PhD student (f/m/d) in Human-Computer Interaction and Accessibility

together unique

Institute for Anthropomatics and Robotics (IAR)

The research group “Human-Computer Interaction and Accessibility” explores digital accessibility with focus on novel and assistive technologies that can be leveraged by disabled people and thereby contribute to quality of life. From a technical perspective, the research focus lies on interactive, sensor- based and wearable systems that are closely intertwined with users' bodies. Central to the research of the group is the question how such systems can be designed in a way that supports experiential accessibility – accessibility that strives for equitable experiences, extends beyond the removal of barriers, and seeks to provide positive and enriching user experiences.

Research on accessibility of the built environment within the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research community frequently focuses on the reduction of immediate access barriers. Particularly with respect to urban spaces, much of our work develops interactive tools to support disabled people when navigating barriers. While this kind of work has made important contributions to the accessibility of the built environment, it is focusing on the present – i.e., the status quo – in the sense that it engages with current access barriers in the real world, rather than asking what a more accessible world could look like if it were to be imagined from scratch.

To expand our view on technical accessibility research, the proposed PhD project will leverage future-looking methods including speculative design to work with disabled people in imagining what shape more inclusive futures should take, and to explore what and whether current and future technologies would be required to make these speculations a reality.

More concretely, the PhD research could entail the following aspects:

as soon as possible

Suitable candidates will have previous experience and/or an interest in the following:

Salary category EG 13, depending on the fulfillment of professional and personal requirements.

limited for four years

December 31, 2022

For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Kathrin Gerling, email: kathrin.gerling@kit.edu.

Please send your CV, a copy of your MSc transcripts (can be preliminary), a letter of motivation and names of two referees to: kathrin.gerling@kit.edu, subject: “PhD Application Speculative Design”. Please send all documents in PDF format.

vacancy number: 2309/2022

We prefer to balance the number of employees (f/m/d). Therefore, we kindly ask female applicants to apply for this job.

Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.