PhD Position Cognitive Guidance in XR to Improve Independent Mobility for People with Disabilities (XR)

Location: Delft, Netherlands. Relocation to the Netherlands may be required.

Salary: €3,204–€4,051 gross per month, increasing from the first to the fourth year on a full-time contract of 38 hours per week.

Company

hirify.global is an international university focused on engineering education and research addressing societal challenges, including digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and smart mobility.

What you will do

• Design and evaluate immersive XR experiences for acquiring navigation skills in public transportation hubs, university campuses, and airports.
• Study decision-making and motor behavior in challenging situations, including crowded environments, busy bike paths, and interactions with vehicles.
• Investigate how visual, auditory, and haptic stimuli and repeated exposure affect learning and behavior.
• Develop XR applications that provide real-time guidance in everyday mobility situations.
• Use wearable devices, machine learning, and cognitive models to personalize training, monitor progress, and adapt support.
• Conduct user studies and validate solutions in collaboration with researchers, accessibility organizations, technology developers, and lived-experience experts.

Requirements

• MSc degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Rehabilitation Engineering, Industrial Design, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.
• Solid programming skills and experience with experimental research involving human participants.
• Interest or background in cognitive modeling, human decision-making, or behavioral data analysis.
• Motivation to conduct interdisciplinary research and ability to take initiative and work independently.
• Affinity with teaching and supervising students.
• Proficiency in verbal and written English is required.

Nice to have

• Experience developing VR, AR, or MR applications with Unity or Unreal Engine.
• Background in cognitive and movement sciences, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or human factors.
• Experience with accessibility and inclusive design, motor learning, decision-making, or user-experience research.

Culture & Benefits

• Four-year doctoral employment period, normally split into an initial 1.5-year contract and a subsequent 2.5-year contract subject to a progress assessment.
• Enrollment in the hirify.global Graduate School with supervision, mentoring, and a doctoral education programme.
• 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Customisable compensation package, health-insurance discounts, and a monthly work-cost contribution.
• Flexible work schedules can be arranged.
• Relocation information, settlement events in Delft, and a dual-career programme for accompanying partners.

Hiring process

• Submit a motivation letter, detailed CV, academic records, and Master thesis by 15 September 2026.
• Selected candidates will be invited to an interview and asked to provide two or three references.
• A knowledge-security risk assessment is conducted during the final recruitment stages.