, both in classroom settings and when working with individual students or small groups. The education statement is typically up to one page.

You can address your application to dr. ir. Igor Nikolic.

Please note:

To protect your personal data, we only accept applications submitted via the ‘Apply’ button advertised under the vacancies on our website. Applications and additional information sent by email or through other channels, including unsolicited applications, will not be considered or responded to. This also applies to open applications.

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.