PhD in AI-Enabled Digital Twins for Inclusive Neighborhood Design

About the role

Four-year fully funded PhD at TU Eindhoven, working at the intersection of AI, urban informatics, and architectural design. The project builds digital twins of neighborhoods that simulate accessibility and inclusion outcomes (mobility, sensory load, social interaction) for planning interventions. Deadline 20 May 2026.

Responsibilities

• Build computational models of neighborhood-scale environments fusing geospatial data, mobility traces, and participatory inputs.
• Develop AI simulations that predict accessibility, comfort, and inclusion outcomes of design changes.
• Run co-design workshops with residents, especially older adults, disabled residents, and low-income communities.
• Publish in venues such as CHI, Environment and Planning B, Transportation Research Part C, and IJGIS.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in computer science, urban informatics, architecture, GIS, or a closely related field.
• Strong programming skills in Python; familiarity with at least one of: agent-based modelling, GIS stacks, deep learning.
• Genuine interest in social inclusion and participatory design.
• Fluent English. Dutch is welcomed for fieldwork but not required.

Nice to have

• Prior fieldwork in participatory or co-design settings.
• Familiarity with urban data sources (OpenStreetMap, mobility datasets, satellite imagery).
• A first-author publication or design portfolio.

How to apply

Open the apply link and submit CV, transcripts, motivation letter, Master’s thesis, and two reference contacts via the TU/e portal before 20 May 2026.