Join our cutting-edge research and development team as a research intern and immerse yourself in the world of virtual humans! This is a relatively flexible opportunity which can be co-shaped with the student and can be a thesis assignment.

About Cradle

Cradle is the Research & Development lab of the Academy for AI, Games & Media at Breda University of Applied Sciences. At this lab, cutting-edge, innovative games and media applications are designed and developed through projects conducted on behalf of and befitting four professorships: Digital Media Concepts; Creative & Entertainment Games; Serious Games, Innovation & Society; and Applied Data Science & Artificial Intelligence. Most of the projects at Cradle involve external partners and are funded by secondary (e.g. national or EU research grants) and tertiary sources (project-based contracts). Cradle has its own staff pool of experienced, tech-savvy researchers, lecturers, designers, and developers. It also offers internships, individual graduation projects, collaborative team projects, as well as support, facilities, and equipment to students, staff, and partners.

Example responsibilities

You will support the teams working on several Virtual Human projects, including RegioDeal, VHESPER, and DIGIREAL (see at the end of the vacancy). Your exact responsibilities will depend on your background, skill set, and personal interests. Examples include:

• Collaborate with researchers, developers, partners, and students involved in the research projects.
• Perform systematic literature reviews on real human – virtual human interaction.
• Conduct behavioural experiments where participants interact with virtual humans presenting different types of (profound) emotions.
• Collect and analyse data from the experiments.
• Contribute to the writing of scientific publications reporting on the results from the experiment studies.
• Support the development of a European network on virtual humans.
• Opportunities to attend and assist at digital realities events and present research findings.

What we offer

• A financial compensation.
• A chance to be at the forefront of virtual human research and network building.
• Multiple projects with opportunities to manage research initiatives and introduce your own ideas.
• Support from BUas developers and researchers involved in the projects, providing mentorship and guidance.
• An exciting workplace at the BUas campus with high-end hard- and software.
• The opportunity to produce publishable academic work or a thesis-level deliverable as part of your internship.

Qualification requirements

• You must receive ECTS for doing an internship or a thesis project as part of your study programme.
• You are enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s programme (WO, HBO, or equivalent).
• Preferred backgrounds include, but are not limited to: Psychology, Sociology, Data Science, Cognitive Science, Artificial Intelligence, Human–Computer Interaction, Game & Media Technology, or related fields.
• Strong interest in research and innovations (virtual humans).
• Skills in data analysis and collection (quantitative and qualitative).
• Enthusiastic about working with data, collaborating with researchers, and engaging with externals.

Practical details

Timeline: Available from September 2026 onwards (start/end dates negotiable)
Location: Cradle Lab, Breda University of Applied Sciences campus

How to apply?

Interested or do you have any questions? Please send your CV and short motivation to Ekaterina Uzunova (uzunova.e@buas.nl). The deadline for applying is 15 June 2026.

About our virtual human projects

• Learn more about the Delphi Study on emerging trends in Virtual Humans: https://cradle.buas.nl/gem/study-introduction-by-mai/
• Discover how the virtual influencer/host MAI was created: https://cradle.buas.nl/project/mai-mindlabs-artificial-intelligence/
• Explore how we design expressive virtual humans: https://cradle.buas.nl/gem/creating-expressive-virtual-humans/
• See behind the scenes of our motion-capture session for emotional virtual humans: https://cradle.buas.nl/gem/capturing-the-soul-a-motion-capture-session-for-the-development-of-emotional-virtual-humans/

Project VHESPER – Virtual Humans for Emotional Social Prosperity in the European Region

https://cradle.buas.nl/project/vhesper/
In this project, we partner up with researchers from the knowledge institutes: Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Bremen in Germany, and Howest UAS in Belgium. The aim is to 1) Strengthen (our) European knowledge position on VHs by joining and building networks to find out what the research and innovation agenda on VHs looks like; 2) Conduct experimental studies on empathic interaction between real and virtual humans to develop a multidisciplinary R&D agenda; 3) Develop the ideas, content and partnerships for strong EU-funded RDI proposals.

Project RegioDeal – Digital Innovation District for Society

https://cradle.buas.nl/project/regiodeal/
Digital Innovation District for Society investigates how empathic, AI-driven virtual humans can promote Broad Prosperity in the Mid-Brabant region. Within the MindLabs ecosystem, the project develops and tests multimodal virtual humans that recognise and respond to emotional signals, applying them in domains such as health promotion, education, and media.

Project HUMBOLDT

https://cradle.buas.nl/project/humboldt/
HUMBOLDT explores how AI-powered Virtual Humans can bring a human dimension to urban Digital Twins. The project delivers a proof of concept in which a conversational Virtual Human, grounded in real spatial data from the Netherlands, makes urban planning information accessible through natural dialogue. By combining generative AI, professional voice cloning, photogrammetry, and retrieval-augmented generation with Virtual Human technology, HUMBOLDT transforms complex spatial datasets into intuitive conversations for policymakers, citizens, and designers.

Project DIGIREAL

https://www.digireal.nl/
DIGIREAL is an NWO/SIA-funded SPRONG-programma (’22-’29) in which Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas), Fontys University of Applied Sciences and MindLabs are working with other private and civil society partners to create a Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Centre on Digital Realities (DR) for societal and economic transformation. The DIGIREAL program focuses on three main topics: 1. Virtual Humans; 2. Digital Social Realities; and 3. Digital Twins.