PhD Position Designing Technology Infused Service for Superior Experience

The proliferation of technology has transformed societies and modern service landscapes at lightning speed. Technology profoundly shapes how people interact and positively and negatively affects people's well-being. While centering lived experience has reaped its fruits in the service realm, a glaring gap exists in the knowledge of and the interplay between the understanding of people's situated experience and the creation of compelling technology-infused service. To unravel this relationship, it is essential to involve a human-centered approach. This can prevent risks of mass-entrusted technology in service, especially given the increasingly rapid evolution of technology such as artificial intelligence.

Central research questions are: How do people experience technology-infused service? How does technology shape service experience?

The research may draw on philosophical concepts related to (embodied) experience, technology, desire, anxiety, and meaning. Philosophies of, for example, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Jacques Lacan can be considered. Qualitative research methods are central to acquiring data across multiple technological service contexts, such as healthcare or high-tech retail, involving numerous actors: businesses, customers, and consumers.

The research predominantly attempts to contribute to Organization Theory and Service Research. The research aspires to:

Deepen the knowledge about the concepts and the relationship between experience and technology-intense service;

Offer insights to service designers, managers, business leaders, and policymakers to craft, optimize, and deliver technology-supported service in tune with users' experiences;

Address and surmount the challenge of mass-customized high-tech service that ignores human experience;

Design organization and service strategies based on a deep awareness of the position and significance of technology in people's lives.

Keywords: Experience, Service, Service Design, Technology, Qualitative Research, Phenomenology, Psychoanalytical Theory

The PhD candidate will be guided by a multidisciplinary supervisory team with rich experience in various domains. Dr. Yasin Sahhar is the daily supervisor, Dr. Michel Ehrenhard fulfills the role of promotor and Dr. Suzanne Janssen co- supervisor.

The successful applicant will join the Entrepreneurship and Technology Management (ETM) section of the High-tech Business & Entrepreneurship Department (HBE) at the Faculty of Behavioural Management and Social Sciences

Your profile

We look for a positive, highly dedicated researcher who is driven by curiosity and has/is:

Master's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sociology, Science and Technology Studies, Service Design, or related fields;

Close rapport with qualitative research and a demonstrated set of skills;

Affinity with phenomenology and psychoanalytical theory;

Highly motivated to conduct high-quality, meticulous, and ‘engaged' academic research resulting in scientific publications, which is reflected in study results, personal skills, and experience;

Able to carry out independent research and collaborate with a wide set of actors from academia and practice;

Outstanding team spirit and seeks to work in an interdisciplinary team;

Excellent oral and written language skills in English and preferably Dutch.

Our offer

We encourage high responsibility and independence while collaborating with colleagues, researchers, other university staff, and partners. We follow the terms of employment by the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO). Our offer contains: a full-time 4-year PhD position with a qualifier in the first year; excellent mentorship in a stimulating research environment with excellent facilities; and a personal development program within the Twente Graduate School. It also includes:

Gross monthly salary of € 2.770 in the first year, increasing each year up to € 3.539 in the fourth year;

Excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;

29 holidays per year in case of full-time employment;

A training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;

A green campus with free access to sports facilities and an international scientific community;

A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);

Full status as an employee at the UT, including pension, health care benefits, and good secondary conditions are part of our collective labour agreement CAO- NU for Dutch universities.

Information and application

We are eager to hear from you and welcome your application! Please submit your application before 20 November 2023 and include:

A cover letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications, and motivations to apply for this position;

A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of all courses attended and grades obtained, and, if applicable, a list of publications and references. Please also include your master thesis or any recent manuscript;

An IELTS-test, Internet TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT), or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE). Applicants with a non-Dutch qualification and who have not had secondary and tertiary education in English can only be admitted with an IELTS-test showing a total band score of at least 6.5, internet. TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT) showing a score of at least 90, or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE).

Note that Master students who graduate in the coming months are also welcome to apply, and we can make reasonable accommodations.

We aim to treat your application as soon as possible and respond swiftly. The first round of interviews will be held end of November. Upon positive evaluation, you are invited for a second interview, which will take place in December.

For any inquiries about this position, you can contact dr. Yasin Sahhar (y.sahhar@utwente.nl) or dr. Michel Ehrenhard ([email protected]).

More information about the section Entrepreneurship and Technology Management can be found on the website: https: // www. utwente.nl/en/bms/etm/

About the department

The HBE department is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive working culture. Our aim is that all job applicants are given equal opportunities. When we select candidates for employment, it will be on the basis of their competence and ability. To support workforce diversity, we are open to offering flexible working conditions on an individual basis to support work-life balance, which may include contract of employment, working hours and location, or childcare arrangements.

The High Business Entrepreneurship corporate video can be watched via this link.

About the organisation

The Faculty of Behavioral, Management and Social sciences (BMS) aims to play a key role in understanding, jointly developing and evaluating innovations in society. Technological developments are the engine of innovation. As a technical university that puts people first, we tailor them to human needs and behavior and use social engineering to integrate them into society. We also ensure adequate governance at public and private level, and robust, inclusive and fair organizational structures. We do this by developing, sharing and applying high-quality knowledge in Psychology, Business Administration, Public Administration, Communication Sciences, Philosophy, Educational Sciences and Health Sciences. Our research and education in these disciplines revolves around tackling and solving societal challenges. The research programs of BMS are closely linked to the research of the UT institutes Mesa+ Institute for Nanotechnology, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.

As an employer, the Faculty of BMS offers work that matters. We equip you to create new possibilities for yourself and for our society. With us, you will become part of a leading technical university with increasing, positive social impact. We offer an open, inclusive and entrepreneurial atmosphere, in which we encourage you to make healthy choices, for example through our flexible, adaptable benefits.

Want to know more? Sahhar, Y. (Yasin)

Assistant Professor

Sahhar, Y. (Yasin)

Assistant Professor

Do you have questions about this vacancy? Then you can contact Yasin for all substantive questions about this position and the application procedure. For general questions about working for the UT, please refer to the chatbot.

Contact

Phone:+31534894499

Email:[email protected]

How to apply Step 1

Apply. When you see a vacancy that appeals to you, you can apply online. We ask you to upload a CV and motivation letter and/or list of publications. You will receive a confirmation of receipt by e-mail.

Step 2

Selection. The selection committee will review your application and you will receive a response within 2 weeks after the vacancy has been closed.

Step 3

1st interview. The 1st (online or in person) meeting serves as an introduction where we introduce ourselves to you and you to us. You may be asked to give a short presentation. This will be further explained in the invitation.

Step 4

2nd interview. In the second interview, we will further discuss the job content, your skills and your talents.

Step 5

The offer. If the conversations are positive, you will be made a suitable offer.

Your Colleagues

Ehrenhard, M.L. (Michel)

Personal page LinkedIn

Janssen, S. (Suzanne)

Personal page

Our mission Human Touch

At the UT it's all about people, in line with our university's High Tech Human Touch philosophy. In everything we do, the well-being and future of our students and staff are paramount. From research and teaching to personnel management, campus management and the use of new technologies.

Our mission We are a university of technology

Our university is a public institution that serves society. We are accountable to society for the ways in which we use our academic freedom. We are responsible for ensuring that the power of science and technology is harnessed to achieve the best possible impact in a changing world. We cherish our rich tradition of combining technical and social sciences in our five profiling themes: Improving healthcare by personalized technologies; Creating intelligent manufacturing systems; Shaping our world with smart materials; Engineering our digital society; and Engineering for a resilient world.

Our mission We help to strengthen society

We help society meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. But we are also transparent about what science and technology can and cannot do in finding sustainable solutions. And help translate these solutions into everyday life.

Our mission We are sustainable

We want our communities to flourish and show resilience, so we seize opportunities for innovation. We are knowledgeable and have an eye for what society needs. Our students and staff receive all the guidance they need in their quest for ecological, social and economic sustainability. “The University of Twente is all about people. Our sustainable technologies help to strengthen society.”

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