Research Fellow in Multisensory Design

Job Description

Research Fellow in Multisensory Design: Grade: 7

Department: Computer Science: Location: 169 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AE

Reports to

Professor Marianna Obrist

Context

UCL’s Department of Computer Science (CS) is a top-ranked Computer Science Department in the UK and worldwide. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) evaluation, UCL Computer Science was ranked second in the UK for research power and first in England. The post is based within UCL Computer Science in the Multi-Sensory Devices (MSD) Group. Our research covers areas including wearable sensing, efficient and trustworthy machine learning (systems), robotics/embodied AI, metamaterial, biomedical devices, haptics and multisensory interfaces, healthcare technologies, and human-computer interaction. The group regularly publishes in top HCI, Robotics, ML conferences and IEEE and ACM journals.

Main purpose of the job

We are seeking a Research Fellow to design, develop and evaluate novel multisensory interactions, interfaces and experiences, contributing to the rapidly growing field of Multisensory Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The postholder will combine user-centred interaction design and experimental research with the development and integration of interactive prototypes involving sensory technologies, including haptic, olfactory, gustatory, auditory and visual interfaces.

The position provides opportunities to work across a broad range of multisensory design and HCI research. We particularly welcome applicants with complementary strengths across multisensory interaction design, HCI, XR/VR, sensory technologies, interactive prototyping, software-hardware integration, human-AI sensory alignment and empirical user research.

These interdisciplinary research and development role offers an excellent opportunity to establish an independent research profile, publish in leading HCI and interactive technology venues, and develop interdisciplinary expertise spanning multisensory interaction, sensory technologies, design and experimentation.

Duties and responsibilities

Design, develop and evaluate novel multisensory interactions, interfaces and experiences integrating visual, auditory, haptic, olfactory, gustatory and, where relevant, other sensory stimuli.

Develop and integrate research prototypes combining interactive software with sensory devices and technologies, especially beyond audio-visual technologies.

Contribute to multisensory technology development and validation, including spatial and temporal control of sensory delivery and synchronisation with digital, XR content.

Design and implement interactive tools and prototypes supporting the creation and authoring of multisensory and multimodal experiences, including XR where relevant.

Conduct user-centred requirements research through methods such as participatory design, contextual inquiry, interviews and workshops to establish user, interaction and technical requirements for multisensory systems.

Design and conduct controlled and applied user studies to evaluate multisensory experiences, including perceptual quality, usability, user experience, multisensory coherence and relevant behavioural or experiential outcomes.

Analyse quantitative and qualitative research data and translate findings into design requirements, interaction principles and technical recommendations.

Work collaboratively with researchers, developers and external partners across interdisciplinary projects; integrating UCL research outputs into shared prototypes and project use cases.

Analyse, interpret and communicate research findings through high-quality publications in leading HCI, multisensory interaction, VR/XR and interactive technology conferences and journals.

Contribute to project planning, documentation, deliverables, research ethics, data management and reporting to support timely achievement of project milestones.

Present research at conferences, workshops, project or consortium meetings and stakeholder events, including national and international travel as required.

General

Follow and actively promote the UCL Ways of Working.

Takes responsibility to carry out duties in a way that embodies UCL's environmental and social sustainability values, actively supporting UCL's Sustainability Strategy, policies and objectives within the remit of their role.

Carry out any other duties within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager.

Contribute to Institutional citizenship activities by undertaking voluntary roles such as fire marshal or first aider; contribute to EDI initiatives; or any other voluntary contribution to the department or across UCL.

This job description may be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.

For an informal chat or further information about this post please do not hesitate to contact Marianna Obrist (m.obrist@ucl.ac.uk).

Person Specification

Note to job applicant: copy and paste the following criteria into your “Statement in support of your application” and describe underneath each criteria how you meet it, giving examples. You will be scored on how you meet each criteria.

Essential Criteria: Assessment method (Application form/ Interview / Practical Test)

Qualifications, experience and knowledge

PhD (or near completion) in Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Interaction Design, XR/VR, or a closely related discipline.: Application form Strong knowledge of Human-Computer Interaction and user-centred interaction design, with an understanding of experimental research methods.: Application form/ Interview Experience designing and developing interactive applications, interfaces or research prototypes, for example in multisensory HCI, XR/VR, interactive technologies or related areas.: Application form/ Interview Excellent programming and prototyping skills relevant to interactive systems, with experience using appropriate development environments or frameworks (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine, or equivalent).: Application form/ Interview Experience integrating software with interactive hardware, sensors, actuators, peripherals, or other external devices.: Application form/ Interview Experience designing and conducting empirical user studies and analysing quantitative and/or qualitative data.: Application form/ Interview Evidence of high-quality research outputs, including publications in peer-reviewed journals and/or leading international conferences relevant to HCI, multisensory interaction, VR/XR, interactive technologies, human-AI or related fields.:

Skills and abilities

Ability to translate user and research requirements into functional interactive prototypes and evaluate them systematically.: Application form/ Interview Excellent written, communication and presentation skills, including the ability to prepare scientific publications, technical documentation and project reports.: Application form/ Interview Ability to plan, document and execute interdisciplinary research independently and effectively within project timelines.: Interview Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively and inclusively with researchers, students and external project partners.: Application form/

UCL Ways of Working

Demonstrable commitment and enthusiasm for delivering high-quality, internationally excellent research.: Application form/

Desirable Criteria: Assessment method (Application form/ Interview / Practical Test) Experience developing multisensory interfaces or working with sensory technologies such as olfactory, haptic, auditory or gustatory interfaces, and/or experience developing XR/VR applications and integrating external sensory devices.: Application form/ Interview Experience with real-time communication, device integration, APIs/SDKs, networking, or other software-hardware interfacing relevant to interactive or multisensory systems.: Application form/