PhD in HCI & Critical Computing: Deception-by-Design Focus

University of Cambridge; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 21,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Cambridge invites applications for a fixed-term doctoral studentship in the Aspirational Computing Lab, CST. The project blends human-computer interaction and critical computing to explore deception in conversational agents and related topics.

Applicants must propose a research question with a clear plan, demonstrating capacity for independent doctoral work while collaborating with senior researchers and possibly supervising undergraduate activities.

Qualifications

• Holding a first-class honours degree or equivalent; a Master's-level degree (or other postgraduate work) is highly desirable; these should be relevant to HCI and/or critical computing and the proposed topic
• Solid understanding of HCI fundamentals and user-centred design
• Solid communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds and across disciplinary conventions
• Solid understanding of research methods involving human participants, especially experimental design
• Basic understanding of data analysis approaches and tools, including statistics platforms like R and/or methods like thematic analysis
• Familiarity with deception within the context of computing and HCI
• Relevant publications, industrial output, or portfolio items, including open-source projects
• Practical skills in at least two of (a) programming and/or machine learning, (b) interaction design, and/or (c) research design

Responsibilities

• Propose a specific research question with an accompanying methodology and research plan that demonstrates your interest, knowledge, and ability to think as a researcher within the joint context of HCI and critical computing
• In the first half year, train with Dr. Seaborn and senior researchers to gain experience on the research topic and relevant methods
• By the second half, take on a leading role and begin carrying out the research comprising your doctoral dissertation
• Join other projects, participate in research communication and outreach, and take on other supporting roles
• Candidates must be self-motivated, collaboration-oriented, and open to interdisciplinary work and team contexts

Skills

HCI fundamentals

Communication skills

User-centred design

Research methods with human users

Data analysis with R

Deception in computing

Publications/portfolio/open-source

Programming / machine learning

Interaction design

Research design

Education

First-class honours degree

Master's degree desirable

Job description

The University of Cambridge invites applications for a fixed-term doctoral studentship in the Aspirational Computing Lab, CST. The project blends human-computer interaction and critical computing to explore deception in conversational agents and related topics.

Applicants must propose a research question with a clear plan, demonstrating capacity for independent doctoral work while collaborating with senior researchers and possibly supervising undergraduate activities.