University Assistant Position in the Perception Lab in the Department of Industrial Design

The University of Arts Linz, with 1,750 students from 60 countries, is an international university with state-of-the-art facilities located in the centre of the city. It operates in the dynamic field of tension between independent, artistic, and applied, business-oriented design as well as research. The focus is on interactivity, digitalisation, sustainability, and interdisciplinary, practice-oriented work.

We are inviting applications to join our team in the Department of Industrial Design, starting in autumn, for either two university assistant positions at 20 hours per week (50% employment) or one position at 40 hours per week (100% employment). 
The successful candidate(s) will contribute to our newly established Perception Lab, which focuses on the study of context-dependent perception and interaction in design. The Lab will provide an interdisciplinary space for experimentation and research at the intersection of design, psychology, and technology. The aim is to explore questions concerning how we experience and interpret the world around us. Using state-of-the-art methods, the Lab investigates how people perceive, process, and respond to visual, auditory, and tactile information. Topics such as usability, inclusivity, and diversity are central to this work and are explored in collaboration between the Departments of Industrial Design and Design Research and Design Theory. 

In addition to its research activities carried out in collaboration between the Departments of Industrial Design and Design Research and Design Theory, the Perception Lab is also integrated into the teaching activities of the Department of Industrial Design. The Lab focuses strongly on the qualitative exploration of multisensory perception. Over the next five years, its research will place particular emphasis on the objectives of the FWF-funded Emerging Fields project ‘Twist, Shift x Shake – Diversabilities for Art and Design’, or TSxS for short. (The project explores what design and art can learn when diverse abilities are the methodological foundation instead of a mere afterthought. Working in mixed-ability teams, a hub and four specialised x.labs jointly develop new objects, methods, and theoretical approaches at the intersection of design, art, technology, and critical disability studies.) 

Within the TSxS project, the Department of Industrial Design will pursue its research objectives through the ‘x.lab for diversability-centered design’. The Perception Lab will work closely with the x.lab and, in this context, conduct practice-based qualitative research as well as perception testing and measurement.

The employment contract is for a fixed term of five years. 
The minimum gross monthly salary pursuant to Section 49(3) of the collective bargaining agreement is €3,776.10 for a full-time position (100% employment), paid 14 times per year. For a part-time position at 50% employment, the minimum gross monthly salary is €1,888.05.

Areas of responsibility

• Co-responsible for establishing the Lab in consultation with the professors of the Departments of Industrial Design and Design Research and Design Theory
• Planning and conducting research activities within the aforementioned departments and the TSxS research project, with a focus on qualitative research into multisensory perception, as well as perception testing and measurement
• Supporting the planning and coordination of research tasks within a large-scale, multi-year research project, including scheduling, task coordination, and resource management
• Documenting research activities, including test procedures, results, analysis, and synthesis
• Contributing to reports for funding agencies and research projects, including deliverable tracking and KPI monitoring
• Communicating and coordinating Lab activities with the other x.labs within the TSxS research project, as well as with the research activities of the Mixed Reality CoLab in the Department of Industrial Design
• University teaching

Essential qualifications

• University or higher education degree, preferably in design, psychology, technology, or the natural sciences
• Experience working on scientific research projects, preferably in design, interaction, UX, HCI, perception, cognition, or behavioural research
• Gender and diversity competence
• Excellent German and English skills, both written and spoken
• Experience in coordinating workflows and projects
• Strong organisational and communication skills
• Teamwork skills, a collaborative mindset, and a high level of reliability

Desired qualifications

• Teaching experience at the university level
• Openness to new areas of research
• Knowledge of perception research, particularly multisensory perception and haptics
• Experience in working on externally funded research projects
• Strong interpersonal skills, a genuine interest in working with people, and a positive, engaged personality
• A proactive, solution-oriented, and meticulous approach to work
• Enthusiasm for working collaboratively in diverse and mixed-ability teams
• Knowledge of design-specific processes and working methods
• Organisational and administrative skills

What we offer

• A diverse and varied range of responsibilities within the ‘TSxS’ research project
• A supportive and collaborative working environment
• A dynamic teaching and research environment with a wide variety of design and art events
• Workplace in the centre of Linz – easily accessible by public transportation
• Professional development opportunities (internal professional development programme, subsidies for external training, international professional development opportunities)
• Childcare service (hourly) for children aged 15 months to 3 years

The University of Arts Linz pursues a discrimination-critical hiring policy and is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. The University strives to increase the proportion of women among the academic, artistic, and general university staff, especially in leadership positions, and therefore explicitly invites qualified women to apply. In the case of equal qualifications, women shall be given priority. Applications from transgender, intersex, and non-binary people, people with migration experience and/or migrant backgrounds, and disabled people are expressly encouraged.

Applicants are not entitled to compensation for travel and accommodation expenses incurred as a result of the admission process.

Please submit your written application (including a cover letter, CV, certificates, and, if applicable, a project/research portfolio) in digital form to ufg.bewerbung914@kunstuni-linz.at by no later than 7 October 2026.

By submitting your application, you expressly agree that the data you provide will be processed and used as part of the university's internal application process.

Mag.^a Brigitte Hütter MSc 
Rector