PhD Fellowship in Tangible applications for elderly people

Fakultet for teknologi, kunst og design (TKD), Institutt for informasjonsteknologi

Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HiOA) is Norway’s largest state University College, with approximately 17000 students and 2000 employees. We conduct research in areas that are important for welfare and value creation, for instance health, education, social sciences, technology and design. HiOA has an academic stimulating environment with a variety of welfare schemes.

Our goal is to become a leading university in the Nordics within the field of applied sciences.

The Faculty of Technology, Art and Design (TKD) offers higher education and research and development (R&D) activities within technical subjects, arts and design. The Faculty has approximately 2800 students and 240 staff members and is situated at Pilestredet Campus in downtown Oslo and at Kjeller Campus in Akershus.

The Department of Computer Science offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in computer science, qualifying candidates for further studies within engineering, international semester and other further education programmes. The department also offers research and development activities. The department has approximately 40 staff members and 475 students.

In the Department of computer science, Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, a position as a PhD research fellow is currently available.

The PhD Fellowship is part of a project collaboration between the research groups Universal Design of Information and Communication Technology (UD-ICT) at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design and Ageing, Health and Welfare at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The fellowship will be for a period of three years, alternatively, four years including 25% compulsory work (teaching and supervision at BSc and MSc level) at the Department of computer science.

Area of research

The successful candidate for this position will focus on developing and evaluating tangible applications and understanding the affordances of tangible technologies for social activities and engagement of elderly people. The candidate will work closely with researchers within the research group in Ageing, Health and Welfare.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Science, or health informatics (120 ECTS). Other degrees can be considered, depending on qualifications.
• Programming skills and experience, preferably in programming tangible user interfaces.
• Proficient in written and spoken English. Good command of Norwegian will be a strong advantage for this work.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme in Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences at the Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. See requirements for admission. Successful enrolment into the PhD program in Health Sciences at the Faculty of Health Sciences is required before entering the PhD position.

Desired skills and experience

• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate in interdisciplinary teams
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, plan, dimension and direct own work
• Able and willing to exploit possibilities for innovation and creativity as they arise
• Experience with publishing research results, preferably in international peer-reviewed conferences/journals.
• Experience in working with elderly people will be beneficial for this work.

We offer:

• Opportunity to contribute to research and development for the well-being of elderly people
• A dynamic working environment and active research collaboration
• Benefits such as flexible hours and various welfare schemes

Read more about working at HiOA

Type of employment: Temporary position

Contract type: Full time

First day of employment: Fall 2016

Salary: NOK 429 700 – 458 800

Expert committee and required documentation

All application documents submitted should be in English.

As an applicant you will be assessed by an expert committee. In addition to the online application, you must upload the following documents:

• application letter, describing your motivations applying for the position and qualities you have that are relevant for the successful completion of the PhD project
• application for the PhD programme  
• CV and copies of diplomas/certificates including all grades
• the abstract of your Master's thesis and copy of up to 5 relevant scientific publications
• project proposal (max 10 pages including problem statements, choice of methods, plan for the project and references, font size 12, single line space and 2 cm margin)
• approval from ethical committees or other relevant bodies, if applicable

Contact information:

Professor, Weiqin Chen, 67 23 86 71, weiqin.chen@hioa.no

For more information about the doctoral program, contact: kim-henrik.ruud@hioa.no