Postdoctoral Research Associate in Human-Computer Interaction

About us

King’s College London (KCL) is a world-renowned Russell Group university, ranked 6th in the UK REF 2021 Power Rankings for research quality, and 3rd for impact. KCL is home to the NMES Net-Zero Centre, which paves the way for interdisciplinary science and technology research for decarbonising society and addressing key environmental issues. 

The Department of Informatics, within which this role is based, also hosts an active Sustainability Hub that runs lectures and supports grassroots sustainability activities within the department.

The PDRA will join the Project Lead’s (Dr Georgia Panagiotidou) research group, a multidisciplinary group working at the intersections of HCI, sustainability and AI. The group’s research focuses on how HCI and data visualisation can support more responsible AI especially in terms of environmental impact.

About the role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position on the EPSRC project “User-centred Eco-feedback For AI’s Environmental Impact” led by KCL and in collaboration with partner organisations. This project will bring an empirical and human-centred perspective to the ongoing discourse on the environmental impact of AI processes, complementing and extending existing research which currently focuses on energy and water metrics and measurements.

The PDRA will join the Project Lead’s research group. Beyond more traditional qualitative and quantitative methods, the group also employs a variety of approaches including research-through-design, in-the-wild evaluation and probing through data physicalisation.

The PDRA employed on this role will use participatory methods to co-develop an inclusive and collective toolkit that can inform organisations on the environmental impact of their choices. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with two PhDs on the team and will have opportunities to build their research profile through academic publications, presentations, and participation on research funding bids.

Candidates should hold a PhD in HCI, Computer Science or a related discipline and demonstrate skills in sustainable computing, sustainable HCI and/or AI deployment. Experience in conducting participatory design research would be advantageous.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered  a fixed term contract of 3 years ending no later than 31st August 2029.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the  Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the  Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

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