PhD Position in Decoding Environmental History from Microorganisms for Living Sensors and Memory

Delft; Delft; On-site; EUR 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

TU Delft invites applications for a PhD position focused on decoding environmental history encoded by living microorganisms. The project bridges biodesign, machine learning, and interaction design within Sustainable Design Engineering, to advance living sensing and memory systems.

You will cultivate organisms, model their visible responses, and develop decoders to recover environmental history from imagery, with opportunities to prototype compostable sensor systems for real-world monitoring.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in CS/EE/Biodesign or related field.
• Experience in building and deploying ML or computer vision models.
• Experience or strong interest in biodesign and hands-on interaction with living organisms.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team, communicate effectively, and take initiative.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate the living organism, characterize and model its visible responses to different environmental conditions.
• Develop and validate computational decoders that recover environmental history from an image of the living organism.
• Design prototypes that incorporate living sensors, such as compostable, smart packaging for temperature/humidity monitoring.

Skills

ML / computer vision

Biodesign / bio-digital systems

Education

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biodesign, Design Engineering, or related field

Job description

PhD Position in Decoding Environmental History from Microorganisms for Living Sensors and Memory

Help pave the future for living sensing systems by decoding microorganisms' encoding of environmental history.

Background:

Living microorganisms could transform how we sense and store information, replacing single-use electronics with inherently biodegradable systems that track environmental conditions over time. Even basic electronic sensing systems today require sensors, microcontrollers, memory, and batteries, and are often disposable. For example, temperature and humidity dataloggers used during food and vaccine transport become e-waste within weeks. Meanwhile, many species of microorganisms, such as the iridescent Flavobacteria, integrate environmental signals and store history structurally, all with minimal energy. Readout may be as simple as taking a photograph. Could these organisms replace conventional electronics and enable fully degradable, battery-less dataloggers? What's missing in realizing this future is our ability to interpret this biological record: we do not yet understand what the visual characteristics of organisms represent quantitatively, or how reliably we can recover that information.

This PhD:

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to play a formative role in understanding how to decode environmental information from living microorganisms, in pursuit of living sensing and memory systems. This effort is truly trans-disciplinary, drawing on biodesign/biotechnology, machine learning, and interaction design. This project builds on groundwork already underway in our group but is meant to be shaped substantially by the candidate's own interests and expertise.

The candidate will cultivate the living organism itself, characterize and model its visible responses to different environmental conditions, and develop and validate computational decoders that recover environmental history from an image of the living organism. Based on the found capabilities, the candidate will also design prototypes that incorporate living sensors, such as fully compostable, smart packaging for temperature and humidity monitoring for food, vaccines, or archival documents.

The PhD candidate will be situated at the intersection of the Knowledge and Intelligent Design group and the Materializing Futures group in Sustainable Design Engineering (SDE), a department within the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering.

Job requirements

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biodesign, Design Engineering, or a related field
• Experience in building and deploying machine learning or computer vision models
• Technical competencies in one or more of the following: bio-digital systems, biodesign, applied machine learning, computer vision, computational biology, and/or physical prototyping
• Experience or strong interest in biodesign and hands-on interaction with living organisms
• Experience or interest in conducting research with sound experimental design
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team, communicate effectively, and take initiative
• Prior publications and experience presenting at international conferences are assets but not requirements

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional. Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Matching the evolution of people with the speed of the revolution of technology. This is the focus of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE). Delft designers act as a bridge between advances in technology and the needs of people, organisations and society to create products, services and systems with purpose.

IDE is a leader in design research across the application areas of mobility, sustainability and health, as well as its development of design tools and methods. A 350-strong research team and over 2,000 students work together in our inspiring hall, labs and studios.

In close cooperation with industry, the public sector and NGOs we rehearse possible futures in research and education to design for a complex future.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from Promovendus gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a full-time contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Katherine Song, e-mail: [e-mail]

Faculty/Department: Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering

FTE: 1,0

Submission is possible until: 15 Nov 2026