Reimagining museum experiences: The role of AI in interactive design, visitor engagement, and cultural preservation

We are offering a self-funded PhD position in social and digital innovation with the Brunel Business School.

This project aims to explore how AI can revolutionise museum design and visitor experience, making museums more accessible, engaging, and adaptive to the needs of diverse audiences.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions about the project or would like to arrange an informal discussion, please reach out to Dr Pantea Foroudi at pantea.foroudi@brunel.ac.uk.

Museums worldwide are increasingly adopting digital tools to enhance visitor engagement, improve accessibility, and preserve cultural artefacts. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers unique opportunities to transform museum experiences by creating interactive, personalised exhibits, optimising design elements, and enabling innovative methods for artefact preservation and display.

The project

This research will investigate the use of AI in museum settings across several key areas, focusing on how AI can drive creative design and enhance visitor engagement. Key areas of focus include:

1. AI-Driven interactive exhibits: Examine how AI can enable dynamic, interactive exhibits that respond to visitor behaviour and preferences. This includes AI-powered virtual guides, augmented reality (AR) applications, and interactive installations that adapt to the interests of each visitor, creating a personalised experience that fosters deeper engagement with museum content.
2. Personalised visitor experiences through AI: Explore how AI can be used to analyse visitor data to create customised museum experiences. This area will investigate how AI-driven analytics can help museums understand visitor preferences and design tailored content, offering recommendations on exhibits and creating unique pathways through museum spaces based on individual interests.
3. Enhancing accessibility and inclusivity in museums: Assess how AI can improve accessibility in museums by providing language translation, audio descriptions, and interactive elements for visitors with disabilities. This area will explore how museums can implement AI-powered tools, such as natural language processing and computer vision, to make exhibits accessible to a broader audience.
4. Designing virtual museum experiences with AI: Examine how AI can assist museums in designing immersive virtual experiences that extend their reach beyond physical walls. This includes virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) exhibits, digital twins of physical spaces, and online galleries that replicate the in-museum experience. The project will investigate how AI can enhance these virtual spaces to engage global audiences and provide access to remote visitors.
5. AI for artefact preservation and digital conservation: Investigate how AI-driven tools can support the conservation and digital preservation of artefacts, including techniques for restoring damaged artefacts, identifying preservation needs, and creating digital replicas for archival purposes. This area will focus on AI’s potential to support sustainable artefact preservation and make delicate items more accessible to the public.
6. Ethical and cultural implications of AI in museum design: Consider the ethical implications of using AI in cultural spaces, particularly around issues of authenticity, data privacy, and cultural sensitivity. This area will explore how museums can responsibly use AI to ensure that digital representations of artefacts respect cultural contexts and that visitor data is managed ethically.

Research approach

The student will use a mixed-methods approach, including case studies of museums currently employing AI-driven design, visitor surveys, and qualitative interviews with museum professionals and design experts. Experimental research on visitor engagement with AI-driven exhibits may also provide insights into the effectiveness of interactive and personalised museum experiences.

Eligibility

Candidates should have a background in museum studies, design, or digital humanities, with a keen interest in AI applications. Knowledge of exhibit design, user experience (UX), and digital preservation will be advantageous. Familiarity with AI tools and methods, such as machine learning and AR/VR technologies, would also support the project’s objectives.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the above PhD topic please follow the steps below:

1. Contact the supervisor by email or phone to discuss your interest and find out if you would be suitable. Supervisor details can be found on this topic page. The supervisor will guide you in developing the topic-specific research proposal, which will form part of your application.
2. Click on the 'Apply here' button on this page and you will be taken to the relevant PhD course page, where you can apply using an online application.
3. Complete the online application indicating your selected supervisor and include the research proposal for the topic you have selected.

Good luck!

This is a self funded topic

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. See more information here: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/Research-degree-funding. The UK Government is also offering Doctoral Student Loans for eligible students, and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Pantea Foroudi - Pantea Foroudi (PhD, SFHEA, MSc (Honours), MA, BA (Honours)) is the business manager and solution architect at Foroudi Consultancy and is a member of the Marketing and Branding Department, Brunel Business School, London. Pantea has been working in the field of design, branding, and marketing since 1996, and she has experience as a creative innovator and practical problem-solver in visual identity, graphic design, and branding in different sectors. Her primary research interest has focused on consumer behaviour from a multidisciplinary approach based on two research streams: (i) Artificial Intelligence (AI), (ii) corporate brand design/visual and identity, and (iii) sustainable development goals (SDGs). Pantea has been published widely in international academic journals, such as the British Journal of Management, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Hospitality Management, and others. She is the associate/senior editor of the International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Management Reviews, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, and European Journal of International Management (EJIM), among others.

Related Research Group(s)

Marketing and Corporate Brand Management - Our research-active faculty are engaged in cutting-edge applied scholarship across a broad spectrum of marketing areas.

Marketing and Corporate Brand Management - copy - Our research-active faculty are engaged in cutting-edge applied scholarship across a broad spectrum of marketing areas.