Research

As of December 2023, the two capacity groups Future Everyday and Systemic Change shall be replaced by six clusters, which bring together staff with similar interests in small, focused research groups. Within the context of the departmental vision, mission and strategy, each cluster pursues their own research goals and implement their own strategies regarding publications, collaboration, societal impact and grant acquisition.

The cluster-based organization of research on the one hand aligns well with TU/e’s Principal Investigator model, providing more autonomy to individual researchers. On the other hand, the combined clusters allow the department to address its current research agenda in a highly focused manner, while allowing and fostering cross-cluster collaboration.

700 babies are born extremely preterm (24-28 weeks) in the Netherlands each year. These infants are usually transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit to support their further development. However, exposure of the underdeveloped lungs to air may lead to life-threatening complications. The infants that survive often have chronic health issues in later life, such as brain damage, reduced lung function, vision problems and metal health issues. An artificial womb where the baby can stay and develop for another four weeks could significantly improve the child’s chances of survival and quality of life.

Research on Data-enabled Design (DED) started from the question how to leverage data in design. Two PhD projects jointly supervised by Industrial Design and Philips Experience Design represented the first crystallization point of the DED method. Among the major contributions of the project was the definition of two distinct phases in the DED process: the research-oriented contextual exploration, which includes the deployment of data probes in context and conducting data-enabled interviews with participants, and the solution-oriented informed exploration, which includes designing and validating data-driven interventions. Within these phases, an 8-loop process was defined to schedule and pace design research activities in the design studio and application context.

Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects people slowly but surely over time. Increasingly, people need support with memory, everyday tasks, and personal hygiene. Dementia is complex, multifaceted and impacts the person with it, those caring for them, and society.