Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA)

Full time- 35 hours per week

Fixed term- 24 months until 31^st December 2026

The opportunity:

Grasping Data goes beyond current emphases on privacy and protection by co-creating cutting-edge, child-centred tools and pedagogies with young children, helping them understand and directly benefit from their own data. We will achieve this by advancing diverse research fields of early learning, cognitive psychology, child-centred design, data ethics, data visualization, and computer science to explore the potential of Data Physicalization for children in their early years (aged 3-8) to construct (with adults) physical representations of their personal data that they can touch, explore, talk about and learn with. Our focus on the youngest learners pushes the boundaries of helping all ages to understand and benefit from data in an increasingly digital world.

Grasping Data is led by Prof. Andrew Manches at the University of Edinburgh’s leading School of Education and Sport in collaboration in collaboration with the School of Informatics and the University of Glasgow’s School of Computer Science. Together with project partners (SSERC, Glasgow Science Centre, and Edinburgh Zoo) and participants (children 3-8yrs) and their families and educators) we will undertake fundamental, design-led and qualitative research in data visualization with children, families and educators in Scotland. As part of the project, we will explore (1) children’s understanding of and perspectives on personal data and (2) new means for children to actively engage with their personal data through visual and physical data representations and bespoke activities.

The post-holder will support and lead in the design and study of the impact of visual and physical representations of personal data and bespoke activities – working directly with children – to facilitate an active and critical engagement of children with their personal data. The post-holder will help lead initial work in schools and closely collaborate with the Grasping Data research leads across education, visualization and physical computing as well as project partners. This will include, in particular, liaison and collaboration with two other PDRAs of the Grasping Data project in design informatics and physical computing.

This post is full time at 1.0 FTE. We will consider requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working, so long as the core qualitative in-person research can be accommodated.   This job requires (following appointment) Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) Registration as working directly with young children.

Your skills and attributes for success:  

• A PhD or equivalent professional qualification (or near completion) in social science, humanities, Education, Human-Computer Interaction or design that utilises qualitative and/or mixed methods. 

• Experience of qualitative or mixed-methods studies involving children and/or schools 

• Knowledge and experience of academic publishing including e.g. first authorship and evidence of strong/independent writing capabilities in relevant venues such as CHI, DIS, IDC, TOCHI, TEI 

• Demonstrated understanding of the ethical challenges and safeguarding requirements of working with children.

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