MA, PhD, Postdoc positions in Computer-Human Interaction
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane, Australia
Expressions of interest due by 20th September 2020
We are seeking applicants for Masters, PhD and Postdoctoral positions for our Australian Research Council funded projects and for the annual QUT scholarship round. We are seeking excellent candidates to research in the following areas:
- Augmented sociality – social interaction in augmented reality
- Technologies for Inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities
- Co-Designing activities and technologies to revitalise Australian Indigenous Languages
- Human interaction with AI and machine learning
- New technologies for engagement with nature.
(Interaction with children, new food systems and waste are also potential topics that could be supported, given our involvement in related research centres. Please enquire.)
The Computer-Human Interaction group in the School of Computer Science at QUT researches the design of innovative socio-technical systems. We research and teach in the nexus of Interaction Design, Data Science and Games. We comprise 10 academics, 4 post doctoral fellows and approximately 40 PhD students. Together we form a nice complementary mix of design, psych/social science, games design, AR, electronics, software engineering and data science. Our group offers a collaborative and supportive environment for researchers and researchers-in-training who wish to excel in a stimulating environment. We publish and participate in the most competitive venues in our field. We develop new designs, new methods and new theories of interaction for our changing world. We value diversity and we’re a welcoming and inclusive team. We especially welcome applications from students bringing unique perspectives, for example (but not exclusively):
- female students
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
- students who identify with minority groups.
Human-Computer Interaction is an interdisciplinary field. Applicants should have a strong background (eg. Bachelor degree) in a relevant discipline such as: design, interaction design, computer science (AI, data science, machine learning), games design, engineering design, creative industries, social science, psychology, Indigenous studies, ecology. Additionally, Computer Human Interaction at QUT requires good skills in the English language. Please see more details about our projects below.
DEADLINES
Please make contact with us by 13th September 2020 if possible with a paragraph describing your interests and a CV. Formal Expressions of Interest (EOI) are due by 20th September 2020, 11:59pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) (hard deadline).
Full PhD Applications invited based upon EOIs close on 30th October 2020. 11:59pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) (hard deadline). The purpose of the EOI is so that applicants who do not meet eligibility criteria do not need to fill out a full application.
OUR PROJECTS FOR WHICH WE SEEK ENTHUSIASTIC, CREATIVE RESEARCHERS:
“Designing smart visual technologies with people with intellectual disability“
In broad terms, the project is seeking to understand how the meaning of images can be computed and used in the design of intelligent interfaces which can be used by and support people with intellectual disability. The visual interactions of interest to this research may be embedded in a variety of technologies, including: information access technologies (eg. search engines), assistive technologies (e.g. AAC), social technologies (e.g. social media or games), conversational technologies (e.g. voice assistants), tangible technologies (e.g. robots, IoT, or wearables).
The successful candidates will have a strong background in a related discipline, such as computer science, interaction design or psychology and interest/experience in related disciplines. The preferred approach for this project is an iterative design research approach, which employs co-design and ethnographic research.
Contact: Dr Laurianne Sitbon
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“Augmented sociality and enabling a participatory experience of augmented reality”
Our goal is to transform augmented reality (AR) from a hyper-specialised tool for power users, into an enabler of creativity, socialisation, and new forms of community. We want everyday users to be able to augment reality as they wish and share such newly-created experiences with their friends, family, and community. This research will lead to new understandings of socialised uses of AR, and new AR applications co-created with users and trialled in real-world settings. The successful candidates will have a strong background in a related discipline, such as computer science or interaction design. Interest/experience in related disciplines such as media studies/production, visual arts/design, will be highly valued. The ideal applicant will have an unlimited curiosity, contagious enthusiasm, and a restless creative mind. The preferred approach for this project is to conduct qualitative investigations of use cases for a socialised augmented reality and to co-design and trial novel AR applications with community stakeholders
Contact: Dr Alessandro Soro
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“Co-Designing activities and technologies to revitalise Australian Indigenous languages“
This project aims to understand how an Australian Indigenous language, Kuku Yalanji, is used across inter-generational settings and how to foster its use in everyday activities and with technologies. Many Indigenous languages, primarily spoken by Elders in small communities, risk being lost in a few decades together with the rich knowledge and cultural identity they embody. This project will use a community co-design research approach to understand language use and barriers and co-create new technologies and activities for everyday language use. Outcomes will be new knowledge about language use and revitalisation in small communities, new language tools, and Indigenous proto-enterprises at the intersection of culture, language and design. Other Australian languages may be considered. The ideal candidate will have an interest in and respect for Indigenous languages, culture and appropriate community-centred research practices. You will have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline such as design, Indigenous studies, interaction design, creative industries, social science, psychology.
Contact: Dr Alessandro Soro, Prof Margot Brereton
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“Human interaction with AI and machine learning”
Our goal is to change the design of machine learning and AI systems so that humans and machines use their different abilities to learn together for mutual benefit – human-machine teaming. Machine learning has been commoditised in areas such as medical image reading, however it typically operates separately from humans, supplanting human skills and leading to deskilling. Using human-computer interaction research techniques, co-design and iterative prototyping we aim to devise and evaluate exemplar systems that support humans to interactively frame problems, explore and learn, while utilising and improving machine models, leading to a guiding framework for designing human-machine teaming. Domains of investigation are radiology training, environmental monitoring, and children’s learning.
The ideal candidate(s) will be creative and curious, with good interpersonal skills, and have a strong background in a related discipline, such as computer science, interaction design, games design, engineering design, social science, psychology, education and interest/skills in ethnographic research and research through design. Knowledge of machine learning/AI is not needed, but a curiosity about these topics and how they are evolving is expected. The preferred approach for this project is an iterative design research approach, which employs qualitative investigation of use and co-design with community stakeholders. The supervisory team includes design, ethnographic, machine learning and data science expertise.
Contact: Prof Margot Brereton, Prof David Lovell, Dr. Laurianne Sitbon
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“Ambient nature network: new technologies to connect people to nature”
This project aims to reconnect people with nature through new technology. Events in nature occur at times, places and scales that are hard to witness, leading to human disconnection from nature. This project proposes to address this issue by researching and designing new low-cost devices that combine environmental sensors with new interfaces to reveal local nature in parks and gardens in calm, engaging ways within and between homes in medium and high density environments. Outcomes will include new connected devices, playful interfaces and social sharing mechanisms, an evaluation with local groups, and a new theory of technology supported human-nature interaction. Benefits will include better community connection to nature, engagement in local citizen science, environmental initiatives and novel monitoring services and products.
The successful candidate(s) will be creative and curious, with good interpersonal skills, and have a strong background in a related discipline, such as computer science, ecology, interaction design, games design, engineering design, social science, psychology and interest/skills in ethnographic research and research through design. The preferred approach for this project is an iterative design research approach, which employs qualitative investigation of use and co-design with community stakeholders. The supervisory team includes expertise in eco-acoustics, computer science, ethnography and co-design. Contact: Prof Margot Brereton, Dr Bernd Ploderer, Prof Paul Roe
SCHOLARSHIPS INFORMATION
QUT offers a limited number of scholarships to research students of exceptional research potential. To be eligible, you need to have a minimum first-class honours (H1) or equivalent. For more information about the current scholarship offerings at QUT, see https://www.qut.edu.au/research/annual-scholarship-round
(https://qutvirtual4.qut.edu.au/group/staff/student-support/student-admin/studylink)
You should make contact by 13th September at the latest to express interest and discuss your application with an academic staff member who can support you through the application process. Please send a CV and a paragraph describing your interest to the relevant academic staff member or Prof Margot Brereton.
Submit your Application Part 1 – Expression of Interest (EOI) by on 20 September 2020; If your EOI is successful you will be invited to complete Application Part 2 – Final, which must be submitted, along with all supporting documentation, by 11:59pm (AEST) on 30 October 2020. Ensure you indicate you want to be considered for a QUT scholarship.
Computer Human Interaction at QUT requires good skills in the English language. If English is not your native language, the following scores in IELTS or TOEFL are needed; IELTS: Minimum scores required: 7 overall and in sub-sections reading, writing, speaking, listening.
TOEFL: 110 (iBT) or 650 (PBT) QUT consistently ranks in the top 10 universities in Australia, which is a noteworthy because it is one of the newer universities. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_University_of_Technology)
MORE INFORMATION
To find out more about the School of Computer Science at QUT please visit our website:
https://www.qut.edu.au/science-engineering/schools/computer-science
For further information please contact m.brereton@qut.edu.au. It is also helpful if you send a brief description of your capabilities and interests. We’d love to hear from you.
Best wishes,
Margot
Professor Margot Brereton PhD
Professor of Engineering and Interaction Design, School of Computer Science
Director, Research Performance, Institute for Future Environments
Tel: 0402263567 | Fax: 07 3138 4438 | Email: m.brereton@qut.edu.au | Web: www.qut.edu.au/ife
CRICOS No: 00213J
I acknowledge the Turrbul and Yuggera people of the lands on which QUT now stands, and pay respect to their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits. I recognise that these lands have always been places of learning and teaching.