Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Associate to undertake work in Design Research and Human-Computer Interaction as part of a collaboration between the Wellbeing Technologies Group (http://www.positivecomputing.org/) and a world-leading consumer electronics company. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be working with Professor Rafael Calvo, Dr Celine Mougenot, and Professor Sebastian Deterding on developing design methods and guidelines to ensure that user technologies such as screen devices are designed to support satisfaction of human psychological needs with a culturally-sensitive approach. 

Responsibilities and duties will include surveying existing literature (from academic and industrial sources); developing research objectives; planning, preparing and conducting design workshops and qualitative studies with the industrial partner; creating presentations, reports and publications; liaising and networking with colleagues in the UK and overseas; and supporting the production of research dissemination resources and workshops.

The new activities aim to develop the body of evidence on the design of intelligent systems that support wellbeing, building on research in psychology and design practice.

Duties and responsibilities

Key Responsibilities 

The activities associated with this post are:

• Design and run qualitative studies on designing technologies for wellbeing.
• Plan and run design workshops with teams of professional designers
• Develop and validate design tools and guidelines that can be used to improve user experience
• Submit human ethics research applications for studies with internal and external partners.
• Collect qualitative data either through direct recruitment or through 3rd parties (e.g. Qualtrics)
• Analyse qualitative data and write up results
• Publish original research on HCI / design and wellbeing in various cultural contexts
• Maintain accurate and complete records of all findings
• Assist with the writing of reports to research sponsors
• Present findings to colleagues
• Assist with the publication of findings
• Attend relevant workshops and conferences as necessary
• Develop contacts within the College and the wider community
• Promote the reputation of the Group, the Department and the College

In addition, at Research Associate level:

• Take initiatives in the planning of research
• Write reports for submission to research sponsors
• Submit publications to refereed journals
• Provide guidance to staff and students
• Contribute to bids for research grants
• Conduct and plan own scientific work with appropriate supervision.
• Maintain highly organised and accurate record of experimental Work.
• Actively participate in the research programme of the Group
• Publish in high quality journals and present data at national and international meetings.
• Participate in Group research meetings and internal seminars
• Collaborate with other allied scientists within Imperial College and elsewhere in London and abroad, as appropriate
• Contribute to the smooth running of the Group’s laboratories and, facilities with other scientists, clinicians, technicians and students within the laboratories

Essential requirements

Education           

PhD degree in Design. Human-Computer Interaction, or related area              

Knowledge & Experience           

Experience in Design Research and/or Human-Computer Interaction relevant to user-centred design methods              

Experience in conducting psychological or user experience research         

Experience in designing and conducting interview-based and observational qualitative research studies, including getting human research ethics approval, collecting, managing, and analysing data

Experience of planning, organising and conducting design workshops      

Evidence of previous work in multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder environments.

A track record of publishing for academic dissemination.               

Appropriate publication experience        

Understanding of the research process  

Experience in working in fast-paced collaborative research projects        

Skills & Abilities

Willingness to work flexibly in order to achieve project demands.              

Ability to organise and prioritise own work and organise research within the project timetable            

Ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature  

Ability to develop and apply new concepts          

Creative approach to problem-solving

Excellent verbal communication skills and the ability to deal with a wide range of people

Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication         

Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision    

Ability to prioritise own work in response to deadlines    

Familiarity with qualitative data collection and analysis methods (e.g. grounded theory, reflexive thematic analysis, contextual inquiry, interviewing)        

Advanced computer skills, including qualitative data analysis tools (e.g. NVivo, MAXQDA), word-processing, presentation, spreadsheets, design tools, and the Internet        

Further information

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant within the salary range £36,694 - £39,888 per annum.

Documents

• PDRA-DesignResearch-advert.docx
• Research Associate JD.pdf