EngD trainee positions (TOIO) ‘Mechatronic Systems Design’

Position Engineering Doctorate (EngD)

Irène Curie Fellowship No

Department(s) Mathematics and Computer Science

FTE 1,0

Date off 15/09/2024

Reference number V32.7224

Job description

In the Netherlands, and especially in the Brainport region (Eindhoven and surroundings), there is lots of high tech industry. This industry needs highly educated engineers that can understand, innovate, and design complex equipment, instruments, robotic and manufacturing systems. In addition, there is a trend towards smart components and systems. This requires new generations of engineers with additional skills and training.

Eindhoven University of Technology* (TU/e) in the Netherlands plays an important role within the high tech industry in the Netherlands and in the world. With the purpose to support the high tech sector by training engineers in systems design, the competitive Engineering Doctorate (EngD, former PDEng) track Mechatronic Systems Design (MSD), accredited by the Dutch Ministry of Education, was established in 2015, as a track of the EngD program Automotive Systems Design. Working with industry is an essential ingredient of this program. It is organized with close links to and cooperation with other EngD programs such as Software Technology and Data Science. For the next round of the 2-year traineeships offered by the EngD program track Mechatronic Systems Design, the TU/e is looking for new candidates.

Profile 

We are looking for talented engineers with a university Master degree or with equivalent knowledge and experience who:

• Have a clear ambition in an industrial career, and an inclination towards the design and development of innovative, complex products, transforming academic research results into practical solutions.
• Are highly motivated and ambitious;
• Want to learn more technically as well as professionally;
• Want to further accelerate their career while helping their colleagues to further develop;
• Can think critically, and on various levels of abstraction;
• Want to learn how to communicate their ideas and thoughts effectively and efficiently to a broad, varied audience.

The next round of the 2-year traineeships starts on November 4, 2024. The program track MSD focuses on systems design and architecture in a high tech systems context. It trains graduates from mechatronics related disciplines to become the professional system designers and grow faster towards system architects.

The program is devoted to deepening, broadening and reinforcing mechatronics related technological knowledge and competencies, as well as personal and professional skills. This program with a unique structure consists of an educational year, followed by a 1-year individual design project for industry. During the first year about half the time is spent on lectures, workshops and training, and the other half on projects on solving a real-world problem from one of the industrial partners with a team.

The lecturers, who mostly have an extensive experience in industry and who cover the theory on topics such as systems architecture, design, and problem solving, return as coach during the projects to help translate the theory to practice. The lectures are in part general, in and part tailored to the problem domain coming up. Team projects are selected from different domains and address various technological areas to both provide multidisciplinary exposure and enhance cross-domain thinking. In this set-up the trainee gets the opportunity to experience the different roles that make a good team.

Program graduates will be awarded a certified diploma and the degree “Engineering Doctorate” (EngD). Their name will be entered in the EngD register of the Royal Dutch Institute for Engineers (KIVI). The program is affiliated to the British Association of Engineering Doctorates (AEngD). As of 1 September 2022, the PDEng degree changed into EngD, which is just a new name for the same education.

Job requirements

The EngD program track Mechatronic Systems Design is open to engineers with a university Master degree (or similar level) in the field of mechatronics, robotics, systems & control, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, embedded systems, aerospace engineering, applied physics, or comparable.

The program is internationally oriented and taught in English.  The candidate should furthermore have:

• Affinity with technology, keen interest in and good awareness of the current technological developments; knowledge of and affinity with mechatronics; experience with Matlab/Simulink or similar; preferably knowledge of classical feedback control theory, state space systems, and signal theory (or extended knowledge of other fields that are in high demand in de high tech sector such as sensors, machine learning, material science, tribology, cryogenics, vision, and energy);
• An academic, critical attitude and a good awareness of the state of the art in engineering design for high tech systems, most notable in the area of the Master thesis project;
• The ability to choose and apply methods, tools and techniques to solve actual, practical problems;
• The ability to stay abreast of current developments in the field of high-tech mechatronic systems;
• Better than average social and communicative competencies, including an excellent English proficiency in writing, speaking, reading, and understanding;
• A clear ambition in an industrial career, and an inclination towards the design and development of innovative, complex products, transforming academic research results into practical solutions.
• Interest in being part of an international program with various cultures including the Dutch culture (and language).

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.

The formal employment position at the Technical University of Eindhoven is according to the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch academic universities (VSNU). Trainees do not have to pay tuition fees. The program is financed by the Dutch Government and the industrial partners.

Information and application

Application

All candidates interested in this EngD program, and who fulfill the requirements, must demonstrate their knowledge and capabilities to the selection committee. In order to be admitted into the selection procedure, you need to apply via the APPLY NOW button. Please submit the following documents:

• A detailed motivation letter;
• Curriculum vitae;
• Copies of relevant BSc. diplomas and Grade transcripts;
• Copies of relevant MSc. diplomas and Grade transcripts;
• A copy (of a recent draft version) of your MSc. thesis or an abstract of your thesis;
• Copies of scores of English proficiency tests (IELTS or TOEFL IBT, or Cambridge CAE/CPE). For IELTS the minimum score is 6.5 (CEFR level C1), with no individual scores below 6.0 and scores for speaking/writing of at least 6.5. For TOEFL IBT the minimum is 90 (CEFR level C1), with no individual scores below 21 scores for speaking/writing of at least 23. Only applicants from the Netherlands, US, UK, Ireland, Australia and New-Zealand are exempted.
• The names and contact addresses (preferably e-mail) of (at least) two people whom we can contact for more information about you and your (thesis) work. Please, note that we usually prefer to contact people that have been involved with your (MSc.) thesis project.

Please note that you can upload maximally 5 documents up to 2 MB each. If you need to send more documents, please email these to asd@tue.nl with subject line: “additional documents application MSD 2024”.

To guarantee the quality of the program, the selection committee applies strict selection criteria. Candidates must be among the top of their discipline. Next to excellent grades, their motivation and personal skills will be extremely important. For more information and complete details about the application procedures, please visit our website http://www.tue.nl/msd or send an email to asd@tue.nl.

Deadline for application

Due to immigration procedures the application procedure will be closed as of July 1, 2024 for non-EU candidates.  Candidates with EU nationality can apply until August 30, 2024. Candidates with the Dutch nationality and candidates with a Dutch residence permit, can apply until September 16, 2024. There will be several selection rounds and early application is strongly recommended, as the number of positions is limited, and positions may be filled before the deadline.

*) Eindhoven University of Technology is one of Europe's best universities. It is specialized in technical scientific research and provides highly regarded training and educational and research programs. The university offers jobs that are right in the middle of society. An international, yet informal organization. A place, where one can expect excellent working conditions. http://www.tue.nl/