Cognitive modelling for informing the design of immersive digital interaction

We are recruiting new Doctoral Researchers to our EPSRC funded Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) PhD studentships starting 1 October 2023. Applications are invited for the project Cognitive modelling for informing the design of immersive digital interaction

Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) of approximately £19,668, including inner London weighting, plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of 42 months (3.5 years).

You should be eligible for home (UK) tuition fees there are a very limited number (no more than three) of studentships available to overseas applicants, including EU nationals, who meet the academic entry criteria including English Language proficiency.

You will join the internationally recognised researchers in the School of Design

The Project

This project aims to investigate the cognitive aspects of digital interaction from a design perspective and to develop cognitive models that can explain and simulate users' behaviours during digital interactions, thus informing decision-making in the design process. It will specifically focus on the design of digital immersive interactions, which pose more cognitive challenges to users.

Please contact Dr Weining Ning at weining.ning@brunel.ac.uk for an informal discussion about the studentships.

Eligibility

Applicants will have or be expected to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree in an Engineering, Computer Science, Design or Business. A Postgraduate Masters degree is not required but may be an advantage.

Skills and Experience

Good level of knowledge and skills in the design of immersive interactions.
A thorough understanding of user-cantered design principles and practices.
Familiarity with inclusive design and/or cognitive psychology is preferred.

How to apply

There are two stages of the application:

Applicants must submit the pre-application form via the following link https://brunel.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/epsrc-dtp-23-24-pre-application-form-brunel-university-lon-3 by 16.00 on Friday 26^th May 2023.

2.If you are shortlisted for the interview, you will be asked to email the following documentation in a single PDF file to cedps-studentships@brunel.ac.uk within 24hrs.

Your up-to-date CV;
Your Undergraduate degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) essential;
Your Postgraduate Masters degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) if applicable;
Your English Language qualification of IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in each section) or equivalent, if applicable;
Contact details for TWO referees, one of which can be an academic member of staff in the College.

Applicants should therefor ensure that they have all of this information in case they are shortlisted.

Interviews will take place in June 2023.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Weining Ning - I joined Brunel Design School in 2022 after finishing my PhD studies at the University of Cambridge. I am currently responsible for teaching Computer Aided Design (PG). I am also the Academic Exchange Coordinator at Brunel Design School. My research centres on Inclusive design, for more information please visit the Research tab.

Related Research Group(s)

Design and Manufacturing - Developing products, services and manufacturing processes that will deliver economically and environmentally sustainable solutions, based on design principles derived from an understanding of human capabilities and limitations.

Digital Process and Simulation -

Human-centred Design - Covering inclusive design, design for ageing demographics, and perception enhancement.

Digital Manufacturing - Being at the forefront of solutions for building smart machines, we create an operational framework for the digital transformation to Industry 4.0.

Modelling and Simulation - Investigating how modelling and simulation can be supported by research into high-performance computing, e-infrastructures, cyberinfrastructures, cloud computing and web-based simulation.