Research Assistant for Physical-Digital Prototyping 50 %

About the job

Closer to changing the world.

As the largest educational institution of the six Central Swiss cantons, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts is at the cutting edge with its offerings. Far-sighted and innovative, nationally and internationally, we impart knowledge. Join us and become part of our shared, sustainable future.

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Design Film Art is the creative space for people who want to move the world. For more than 140 years, lecturers, researchers, staff and students have met here in an inspiring environment and together cultivate a culture of openness, visible in the lively, bright workspaces in Lucerne-Emmenbrücke. Experienced teams and international networking offer diverse development opportunities.

The research team "Extended Spaces" within the Visual Narrative research group explores and designs hybrid spaces in the interplay of physical environment, digital technologies and social interaction. In our practice-oriented research and development projects, we combine Augmented and Mixed Reality (AR/MR), physical-digital interactions and spatial design through co-design and participatory methods. Together with partners from society, culture, planning and research, we develop and test new forms of spatial mediation, interaction and participation.

Further information about the research team and its projects can be found on the Extended Spaces website.

For this position, we are seeking from 1 February 2027 a

Research Assistant for Physical-Digital Prototyping 50 %

Your tasks

• Collaboration in practice-oriented research and development projects of the Extended Spaces team at the interface of space, design and digital technologies
• Iterative development of concepts and ideas, as well as their implementation as physical-digital prototypes, interactive objects, spatial installations and experimental test setups
• Development of physical-digital interfaces with Arduino, model making, 3D printing and other suitable technologies
• Creation of 3D models (e.g. in Blender) for Unity and web applications.
• Participation in the preparation and execution of workshops, user testings, exhibitions and public formats
• Documentation of development processes and project results, occasionally also using photo and video

Your profile

• Completed bachelor’s degree in a design-technical field, e.g. Interaction Design, Industrial Design, Digital Ideation or Spatial Design. What matters to us is your practical experience and enthusiasm for developing physical-digital prototypes.
• Strong enjoyment of building, experimenting and prototypical development as well as good manual and technical understanding
• Experience in several of the following areas: physical prototyping and model making, 3D modelling, 3D printing, microcontrollers as well as physical-digital interfaces or interactive installations
• Ability to combine design ideas and technical requirements and pragmatically translate them into functioning prototypes
• Independent, solution-oriented working style as well as enjoyment of iterative development processes and inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration
• Experience with Unity or comparable development environments (AR, VR or Mixed Reality advantageous)
• Knowledge in audiovisual production, especially film and video editing, is a welcome addition
• Very good German skills, among others for dealing with people in workshops or similar situations

Our offer

• A versatile role with creative freedom in an interdisciplinary research and development team
• The opportunity to directly translate your own ideas into physical and digital prototypes and test them in real application contexts
• Participation in socially relevant research projects at the interface of space, design, interactive technologies and participation
• Access to workshops and technical infrastructure of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
• Collaboration with various design, technical and scientific disciplines as well as external practice partners
• Flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home
• The position as research assistant is limited to two years, with the option to extend by three more years by mutual agreement
• A parallel part-time study in one of the four majors of our Master Design is possible and encouraged.

About the application process
The application process is designed in two stages. In the first interview, we would like to get to know you, your motivation and selected previous work. At the same time, you will have ample opportunity to get to know our team, our projects and our way of working.

Selected applicants will then be invited to a compact workshop with the extended team. Together we will work on a small design-technical question. We are interested in how you approach an open task, concretise ideas prototypically, combine technical and design considerations and collaborate with others in the team. The workshop requires no elaborate preparation.

The process is deliberately dialogical: you should also be able to assess whether our research environment, our team and our way of working suit you.

Please submit, in addition to your CV, a portfolio or a brief project documentation with two to four projects that provide insight into your design-technical and prototypical working methods. We are particularly interested in the extent of your own contribution to conception, development and implementation.

The application deadline is 25 October 2026.

The first round of interviews will take place on Monday, 2 November 2026 in Emmenbrücke.

The second round will take place on Monday, 23 November 2026.

We especially encourage people from underrepresented groups regarding gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion, disability or age to apply.

Location

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Design Film Art
Nylsuisseplatz 1
6020 Lucerne – Emmenbrücke

Professional enquiries

Tobias Matter
Team Leader Extended Spaces
Research Group Visual Narrative
tobias.matter@hslu.ch