PhD Position Video-based Hand Motion-tracking for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Are you passionate about human movement and developing clinical tools for understanding human movement disorders?

Job description

Challenge: Over a quarter of a million people in the Netherlands alone have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a majority suffering from debilitating pain and inflammation that makes hand dexterity and work, at times, impossible. While anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs are the main line of relief, new drugs and treatments are needed and being developed for long-term care. At the same time a major challenge in RA management is quantifying the effectiveness of treatments under real-world conditions.

Change: We need technologies to measure and quantify changes in hand function due to daily life factors (sleep, stress, etc.…) and treatments/drugs in the home setting. These technologies would enable drug developers, physiotherapists and physicians to make objective and quantitative assessments regarding the effectiveness of treatments.

Impact: Once we understand the effects of stressors and treatments on RA flare ups and hand function, clinicians will be able to more closely target treatments and plan daily routines that minimize pain and suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

We are seeking a PhD candidate for a 4-year contract to develop and apply computational models and video-based tools to capture hand movement and function with deployment in the home environment as the target. Furthermore, you will apply these tools to help us investigate the potential causes and timings of flare ups during patients’ daily lives. You will work primarily with video data, musculoskeletal models, and pose estimation algorithms. The models and algorithms you develop will be part of open source and data repositories affiliated with the broader research program and TU Delft’s commitment to Open Science.

You will be an integral part of the ‘Care is coming home!’ program: a 5-year project executed by a large consortium consisting of 2 technical universities (TU Delft, UTwente), 6 hospitals (Amsterdam UMC, Erasmus MC, Leiden UMC, Maartenskliniek, Maastricht UMC, Radboud UMC), 13 companies (Able Human Motion, Biomex, Cue2Walk, DanuSports, Kinetic Analysis, Lode Holding, Madglove, ModelHealth, Moveshelf, Orikami, Sabender (Enterprising Company), Trinoma, VicarVision), 1 rehabilitation centre (Daan Theeuwes Centrum) and  5 patient organisations (Hersenletsel.nl, Hersenstichting, Parkinson Vereniging, ParkinsonNL, ReumaNederland). In total the program will encompass 9 PhDs and 5 postdocs to address the issue of translating health care to the home environment.

This PhD position is hosted by the Biomechanical Engineering Department at TU Delft where you will be a part of both the Computational Biomechanics (Seth) and Neuromuscular Control (Mugge) Labs.

In addition to research, there are many opportunities to develop your academic career by mentoring and teaching BSc/MSc students, presenting at international conferences, and participating in workshops/training and exchange programs abroad. 

Job requirements

You should have:

• MSc in engineering or similar discipline by the start date of the position
• Experience with mechanical modeling and simulation
• Experience in computer programming/scripting (e.g., C++, Python, Matlab, etc.)
• Experience collecting human experimental data (movement, video, or similar)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

The following aspects will help you stand out:

• Thriving in multidisciplinary environments
• Curiosity-driven and self-motivated working attitude
• Knowledge of biomechanical modeling, anatomy, vision-based motion capture, machine learning, control systems

Keep in mind that this describes the background we imagine would best fit the role. If you do not meet all the requirements, but believe that you are up for the task, we absolutely want to hear your motivation and how you would fit! The PhD process is a learning experience, so let us know what you want to learn and develop as a PhD candidate.

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.

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 €3204 - €4051 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime 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 Ajay Seth (a.seth@tudelft.nl) or Winfred Mugge (w.mugge@tudelft.nl).

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 21 October 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• A motivation letter and your CV.  
• Abstract of your MSc thesis 

• If the applicants are selected for an interview, they will be asked to provide contact details of 3 references with their consent

• A copy of your University transcripts    
• (Optional) Writing sample of an article, thesis or relevant report that you have written demonstrating your approach, experience, and style of writing 

You can address your application to Ajay Seth & Winfred Mugge.

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. 

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.