Project Description
Doctoral Research Subject: Human-Computer Interaction
Robots will care for, wash, and handle patients in hospitals.
Exoskeletons will help us walk, carry heavy objects, and perhaps even dance. These are some of the ways technology is predicted to move and touch us in the future. The goal of this doctoral thesis is to design and demonstrate, through robust and functional prototypes, how this movement and touch should be experienced. The doctoral student will participate in the ERC-funded project "Intimate Touch: Developing Interaction Design Knowledge and Materials where Technology Touches the Body" and the Digital Futures-funded project "Redefining Mobility for Ageing Adults".
We will design for touch and movement with these new materials from a somatic design perspective, working towards "interactional synchrony" – a deep and meaningful consonance between the body and the mobile material.
The candidate will work with soft robotics and haptic technologies to design, develop, and study fully developed applications in real-world environments. The doctoral student's work will combine careful attention to the sensations and feelings arising through material interaction, while also adopting a critical, feminist perspective on how bodies are recognized within design.
Supervision: Professor Madeline Balaam and Senior Lecturer Marianela Ciolfi Felice are proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Final decision will be made upon admission.
We Offer
- The opportunity to pursue a PhD at KTH
- A workplace with many benefits and monthly salary according to doctoral salary scale
Admission Eligibility
To be admitted to doctoral studies, the applicant must have basic qualifications:
- Completed an advanced level degree in Human-Computer Interaction or similar, or
- Completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits at advanced level, or
- Acquired equivalent knowledge through other means within or outside the country.
Additional admission requirements apply.
Selection
To succeed in doctoral studies at KTH, you need to be goal-oriented and persistent. Candidates will be assessed on their ability to:
- Work independently
- Collaborate with others
- Maintain a professional approach
- Analyze and work with complex issues
- Draw inspiration from critical, feminist theories to stimulate design processes
- Use creative and playful methods as part of a design process
- Work in an interdisciplinary team with designers and engineers
- Design and develop physical prototypes of medium quality for use in design workshops
Personal qualities will be given significant weight after meeting eligibility requirements.
Target Degree: Doctoral Degree
Application
Apply through KTH's recruitment system. The application must include:
- CV with relevant professional experiences and skills
- Cover letter explaining motivation for doctoral studies (max 2 pages)
- Copies of degree certificates and transcripts
- Representative publications or technical reports
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