PhD Studentship: Assistive wearable technologies: What are the right trousers? And who are they right for?

The project:

As wearable technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous in our lives, it is urgent we better understand how we might use the technology and how the technology can enhance our lives. The VIVO Hub for Enhanced Independent Living aims to leverage digital and robotic technologies to assist the ageing and disabled population in maintaining activity, physical health, and mental well-being at home.

This project will specifically look at how attitudes towards wearable assistive devices are impacted by individual differences and the design choices that are made when creating assistive technology. Working at the interface between soft robotic engineering and psychological science you will be expected to design and make devices, design and run behavioural experiments and surveys, analyse data and use the results to iteratively refine devices and models. You should have the ambition to publish you work in top ranked international journals and at leading conferences and have a dedication to open, reproducible science.

This exciting and challenging project will be jointly supervised by Prof Rossiter (Soft Robotics) and Prof Kent (Psychology) but will offer many networking opportunities and co-working with partner universities (e.g. UCL, UWE, Imperial) and industry partners. This project is suited to individuals who are willing to work across teams and work at the forefront of research.

How to apply:

Prior to submitting an online application, you will need to contact the project supervisor to discuss.

Online applications are made at http://www.bris.ac.uk/pg-howtoapply. Please select Mathematics PhD on the Programme Choice page. You will be prompted to enter details of the studentship in the Funding and Research Details sections of the form.

Candidate requirements: 

Applicants must hold/achieve a minimum of a merit at master’s degree level (or international equivalent) in a science, mathematics or engineering discipline. Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of readiness to pursue a research degree.

If English is not your first language, you need to meet this profile level: Profile E
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.

Funding:  

Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate is £20,780 for 2025/26.

For eligibility and residence requirements please check the UKRI UK Research and Innovation website

Stipend BASIC UKRI Rate

Contacts:

For questions about the research topic, please contact Jonathan Rossiter (Jonathan.rossiter@bristol.ac.uk) and Chris Kent (c.kent@bristol.ac.uk).   

For questions about eligibility and the application process please contact Engineering Postgraduate Research Admissions admissions-engpgr@bristol.ac.uk

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