PhD Classic Doctoral Training Grant Funding Information
This funding model includes a 36 month fully funded PhD Studentship, in-line with the Research Council values, which comprises a tax-free stipend paid monthly £17,668 for 2022-2023) per year and a Full Time Home Fee Scholarship (£4,596 for 2022-2023) for up to 3 years, subject to you making satisfactory progression within your PhD research
International students will be required to pay the difference between the Overseas Fee Rate and Home Fee Rate. All applicants will receive the same stipend irrespective of fee status.
Deadline
- Monday 1 May 2023 at 23.59pm (September 2023 start)
Designing Haptic Technologies for Sensory Augmentation
Project Code: CEBE-AT-01
Subject Area: Human Computer Interaction, Accessibility, Computer Vision, Haptics.
Supervision Team: Dr Arthur Theil (DoS); Dr Chris Creed; Dr Sayan Sarcar.
Background:
In this project, you will work collaboratively with leading national/international organisations across disciplines to develop and evaluate novel technologies for sensory augmentation using sensing devices and haptic systems. Sensor-based technologies, if linked to haptic means of conveying information (e.g., vibration, pressure, touch), have the potential to replace visual and auditory information in scenarios where the visuo-auditory senses are not immediately available. This can be useful for people with visual or hearing impairments, firefighters, or rescue teams working in low visibility areas.
You will develop and evaluate technologies that capture image and/or sound and turn them into high-dimensional haptic patterns of touch on the skin. These haptic technologies can then be used for a number of applications, including mobility and navigation, immersive technologies, games, or social communication.
Areas of interest:
- Human Computer Interaction
- Accessibility and Assistive Technologies
- Haptics and Multimodal Interaction
- Wearable and Mobile Computing
- Immersive and Embodied Technologies
During the course of the PhD research, your primary goals will include:
- To explore novel technologies for sensory augmentation (visuo-auditory information to haptics) informed by user-centred design approaches and human computer interaction evaluation techniques.
- To develop wearable or mobile sensing technologies that provide haptic feedback in different interaction scenarios, such as navigation and mobility.
- To evaluate new sensing technologies and conduct user studies with different groups of people, including people with a diverse range of sensory characteristics.
- To communicate research findings in scientific publications (journals and peer-reviewed conferences) in the areas of Human Computer Interaction, Accessibility or Assistive Technologies.
Our team of academics and research students are leading projects around Human Computer Interaction and Digital Media Technology. We actively publish our research at leading international HCI conferences including ACM CHI, IEEE ISMAR, and ACM ASSETS.
You will benefit from having access to the facilities, close industry links and expertise at BCU, and you will be expected to play an active role in the DMT Lab. The HCI group, within the DMT Lab, specialises in innovative research around user experience design, virtual/augmented reality, sensor-driven interaction, accessibility and assistive technologies.
Person Specification:
We invite applications from highly motivated PhD candidates with an interest in Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Accessibility, Haptics, Mobile, Wearable or Sensing Technologies. You must demonstrate potential for creative, high-quality PhD research. Strong programming skills are essential, while HCI research and academic writing skills are desirable.
The successful candidate will be part of a team with a strong commitment to the academic development of young researchers and interdisciplinary computing research. You will contribute to the DMT Lab’s strong research agenda on HCI and accessibility to meet the growing societal need for smart and inclusive technologies. In addition, the School of Computing and Digital Technology offers a highly stimulating environment for career development, and you will be exposed to a range of further opportunities throughout this studentship.
To apply, please complete the project proposal form, ensuring that you quote the project reference, and then complete the online application where you will be required to upload your proposal in place of a personal statement as a pdf document.
Formal applications should be made on the University's online application form, which can be found under the 'How to Apply' tab of the course page.
You will also be required to upload two references, at least one being an academic reference, and your qualification/s of entry (Bachelor/Masters certificate/s and transcript/s).
To discuss Project CEBE-AT-01, please contact Dr Arthur Theil, Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction
Email: Arthur.theil@bcu.ac.uk
Website: Human Computer Interaction
