Job description
Project Background
Recently in the field of HCI, we are seeing a growing interest in posthumanist studies and more-than-human design (Frauenberger, 2019; Wakkary, 2021). Accordingly, design ethnography is expanding to shift its focus from cultural groups of human individuals to more-than-human ecosystems. At the same time, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) technologies is opening new opportunities for design ethnographers to engage technologies not as mere instruments but as “co-ethnographers.”
This project builds on the recent development of more-than-human ethnographic studies in HCI such as Thing Ethnography (e.g., Giaccardi et al., 2016) and Entangled Ethnography (e.g., Murray-Rust et al., 2019). We see rich opportunities for exploring new types of creative ethnographic probes leveraging sensors and IoT as well as for investigating the use of AI in making sense of complex (multisensorial) ethnographic data.
Challenges/Questions
Ethnography-inspired research produces voluminous unstructured data from a wide range of sources including field notes and journal entries, interview transcripts, hand drawings, photos, videos, location tracking, and activity tracking. Based on such rich data set, researchers can discover and describe the complexities and nuances of the context that surrounds and shapes their design interventions. Yet how to trace and make sense of such large quantities of unstructured, noisy source materials remains a challenge. This research aims to address this challenge by exploring new ways of collaborating with artificial intelligence (AI) in doing ethnography.
Industrial Design PhD Position
This research will focus on three themes: first, to explore creative probes for ethnographic exploration and more enriched data collection; second, to develop collaborative sensemaking methods and AI-enabled tools for analysing and processing large quantities of unstructured, entangled, noisy source materials generated from multi-faceted data collection; and third, to critically examine the competencies of AI as an ethnographer. Potential research questions are as follows:
Ethnographic Probes with learnability and adaptability
How can we design and develop ethnographic probes that can learn from and adapt to the context (e.g., by adjusting their focus, temporality, and movement) during their data collection in the field?
Collaborative Sensemaking on Ethnographic Data
How can we make sense of nonhuman phenomena (things, practices) beyond human interpretation through nonhuman eyes of AI?
AI as an Ethnographer
How does the human-AI partnership look like in design ethnographic research? What can we learn about the creative agency and intentionality of AI?
The PhD student will explore these questions by applying the research through design methodology with hands-on making and prototyping in close contact with a wider range of stakeholders of this system, including humans, non-humans and AI agents, in some specific contexts. These will be closely involved in the co-creation process.
Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e, www.tue.nl) is one of Europe’s leading research universities. The Eindhoven area, in the southern part of the Netherlands, is one of Europe’s top ‘innovation ecosystems’, with many high-tech companies and institutes. TU/e is intertwined with many of these companies and institutes, and research at TU/e is characterized by a combination of academic excellence, industrial relevance and societal interweaving. The Department of Industrial Design (ID) of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), founded in 2001, is a maturing department with over 650 students, both Bachelor and Master, and around 40 research staff members and about 10 lecturers. The mission of the department of Industrial Design at TU/e is Research on and Education in the Design of Systems with Emerging Technologies in a Societal Context.
The PhD will be under the supervision of Dr. Daisy Yoo and Dr. Janet Huang in the Department of Industrial Design at the Eindhoven University of Technology.
Prospective starting date: September 2023.
Job requirements
- A Master’s degree in a design related discipline (e.g., Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Tangible Interaction) or an applied science related discipline (e.g., Computer Science, Information Science) and demonstrated competences in one or more of these domains: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Human-centered AI, Computer/Data science, and other relevant fields. The Master’s degree needs to be obtained before the prospective starting date of this position: September 2023
- A design portfolio demonstrating skills and knowledge in contextual design exploration, digital fabrication and interactive prototyping (of AI-enabled solutions), user evaluation test design & execution skills.
- A commitment to research through design with the ability to conduct and deliver high-quality research both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team.
- Openness, interest and good soft skills to work closely with people from other disciplines and across organizations.
- Eager to learn and tackle complex sustainability challenges.
- Good conceptual knowledge and empirical research skills for design ethnography/anthropology.
- Hands-on technology realization skills for AI, data visualization and tool making. Knowledge and skills in Programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, JavaScript), Data Visualization Libraries and tools (e.g. D3.js, Processing), and basic AI/ML or data science knowledge and skills (e.g., ml5.js) and eager to further develop these skills. In addition, 3D modeling and prototyping skills.
- Fluency in English is a must (written and spoken).
Conditions of employment
- A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the possibility to present your work at international conferences.
- A full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation after one year.
- To support you during your PhD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for PhD students (PROOF program).
- A gross monthly salary and benefits in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
- Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
- A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
- Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.
Information and application
About us
Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow.
Information
Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more?
Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices.ID[at]tue.nl.
Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.
Application
We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. Your application must contain the following documents (all in English):
- a cover letter with a clear motivation section
- a portfolio (selected projects and/or papers)
- a curriculum vitae.
Please note that a maximum of 5 documents of 2 MB each can be uploaded via the apply now button. If you have more than 5 documents, you will need to combine them. Click here if you want to apply.
Applications by e-mail are not accepted.
The deadline for applications is 30 June, 2023. However, if you are interested, we invite you to apply as soon as possible. Selection will begin immediately and continue until the position has been filled.