PhD in Human Data Interaction for Health and Wellbeing

About the Role

Utrecht University is advertising a fully funded four-year PhD position in Human Data Interaction for Health and Wellbeing. The project investigates how people engage with personal health data, including from wearables and digital health platforms, with an emphasis on designing interaction methods that are meaningful, trustworthy, and accessible to diverse populations. The application deadline is 15 June 2026.

Utrecht University is one of Europe’s leading research universities and consistently ranks among the top 100 globally. The Netherlands offers competitive PhD salaries under the CAO Universities collective agreement, starting at approximately EUR 2,872 per month in year one, rising each year.

Responsibilities

• Conduct user studies, interviews, and co-design workshops with health data users and clinicians
• Design and prototype new interaction paradigms for personal health data dashboards and wearable interfaces
• Analyse qualitative and quantitative data from user research
• Develop and test conceptual frameworks for human-centered health data interaction
• Publish findings in leading HCI, health informatics, and design research venues (ACM CHI, CSCW, IMWUT)
• Contribute to teaching assistant duties in relevant undergraduate or graduate courses

Requirements

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in human-computer interaction, information science, design, computer science, or a closely related field, completed before the start date
• Strong interest in health data, digital wellbeing, or participatory design
• Research experience in at least one of: user studies, prototyping, or data analysis
• Excellent written English for publication

Nice to Have

• Experience with health wearables, electronic health records, or patient-facing technologies
• Background in qualitative research methods (ethnography, thematic analysis, interviews)
• Familiarity with AI or machine learning applied to health monitoring
• Dutch language skills are helpful but not required

How to Apply

Apply through the Utrecht University jobs portal at uu.nl/en/organisation/working-at-utrecht-university/jobs before 15 June 2026. Search for the position by keyword. Your application must include a motivation letter (maximum one page), a CV, academic transcripts, and contact details for two academic referees.