Social impact assessment for accessible and inclusive product design
Information science » Information management
Organisation/Company Grenoble INP - UGA Department G-SCOP Research Field Engineering » Industrial engineering Information science » Information management Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 4 Sep 2026 - 17:00 (Europe/Paris) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full‑time Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
The thesis aims to develop an integrated framework and dynamic social indicators to assess accessibility and inclusivity in product design, with a specific focus on people with diverse disabilities. It delivers inclusive design guidelines and a scoring tool supporting social sustainability evaluations in engineering processes.
Context of the project
This PhD is part of the ECODESIGN Doctoral Network (DN) which aims to train a new generation of experts with the skills and knowledge required to ensure that, in the future, only environmentally sustainable and circular products enter the EU market. The project enables 15 PhDs to work on various aspects of ecodesign and to exchange about their approaches.
With the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which entered into force very recently on 18 July 2024 and the ongoing revision of the End‑of‑Life Vehicle (ELV) directive, the European Commission (EC) has set out what are to be known as the Ecodesign Objectives for Sustainable Products, e.g., products that use less energy, last longer, can be easily repaired and with parts that can be easily disassembled and put to subsequent use. In a pan‑EU action to put Europe at the forefront of international efforts, these products will be selected progressively, group by group.
To support these objectives, the DN will conduct research into new designs of electronic components, aiming to enhance human‑robot cooperative reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling (ReX) strategies as part of the European circular economy (CE) and Industry 5.0 (WP1). This will be integrated into ground‑breaking, information‑exchange technologies in line with the concept of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) (WP2). To assess how the adoption of these designs and technologies will contribute to the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), new methodologies for assessing environmental (WP3), social (WP4), and economic (WP5) impacts will be developed.
Requirements
Research Field Engineering » Industrial engineering Education Level Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field Engineering » Mechanical engineering Education Level Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field Computer science » Modelling tools Education Level Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field Mathematics » Applied mathematics Education Level Master Degree or equivalent
Skills and Qualifications
The candidate must have a Master’s degree in industrial engineering or equivalent, with a background in Life Cycle Assessment and a strong interest for sustainability and social welfare in particular.
Specific Requirements
- To develop an integrated design framework that includes social impact assessments to guide the creation of products that are also easy to use and ensure the inclusion in society of people with disabilities;
- To develop dynamic, context‑sensitive social impact indicators that account for distinct disabilities;
- To develop an engineering approach that systematically includes the developed social impact indicators.
With a focus on accessible and inclusive products, the outcome will be design guidelines and a scoring tool to quantify the product design from different social perspectives.
A case study which will include secondments within the World Resource Forum about sustainability policy and research sector, and within Ottobock about the medical devices sector. This training and case study on evaluating the social impact of customised orthopaedic appliance and their human empowerment will enable application of the PhD’s development on a realistic case.
Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent
The MSCA‑DN programme offers a highly competitive and attractive salary and working conditions. The successful candidates will receive a salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for early‑stage researchers.
Eligibility criteria
To foster international exchange, at the time of recruitment, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work or studies) in France for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding 01/10/2026.
Selection process
The network adheres to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, ensuring a transparent and fair selection process. We value interdisciplinary knowledge, teamwork abilities, and soft skills, and we are committed to equal opportunity and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including, but not limited to, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religious diversity, neurodiversity, or socioeconomic background.
In line with our commitment to gender balance, we particularly encourage applications from women and welcome researchers from underrepresented backgrounds and new EU Member States to join a multidisciplinary environment.
Location of the research
The PhD will be mostly located in Grenoble, France, with missions for project meetings and secondments.