PhD Position Indoor Thermal Natural Variation for Heat Resilience

Hot weather events are increasing, making adaptation of existing dwellings increasingly important to protect residents from unhealthy indoor conditions and limit future energy use for cooling. While we are instinctively drawn to natural conditions, residents are most of the time exposed to static environmental indoor conditions. Hot weather events can even amplify static conditions, for example through constant mechanical cooling. To support health and to lower energy use, current guidelines and standards allow for some variation. Yet we still know too little about how residents perceive and accept natural variation in indoor thermal conditions, and how this relates to building characteristics and resident behaviour.

As a PhD candidate at TU Delft, you will conduct research within the NWO-funded Nature 4 Homes project. Your research will address how natural variation in thermal conditions influences residents’ perceptions, acceptance and interactions with the building envelope under current and future Dutch conditions. This a unique opportunity to contribute to one of the most pressing challenges facing cities today: adapting existing dwellings to climate change while enhancing quality of life.

Using a citizen science approach, you will investigate indoor and outdoor thermal and ventilation conditions in existing dwellings in different regions of the Netherlands. You will combine measurements of environmental conditions with information about residents’ perceptions and behaviour and relevant building characteristics. A key part of your research will be developing new methods to characterize natural variation of indoor conditions in relation to outdoor conditions, and predicting this variation using climate scenarios and data collected in dwellings, in co-creation with residents, housing corporations and industy partners.

You will join the Architectural Engineering + Technology (AE&T) Department at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft, under the supervision of AnneMarie Eijkelenboom and Philomena M. Bluyssen and Gert-Jan Steeneveld of the Meteorology and Air Quality Section at Wageningen University and Research. You will collaborate closely with a postdoctoral researcher and three other PhD candidates, as well as research, industry and public-sector partners. We foster an open and collaborative environment, where independent thinking, knowledge sharing and interdisciplinary research are encouraged.

Job requirements

• You hold an MSc in architecture, architectural engineering, meteorology or atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences, or civil engineering.
• You have a strong interest in human perception, building design, and climate change.
• You are motivated to conduct research with residents in real-world dwellings in the Netherlands.
• You have affinity with modelling and analysing indoor and outdoor environmental conditions.
• You enjoy interdisciplinary research and collaborating with academic, industry and public-sector partners.
• You have excellent oral and written communication skills in English. For more details, please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.
• You have a fascination for science, and love working in an interdisciplinary team.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

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.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Architecture & the Built Environment

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty’s success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy, with four thousand people enthusiastically studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research’, which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.

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 €3204 - €4051 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 about the application procedure, please contact paulien Stastra, HR Advisor, e-mail: recruitment-bk@tudelft.nl.

The start date of this position is on March 1st 2027.

Application procedure

Please apply no later than November 11, 2026 (local Dutch time + 2 hrs) via the application button and upload the following five items:

• Your CV - highlighting examples of projects and/or achievements that demonstrate skills relevant to the advertised position.
• Your motivation letter (no more than 600 words) addressing your interests and describing how your experience and plans fit with the position.
• Copies of your BSc and MSc degrees and transcipts.
• Names and contact information of at least three relevant references (letters not required at this stage).

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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Working at TU Delft

Join the oldest and largest technical university in the Netherlands. Work on clever solutions for worldwide challenges, to change the world and make an impact. Ready to bring your energy to our research? Challenge, change, impact!