PhD position on perception and action in interceptive behaviors in sports

This PhD position is about the continuous visual guidance of locomotor behavior in team sports. In this project, you will develop and test ecological models of how athletes (decide to) act upon moving targets. Existing models typically dissociate decision making and motor control. Either focusing on the information that is needed to perceive relevant action possibilities (known as affordances) or focusing on the information that is needed to control behavior (known as control laws).

In a recent modelling study on the kinematics of catching in baseball, we found that the information that guides the control of action might actually be the same information that also informs decision making. This unification of information challenges traditional models of control in perception-action research. With this PhD project, we aim to extend our model to include all interceptive behaviors in sports, such as tackling / evading an opponent or running to receive a pass.

In this position, you will collect kinematic data that allows you to make inferences on the perceptual information that is used to guide interceptive behaviors in sports. Data may be collected using sensor platforms such as XSens Link; OptiTrack; JohanSports GPS tracking; and Tobii eye tracking. You will also work with – and build on – Virtual Reality setups that allow you to investigate interceptive behaviors in a range of sport specific scenarios. You will perform high quality and internationally visible research that gets published at top tier conferences and journals.

PhD Position on Wide Bandwidth Baseband techniques for 6G

With the advancement of radio communication networks and devices, the use of FR2/FR3/aggregated wide bandwidth as well as a larger number of antenna array elements and beamforming, make it possible to achieve high datarates. One of the main challenges is to achieve these high datarates at low power consumption levels and to achieve low latency. This requires careful analysis at an architectural level of analog, digital and hybrid solutions. Equipping each antenna with a digital transceiver optimally exploits the use of antenna arrays, however at the cost of high power consumption and costs. Solutions are sought by using hybrid beamforming, low resolution analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion, approximate computing and at the algorithmic level.

In this context, the PhD candidate will focus on devising novel architectures to achieve high data rates in the context of 6G systems. Based on these architectures, crucial elements within the digital (baseband) domain will be researched in detail; algorithms and/or hardware prototypes will be designed and tested.

PhD position on CRISPR diagnostics on-chip to improve cervical cancer screening

Cervical cancer is the most common gynecological cancer and this cancer could be prevented by screening programs. Currently the participation rates are low and in this project we want to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of current screening approaches by lowering participation barriers using innovative technologies. Therefore we will develop at the university of Twente an innovative lab on a chip that can be used for the screening. For this we aim to use CRISPR diagnostics in combination with microfluidic chip design.

This PhD project is part of larger study in collaboration with Amsterdam UMC, stakeholders and private partners all participating in this 4WWW project.

EngD position: Developing Information Management Infrastructure for Integrated Product Lifecycle Management of Modular Const...

The Context

The modular housing concept tries to shift the construction paradigm from engineering-to-order (ETO) production processes to configure-to-order. This, however, would require adoption of a product platform approach. One of the main requirements of this transition is to establish an integrated approach towards lifecycle information management. In other words, information regarding the products, the processes and the supply chains should be standardized and stored in information libraries to streamline the efficient (re)use of information within and across different projects/organization. However, while standard protocols and agreements are required to ensure a solid approach for creating, storing, (re)using, sharing and linking information in modular construction projects, such an approach is missing. At the moment, information is fragmented, i.e., internal and external stakeholders use their own software applications and protocols to create and store information, making it challenging to (re)use, share and link this information within projects and across the supply chain.

The Challenge
Previous research looked into the development of a comprehensive ontology for industrialised construction with the intention to streamline lifecycle data integration and to reduce fragmented data management. Nevertheless, these conceptual ontologies, i.e., data models, need to be mapped and retrofitted to the specific characteristics of individual users considering their specific needs and use cases. In other words, the introduction of an ontology into the data management of a specific company requires a dedicated implementation strategy.

One of the major contractors in the Netherlands that is busy with the modular housing is Heijmans. Heijmans has several modular housing concepts. These concepts are well suited for industrialized production methods. However, with a vision to achieve integrated product lifecycle management, Heijmans is willing to take a concrete step into the integration and implementation of an ontological approach into their modular construction concepts and projects. However, this would require further customization and incorporation of the ontology into Heijmans processes.

Objective
The main objective of this EngD project is to develop a modular construction ontology (i.e., validate and refine the ontology developed in previous research) and an implementation strategy for the context of Heijmans modular timber construction concepts. This implementation strategy includes several - increasingly advanced – use cases and a roadmap. You will also investigate how Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) concepts from the manufacturing industry can be adapted for application in modular construction. Subsequently, we will examine what this means for the information needs, the ontology, and the usage scenarios.

Postdoc position AI and Digital Work in Agriculture

Key takeaways

You will take on one of the most ambitious topics in the field of industrialization: digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) with autonomous machines, sensor data, and decision support systems. Despite technological advances, the use of AI technologies remains below expectations in agricultural working practices. Effective use of these novel technologies would enable precision farming as well as sustainable intensification, which can have profound impacts on climate change and economic performance. In this position, you will independently shine light into how novel AI systems transform agricultural work.

The challenge

The research carried out during this PostDoc assignment is expected to contribute to theoretical advancements and practical applications. Tasks the candidate is expected to execute include:

• Advance theory on digital transformation of work from manual labour to knowledge worker in agriculture;
• Deepen the understanding of human-AI work through field research including qualitative (interviews), quantitative (experiments, surveys), and/or computational (digital traces) approaches;
• Develop and validate technical and organizational interventions that help agricultural SMEs adopt novel AI-based technologies successfully;
• Equip SMEs with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively use AI and succeed in times of machine learning and AI.

As a PostDoc, your key responsibilities will be to manage and carry out independent research and assist in acquiring follow-up funding. You will participate in education, management, and valorization and disseminate research in the scientific community at the highest level.