2 EngD positions in Designing Human-System Interaction

Do you want to improve the lives of patients and medical doctors? Do you want to use your design skills or your software concept development skills to co-create the future of healthcare?

Position Engineering Doctorate (EngD)

Irène Curie Fellowship No

Department(s) Industrial Design

FTE 1,0

Date off 22/09/2024

Reference number V51.7667

Job description

The Department of Industrial Design of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), in cooperation with Philips Clinical Informatics is offering two fully funded 2-year positions to master graduates leading to the award of an EngD (Engineering Doctorate) degree in Designing Human-System Interaction.

Societal urgency

Access to high quality healthcare is under increasing pressure. Patient volumes are rising due to an aging population, and the amount of data from scans and image interpretation is increasing at a steeper pace than radiologists and pathologists can handle. Radiology leaders have raised alarm that labor shortages are leading to longer wait times and delays in treatment for patients. Never has there been a bigger need to relieve the pressure from staff. But how exactly do we make that happen?

The challenge

Adoption of radiology and pathology solutions is increasingly driven by the extent to which solutions “naturally” fit into clinical workflows and enable radiologists and pathologists to deliver quality at speed. This requires not only high-quality medical data and cutting-edge AI models. More so, clinical acceptance and adoption depends on solutions that are designed with a clear understanding of clinical workflows and usage patterns, and with the requirements that different clinical experts have on their tooling. Beyond functional requirements, successful clinical adoption needs highly intuitive solutions, seamless workflow integration (speed), and a great user experience. In sum, we face the overarching challenge of how to integrate AI-based clinical decision-making tools into clinical practice that is characterized by fast-paced, high-stakes decision-making informed by deep domain knowledge and year-long expertise.

Prototypes that are highly realistic in the eyes of the clinical user have shown to be an important “vehicle” to enable rapid co-creation with clinicians. It enables them to give meaningful clinician-centered direction to development complex  technical tools. Are you ready to iteratively create such prototypes and shape them together with experts in the field?

You are part of a learning community

You will be strongly embedded in and work closely with a highly dynamic community with experts from different disciplines including designers, researchers, engineers, clinical specialists and business:

• You will work “in-tandem” with your fellow EngD team member. You learn from each other by bouncing-off ideas and taking turns at different steps in the design process.
• You will immerse yourself in the Philips Clinical Informatics business context working closely with the design teams on the latest technology developments in radiology and digital pathology, in close collaboration with hospitals and clinical end-users where the impact is made.
• The EngD program offers a personalized learning experience through a mix of courses, coaching and hands-on learning by doing.
• You will be surrounded by a team of fellow EngDs and PhDs that focus on human-AI collaboration in the healthcare domain.

The two positions

EngD position 1 – The medical data visualization & AI designer

In this position you dive deep into understanding the needs and workflows of the clinical end users and translate those insights into design concepts and interactive data visualizations. You express your ideas by creating clickable demonstrators together with your buddy “the creative technologist” (the second EngD candidate) and you enjoy using your user research skills to set up interviews and simulated use tests to collect user feedback, early and often.  

Requirements

• A Masters degree in an industrial design related discipline (e.g., Industrial Design, Interaction Design, UX-UI, HCI). Masters degree needs to be obtained before the prospective starting date of this position: September/ October 2024.

Design creation skills

• Strong conceptual design skills (translating user insights into concepts pushing the boundaries of the status quo)
• Affinity with UI, visual design skills, wireframes and clickable prototypes (e.g., Figma)
• Data visualization (next gen medical data & AI visualization)
• Interest in and understanding of AI (i.e., integration of AI in user journeys)
• Eye for detail and quality

Design research skills

• Enjoy experimentation with iterations based on user feedback and contextual insights
• Intermediate knowledge of user research methods (e.g., interviews, setting up and running small hands-on user tests with clinical end users, inquiries with stakeholders)

Soft skills

• Strong collaborator with multi-disciplinary team members and industry stakeholders
• Curious to know more about the healthcare domain and in obtaining a deep understanding of clinical end users in their daily work
• Can-do attitude and hands-on designer

EngD position 2 – The creative technologist

In this position you use your front-end software prototyping powers to create dynamic and realistic clinical workflow prototypes with clinical data, medical data visualizations and interactive AI outputs.  You work closely with your buddy, the “medical data visualization & AI designer” where you take the lead in interactive prototype implementation to create a realistic clinical user experience based on actual data and AI outputs.

Requirements

• A Masters degree in an industrial design or creative software development related discipline (e.g., Industrial Design with technical focus, Computer Science or Software Engineering with design affinity). Masters degree needs to be obtained before the prospective starting date of this position: September/ October 2024.

Technical skills

• Solid front-end software prototyping development skills with modern web technologies and frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, data visualization tools and libraries)
• Proficient with full-stack integration of different software libraries and adapting them to your needs to build great user experiences (e.g., output of AI algorithms, managing local development environments)
• Knowledge of software designing and architecture, different architectural patterns, data modelling.
• Experience with writing technical documentation is a plus.

Design skills

• Understanding user experience design principles
• Enjoys iterative experimentation with iterations based on user feedback and contextual insights, familiarity with agile methods is a plus
• An eye for detail and a quality mindset, software testing and release experience is a plus

Soft skills

• Strong collaborator with multi-disciplinary team members and stakeholders
• Curious to know more about the healthcare domain
• Can-do attitude and hands-on creative technologist

Job requirements

See above

Conditions of employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an international setting with a close relationship to industry. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for two years.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale TOIO  (€2,618).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• To support you during your EngD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for EngD trainees.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

Information and application

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more?
Please contact the hiring manager dr. M. Funk, m.funk@tue.nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices.id@tue.nl.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button.
The application should include:

• A cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• A curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.
• Copies of relevant BSc and MSc diplomas and grade transcripts.
• The result of an English proficiency test such as IELTS or TOEFL.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible.