Postdoc Research Vibration of Babies in Strollers and Cargo Bikes

Job description

You will be a primary researcher in a project that will measure and characterize the vibrations experienced by babies (0-1 year old) when they are seated in a baby seat in a cargo bike and stroller riding over different road types at typical travel speeds. We hope to develop information that is useful for making recommendations about the safety of carrying babies in these types of carriers. You will:

• Design, plan, and execute a series of experiments.
• Acquire and setup measurement equipment (bikes, sensors, dummy baby or dummy mass).
• Measure vibrations a baby (0-1 year old) would experience when riding in a baby seat in a cargo bike, and in a stroller using a surrogate for a real baby (mass or dummy).
• Analyze the vibration data to characterize experienced vibration magnitudes and frequencies felt for different vehicle types, speeds, and road surfaces.
• Lead the collaborative writing of a paper/report on the practical findings.
• Supervise assistant researcher(s).

The work will be carried out before the end of 2024.

Requirements

• Proficient at academic technical writing with evidence of published or submitted journal papers.
• Expertise in executing all aspects of mechanical engineering experimental work.
• Expertise with dynamics measurements, vehicle measurements, two, three, four-wheel vehicle dynamics.
• Expertise with time series and frequency domain data analyses.
• Academic level communication skills in English.

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 2 months (2.5 or 3 if an Oct 1 or Oct 15 start date is possible).

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

From 1 September next, a salary increase of 3.7% applies due to a Collective Agreement amendment, followed by an additional 1% increase on 1 January 2025. In addition, most employees employed on 1 September 2024 will receive a one-off payment of €300 gross based on full-time employment.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Employer

Delft University of Technology

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!

Department

Faculty Mechanical Engineering

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.