Research and Education
With its 200 scientific staff members, the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) of TU Delft is one of the largest research institutes in the field of industrial design worldwide. Academic staff both teach courses and do research.
At IDE, Education and Research are firmly interconnected. The faculty’s research and its results are implemented in education so that students stay informed of the latest scientific findings and developments. In addition, students can participate in research projects of the faculty (e.g. electives, projects and/or graduation).
The faculty has five research areas which contribute to the needs of the profession and society, see the menu on the right.
In 2014, the faculty's research programmes were assessed by an international committee as 'very good to excellent'.
Research across Master Programmes
The different master programmes contribute jointly to projects and research areas within the faculty. In courses and projects, students and researchers collaborate and apply their knowledge to design in interdisciplinary teams, often in collaboration with industry partners.
Examples of such projects in our labs can be found by clicking on the right. As the assessment committee formulated: "The facilities of IDE are among the best in the world. The clear and close alignment of teaching and research are particularly noticeable. They are well integrated and the enthusiastic cultural attitude to research pervades the entire Faculty."
Research orientation in Master Programmes
Students wanting an extra focus on research in their Master Programme can do so by:
- Choosing research-oriented electives in their third semester
- Connecting to a research group through participation in the Honours Programme
- Performing a research oriented Graduation Project within one of the research groups of the faculty or within a research institute outside the faculty.