PhD Candidate: Next-gen Consumer Experiences with Immersive Technologies

Welcome to Maastricht University!
Are you interested in how Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), together with AI and new multisensory technologies, are transforming how consumers engage with services in experience-based industries such as food service, hospitality, and retail?


We invite applications for a PhD position on this topic, focused on learning about immersive technologies with multisensory and AI-enabled experiences. You take a user-centric, social science perspective to study how organizations can design and effectively implement these next-gen immersive technologies in highly experiential service contexts to improve consumer value, decision-making, and well-being. 

PhD Candidate: Next-gen Consumer Experiences with Immersive Technologies

• Our goal: Understand how immersive technologies shape consumer experiences and decision-making. 
• Your colleagues: As a PhD candidate, you will join a collaborative and interdisciplinary research team working on immersive technologies and digital experiences. The supervisors and research environment will provide:
  •    Close supervision and mentoring throughout the PhD project
  •    Access to state-of-the-art immersive research facilities
  •    Opportunities to collaborate with researchers and industry partners through the LIT Network
  •    Support for publishing research and presenting at international conferences
  •    Training through the University’s doctoral program and opportunities to develop teaching experience

You will be employed at the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management at Maastricht University School of Business and Economics. The PhD project is conducted in collaboration with Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and positioned within a joint university initiative called the Limburg Immersive Technologies (LIT) Network. You will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Dominik Mahr, Dr. Tim Hilken, Dr. Jonas Heller (UM), and Dr. Danny Dai-In Han (Zuyd). In the PhD project, you will:

• Study how immersive technologies can be used to design and stage service interactions in highly experiential contexts such as food service, hospitality, and retail.
• Investigate the immersive experiences afforded by different media and devices, such as wearable AR/VR headsets or a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE).
• Examine how multisensory elements in AR/VR (visual, sound, touch, and smell) as well as integrated AI agents influence consumer value, decision-making, and well-being.
• Conduct lab experiments and field studies with AR/VR technologies and consumers in service settings such as food service, hospitality and retail to establish effects on consumer perceptions, thoughts, emotions, choices and other behaviors.

Research environment

You will conduct your research in two research labs equipped with AR/VR devices as well as a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). These lab environments are continuously evolving through collaboration with technology development partners. Together, these labs provide a unique infrastructure for conducting both lab and field studies.

• DEXLab (Maastricht University School of Business and Economics)
• FXL Food Experience Lab (Zuyd University of Applied Sciences)

The PhD position is also embedded in a regional impact initiative called the Limburg Immersive Technologies (LIT) Network, which connects researchers, industry partners, and public organizations working on immersive technologies. This setting allows you to combine academic research with real-world experimentation together with regional partners and contributes to innovation in the regional ecosystem.

Specific Activities

• Conducting research studies with human participants in AR, VR, and CAVE environments
• Collecting and analyzing behavioral, survey, qualitative, and/or performance data
• Supporting the management and operation of the research facilities, including lab operations and communication activities related to DEXLab and the FXL Food Experience Lab
• Contributing to activities within the LIT Network, including collaboration with partners and involvement in funded research and innovation projects
• Publishing in peer-reviewed journals and presenting findings at international conferences
• Writing and completing a PhD dissertation within four years
• Teaching business courses focused on marketing, services, and/or innovation.

What you bring

We are looking for a motivated and curious candidate with a strong interest in human behaviour in immersive digital environments. You should have a (Research) Master’s degree in a relevant field such as marketing, psychology, communication science, human–computer interaction, education or learning sciences, innovation management, or a related discipline. You enjoy conducting independent research while working in a research team and are organized and proactive in managing research activities and collaborations. Experience with (immersive) technologies is welcome but not required. Programming or engineering skills are not required, as the project focuses on understanding user experience and behavioural mechanisms rather than developing the underlying technology. The essential qualifications include:

• A completed Master’s degree (or near completion) in a relevant discipline
• Training in research methods (experimental, quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods)
• Strong interest in immersive technologies and AI
• Professional proficiency in English (minimum C1)
• Dutch language proficiency is a plus (or willingness to learn)
  
  

What we offer 
At Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer:

• A 18-month contract (1,0 fte). Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 2.5 years will follow.
• A gross monthly salary between €3059,00 and €3881,00 (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus.
• 29 vacation days (based on full-time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day), and the possibility to accrue up to 12 extra days through compensation hours.
• Flexible working hours, a home office allowance, and the option to work from home.
• Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas.
• A close-knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with.
• A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities.
• An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe.

About the School of Business and Economics (SBE)
SBE is an international faculty for economics, business, and policy. We combine academic depth with societal engagement. Our education is small-scale and interactive. Our research focuses on themes such as sustainability, inclusion, and digital transformation. Together, we work on impactful solutions for the world of tomorrow.

Interested?
Want to know more about this position or what it’s like to work at our university? Reach out to Dr. Tim Hilken at t.hilken@maastrichtuniversity.. The end date of the publication is June 14th 2026.

Apply now via the button below. We look forward to getting to know you!

About Maastricht University
At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.