[Announcements] Funded PhD studentship on the Internet of Things at UCL

[Gaynor, Louise]

Please find information below about a funded studentship in the UCL Interaction Centre.

PhD Studentship: Making the Future: putting people at the centre of the Internet of Things
University College London<https://www.prism.ucl.ac.uk/#%21/?institution=5243> - UCLIC and Computer Science

  *   No closing date
  *   Study: Full Time, Part Time

Please click on the link - https://www.prism.ucl.ac.uk/#!/?project=123 to access the online advert where you can apply using the 'Apply Now' button.
Applications are invited for a BBC sponsored PhD studentship at the UCL Interaction Centre (www.ucl.ac.uk/uclic<https://www.prism.ucl.ac.uk/www.ucl.ac.uk/uclic>) in the areas of human-computer interaction, user experience, and Internet of Things (IoT). Learning about computation and coding has become central to the future of creativity in an increasingly digitally connected world. Inspired by the Maker movement and creative potential of maker-spaces, activities of making, such as digital fabrication or learning about electronics, are also starting to become popular in schools and U3A groups throughout the country. A number of electronic platforms are appearing as building blocks for making interactive machines, including Arduino, RaspberryPi, Makey Makey and LittleBits. The BBC is also committed to a programme of activities to Making it Digital (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/speeches/2015/tony-hall-make-it-digital). It is in the process of developing Micro Bit - a give away platform for learning basic programming and electronics. At UCL, we have also developed our own toolkit called CodeMe (see http://www.codeme.io).

A goal is often not just the conveying of engineering and electronic principles, but also to foster creative crafting, tinkering, and re-appropriation of the basic building blocks to form new creations. With the Internet of Things - where there is huge potential for millions of devices to be connected via the internet, and embedded with various sensors that can send and pass on data to one another - the need to understand how to scale up and create for complexity is even more challenging. However, this is easier said than done. There remains a gap as to how we ease new learners into using electronics and making, without immediately moving to the stage asking them to code software or re-program microcontrollers and robots. What are adequate learning activities for uncovering the potential of electronics that are accessible, engaging, and understandable for wide audiences?
This joint BBC/UCL iCase PhD studentship will investigate how new toolkits can encourage a different way to coding and creating that can engage people of all ages. The student will be expected to develop and evaluate prototype toolkits for the Internet of Things together with conducting in-depth user studies of how groups use them during collaborative making and programming activities. For the collaborative research with the BBC groups, the student will also spend several months in the BBC research labs at the MediaCityUK in Salford/ Manchester (http://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/occupiers/bbc) and One Euston Square in London.

STUDENTSHIP DETAILS
Funding: Full University tuition fees and an enhanced tax-free stipend (ca. £19,000 per year) plus research/travel budget and allowance for laptop.
Funding Body: BBC, EPSRC and University College London.
Start Date: October 2015 for 3 years
Application Deadline: The review for applications begins June 30th, 2015 (please submit your application until this date for full consideration).
Supervisors: Yvonne Rogers (UCL Interaction Centre), Nicolai Marquardt (UCL Interaction Centre), and Phil Stenton (BBC R&D)

ELIGIBILITY
Applications are invited from students with a Master's degree or good first degree (First, 2:1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Doctoral scholarship funding is available for up to three years full-time study starting October 2015 and provide a bursary of ca. £19,000 pa in addition to University tuition fees. To be eligible for the full scholarship award, the student must have been living in the UK for the last 3 years (applies to both UK and EU citizens). A master's degree in human-computer interaction or closely related area is highly desirable. Candidates without a master's degree may be admitted in exceptional cases where suitable research experience can be demonstrated.
Candidates must have a clear interest in human-computer interaction and the design, implementation, and evaluation of novel technologies. Experience with physical computing toolkits (e.g., Arduino, Spark Core) is desirable. Candidates should have strong programming and implementation skills as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.
If you wish to discuss the post informally or if you have any questions about the position, please contact Yvonne Rogers (y.rogers at ucl.ac.uk<mailto:y.rogers at ucl.ac.uk>) or Nicolai Marquardt (n.marquardt at ucl.ac.uk<mailto:n.marquardt at ucl.ac.uk>).

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