TU/e PhD: digital twins

A digital twin is a live digital copy of a place, fed by maps, models, and sensor data. Eindhoven University of Technology is hiring a PhD researcher to build one for neighbourhoods where more residents are growing older. (tue.nl) The job posting says the project will develop and evaluate artificial-intelligence-enabled and socio-spatial interventions in two living-lab neighbourhoods in the Netherlands. Applications close on May 20, 2026, and the full-time four-year position lists a monthly salary range of €3,059 to €3,881. (tue.nl 1) (tue.nl 2) The vacancy sits in TU/e’s Department of the Built Environment and asks for work that combines artificial intelligence, digital twins, and computational design. The posting says the research will integrate spatial data, sensors, and participatory design methods to support inclusive neighbourhood environments. (tue.nl) In plain terms, that means turning streets, buildings, movement patterns, and local feedback into a model planners can test before changing the real place. TU/e’s built-environment research group describes this broader field as one that uses visualization, digital twins, and machine learning to improve mobility and decision support. (tue.nl) The ageing-neighbourhood focus is not new at Eindhoven. In October 2024, TU/e published a doctoral thesis on “digital placemaking and healthy ageing” that argued user-centered digital tools can help senior citizens take part in planning decisions about future neighbourhoods. (tue.nl 1) (tue.nl 2) The new PhD is also paired with a second vacancy on behavioral and experiential modeling of inclusive neighborhood environments. That posting says the two candidates will work closely together, with one studying older adults’ lived experience and the other building the digital-twin and design side. (tue.nl 1) (tue.nl 2) The opening also lines up with a wider push inside the university to organize digital-twin work across fields. TU/e’s Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute says it has a Digital Twin Lab spanning high-tech systems, health, and mobility, and describes itself as the university’s central hub for artificial intelligence research. (tue.nl) (tue.nl) For applicants, the next step is straightforward: TU/e says employed PhD candidates apply to a specific open position, receive employee status if selected, and typically spend at least 10% of their time on teaching. In this case, the university has put a deadline on the calendar: May 20. (tue.nl) (tue.nl)