Assistant Professor Redesigning Deltas

Updated: over 1 year ago
Deadline: 09 Oct 2022

Do you want to teach and do research on the future challenges of urban delta areas? And do you have experience with knowledge-based urban design approaches? Apply for this position! 

The successful candidate will join the Redesigning Deltas programme (www.redesigningdeltas.org) at the Department of Urbanism, funded by the Sector Plan Design Engineering Sciences. Urbanized delta landscapes are among the most challenging urban regions in the world considering their vulnerability to flooding, rapid urbanization, land subsidence, salinization and, increasingly, changing environmental conditions as a result of climate change. The threat of water comes from flood risks of rivers, rising sea levels, and extreme rainfall. And at the same time draughts during increasingly hot summers provide challenges due to declining groundwater tables that pose a threat to building foundations and ecological systems. Addressing the complexity of urban deltas needs integrated solutions and transformative approaches that create new opportunities for improving the quality of life for all. Based on the Delft Approach to urban and landscape design, the Redesigning Deltas programme will address the current status and future challenges of our deltas, centred on knowledge-based design approaches to jointly identify long-term transformative pathways that guide short-term design interventions to sustainable and socially inclusive and fair deltas.

This new Tenure Track Assistant Professor post is an exciting opportunity to co-develop and contribute to the teaching and research program of the Department of Urbanism, with a focus on the Redesigning Deltas programme. We are seeking applications from candidates with an interest in the interactions between spatial design, critical design thinking, and cross-disciplinary studies to come to an approach for questioning, understanding and changing socio-ecological relations shaping delta futures. We are specifically looking for candidates who can apply a research by design approach to identify and investigate the possible spatial impact of the energy transition (and infrastructure systems interdependencies) on the intervention and delta management strategies for urbanising deltas, while taking into account increasing climate extremes in the long term. This process design is not a blueprint for solutions, but an instrument for the development of new perspectives for the future of urban deltas.

The candidate is expected to set up an independent research line within the Redesigning Deltas programme and to establish strong links with urban design and urban and regional planning. The candidate is also expected to co-supervise PhD students, and publish research in high-impact peer reviewed journals. The successful candidate will actively acquire funding (from national and European Research Councils, Horizon Europe, or comparable) for research projects and lead and carry out collaborative projects with colleagues. The candidate will contribute to the teaching programme of the faculty, develop own teaching material and courses, supervise students on all levels of university education, and acquire University Teaching Qualifications within an agreed period.

The successful candidate for this position has:

  • A strong interest in the Redesigning Deltas programme, and proven experience with knowledge-based urban design approaches.
  • A PhD in urban design, architecture, landscape architecture or another relevant (design based) spatially aware discipline.
  • Postdoctoral research experience.
  • A strong international profile, evidenced by international work experience and network.
  • A track record as researcher within the theme of Redesigning Deltas, evidenced by a strong list of internationally peer-reviewed publications and contributions to books.
  • Preferably experience in the management of research projects, grant proposal writing, and supervision of PhD students.
  • Experience with teaching in Urbanism and the wider theme of Delta Urbanism, and the ambition to acquire University Teaching Qualifications within a short period of time.
  • Experience in supervising students and the ability to motivate students.
  • A demonstrated proficiency in the written and spoken use of the English language as well as the willingness to learn Dutch, and good presentation and communication skills.

 TU Delft creates equal opportunities and encourages women to apply.     

A tenure-track position is offered for six years. In the fifth year we’ll decide if you will be offered a permanent faculty position, based on performance indicators agreed upon at the start of the appointment. We expect that you have the potential to grow towards an Associate Professor and/or Full Professor role in the future.

Inspiring, excellent education is our central aim. We expect you to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) within three years if you have less than five years of teaching experience. This is provided by the TU Delft UTQ programme.
TU Delft sets high standards for the English competency of the teaching staff. The TU Delft offers training to improve English competency. If you do not speak Dutch, we offer courses to learn the Dutch language within three years.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty’s success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy from early in the morning until late at night, with four thousand people studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research’, which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.

Department of Urbanism
The Department of Urbanism in the Faculty of Architecture conducts education and research in the fields of Urbanism, Landscape Architecture, and Geo-information. The department uses the Delft approach, an multidisciplinary and integrated approach that combines urban design, spatial planning, landscape architecture, environment technology, urban studies and geo-information. The department has a very good reputation worldwide in the field of research and education. Urbanism is best known for its 'unity of urbanism', which combines the creativity of design with scientific research methods. This combination is highly regarded in professional practice, research and education.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof Dr Chris Zevenbergen,
e-mail: [email protected]  (only per mail).

For more information about the procedure, please contact Caro Coemans,
HR advisor, e-mail: [email protected]  

The position will remain open until October 9, 2022 (local Dutch time + 2hrs.)
You must apply via the "Apply now" button. Application via e-mail will not be processed.

To apply, please submit:

  • A letter of application and a detailed CV.
  • A list of “top 3 articles” related to this position.
  • A brief description of a course that you taught/coordinated/developed in Urbanism.
  • Maximum 2 pages with 1) a research statement with your vision on research directions of this position; 2) a teaching statement with your vision and ambitions for education.
  • The name of three references, with contact details.

Please note:

  • You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
  • A pre-Employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
  • Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.

Do you want to teach and do research on the future challenges of urban delta areas? And do you have experience with knowledge-based urban design approaches? Apply for this position! 

The successful candidate will join the Redesigning Deltas programme (www.redesigningdeltas.org) at the Department of Urbanism, funded by the Sector Plan Design Engineering Sciences. Urbanized delta landscapes are among the most challenging urban regions in the world considering their vulnerability to flooding, rapid urbanization, land subsidence, salinization and, increasingly, changing environmental conditions as a result of climate change. The threat of water comes from flood risks of rivers, rising sea levels, and extreme rainfall. And at the same time draughts during increasingly hot summers provide challenges due to declining groundwater tables that pose a threat to building foundations and ecological systems. Addressing the complexity of urban deltas needs integrated solutions and transformative approaches that create new opportunities for improving the quality of life for all. Based on the Delft Approach to urban and landscape design, the Redesigning Deltas programme will address the current status and future challenges of our deltas, centred on knowledge-based design approaches to jointly identify long-term transformative pathways that guide short-term design interventions to sustainable and socially inclusive and fair deltas.

This new Tenure Track Assistant Professor post is an exciting opportunity to co-develop and contribute to the teaching and research program of the Department of Urbanism, with a focus on the Redesigning Deltas programme. We are seeking applications from candidates with an interest in the interactions between spatial design, critical design thinking, and cross-disciplinary studies to come to an approach for questioning, understanding and changing socio-ecological relations shaping delta futures. We are specifically looking for candidates who can apply a research by design approach to identify and investigate the possible spatial impact of the energy transition (and infrastructure systems interdependencies) on the intervention and delta management strategies for urbanising deltas, while taking into account increasing climate extremes in the long term. This process design is not a blueprint for solutions, but an instrument for the development of new perspectives for the future of urban deltas.

The candidate is expected to set up an independent research line within the Redesigning Deltas programme and to establish strong links with urban design and urban and regional planning. The candidate is also expected to co-supervise PhD students, and publish research in high-impact peer reviewed journals. The successful candidate will actively acquire funding (from national and European Research Councils, Horizon Europe, or comparable) for research projects and lead and carry out collaborative projects with colleagues. The candidate will contribute to the teaching programme of the faculty, develop own teaching material and courses, supervise students on all levels of university education, and acquire University Teaching Qualifications within an agreed period.

The successful candidate for this position has:

  • A strong interest in the Redesigning Deltas programme, and proven experience with knowledge-based urban design approaches.
  • A PhD in urban design, architecture, landscape architecture or another relevant (design based) spatially aware discipline.
  • Postdoctoral research experience.
  • A strong international profile, evidenced by international work experience and network.
  • A track record as researcher within the theme of Redesigning Deltas, evidenced by a strong list of internationally peer-reviewed publications and contributions to books.
  • Preferably experience in the management of research projects, grant proposal writing, and supervision of PhD students.
  • Experience with teaching in Urbanism and the wider theme of Delta Urbanism, and the ambition to acquire University Teaching Qualifications within a short period of time.
  • Experience in supervising students and the ability to motivate students.
  • A demonstrated proficiency in the written and spoken use of the English language as well as the willingness to learn Dutch, and good presentation and communication skills.

 TU Delft creates equal opportunities and encourages women to apply.     

A tenure-track position is offered for six years. In the fifth year we’ll decide if you will be offered a permanent faculty position, based on performance indicators agreed upon at the start of the appointment. We expect that you have the potential to grow towards an Associate Professor and/or Full Professor role in the future.

Inspiring, excellent education is our central aim. We expect you to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) within three years if you have less than five years of teaching experience. This is provided by the TU Delft UTQ programme.
TU Delft sets high standards for the English competency of the teaching staff. The TU Delft offers training to improve English competency. If you do not speak Dutch, we offer courses to learn the Dutch language within three years.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty’s success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy from early in the morning until late at night, with four thousand people studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research’, which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.

Department of Urbanism
The Department of Urbanism in the Faculty of Architecture conducts education and research in the fields of Urbanism, Landscape Architecture, and Geo-information. The department uses the Delft approach, an multidisciplinary and integrated approach that combines urban design, spatial planning, landscape architecture, environment technology, urban studies and geo-information. The department has a very good reputation worldwide in the field of research and education. Urbanism is best known for its 'unity of urbanism', which combines the creativity of design with scientific research methods. This combination is highly regarded in professional practice, research and education.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof Dr Chris Zevenbergen,
e-mail: [email protected]  (only per mail).

For more information about the procedure, please contact Caro Coemans,
HR advisor, e-mail: [email protected]  

The position will remain open until October 9, 2022 (local Dutch time + 2hrs.)
You must apply via the "Apply now" button. Application via e-mail will not be processed.

To apply, please submit:

  • A letter of application and a detailed CV.
  • A list of “top 3 articles” related to this position.
  • A brief description of a course that you taught/coordinated/developed in Urbanism.
  • Maximum 2 pages with 1) a research statement with your vision on research directions of this position; 2) a teaching statement with your vision and ambitions for education.
  • The name of three references, with contact details.

Please note:

  • You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
  • A pre-Employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
  • Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.


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