Call for Applications
Funded PhD opportunity: Data visualisation in practice: Articulating spatial forms of knowledge
University of Greenwich, London
https://docs.gre.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/292906/vcs-flas-03-22-web-advert-2022-07-15-14-43-09-307.pdf
Application deadline: September 16, 2022
The University of Greenwich, London, is offering a Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship for the PhD project: Data visualisation in practice: articulating spatial forms of knowledge. This is a fully-funded opportunity (fees + bursary at the UKRI rate, for 3 years FT or 6 years PT). Proposals are invited from researchers with a background in digital media, digital humanities, data analytics, visual communications, science communication and related fields. Projects exploring practical applications of VR and telepresence in the context of data visualisation are welcome.
Project Description:
While quantitative analysts widely acknowledge that the creation of data sets involves selection and interpretation, less critical attention has been paid to how the graphical display of data shapes understanding. Visualizations of data are neither neutral nor transparent – they entail the translation of numerical data into spatial forms which can be apprehended as images, thus morphing information which may be non-linear and multi-dimensional into forms which are determined by the parameters of the human senses. Moreover, these processes of visual interpretation are imbued with a range of assumptions and cultural biases which require further scrutiny, because they contain codes and hierarchies inherited from the history of visual culture –for example, presuppositions about what constitutes a “scientific image” based on Western notions of objectivity (Johanna Drucker, 2020). This raises the question of whether visualisation practices could be decolonised to democratise knowledge production and communication. We invite proposals for practice-led research projects that would contribute to critical understanding of data visualization practices by excavating the assumptions, articulating how knowledge is transformed in the translation from numerical to visual formats, and exploring the potentials of using data visualizations to engage diverse audiences in current problematics.
The candidate will contribute to the growth in practice-led digital media research in the School of Design and will have access to the purpose-built media facilities in our Stockwell Street building and will be supported by a supervisory team expertise in media theory, digital humanities, and creative practice-research. Articulating spatial forms of knowledge data visualizations are an essential means of communicating knowledge in the contemporary world.
Research proposals should identify a specific area of knowledge production where data visualisation has potential social, cultural, or environmental impact; define a target audience to communicate with; and outline a practice-led methodology to test the effects of articulating information visually.
The deadline for applications is 16 September 2022. Further details and person specification can be found here:
https://docs.gre.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/292906/vcs-flas-03-22-web-advert-2022-07-15-14-43-09-307.pdf
And details of how to apply:
https://www.gre.ac.uk/research/study/research-studentships-and-scholarships
Candidates who have questions or would like an informal discussion of their proposal prior to submitting their application are welcome to contact lead supervisor, Dr Hannah Lammin: Hannah.Lammin@gre.ac.uk