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Research Assistant / Research Fellow in Human Computer Interaction (HCI)

Employer
BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY
Location
Birmingham, West Midlands (GB)
Salary
£30,831 to £40,766 Per Annum (dependent on grade)
Closing date
15 Jun 2021

Research Assistant / Research Fellow in Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
School of Computing and Digital Technology
Location:     Birmingham, England
Salary:     £30,831 to £40,766 Per Annum (dependent on grade)
Closing Date:     Tuesday 15 June 2021
Interview Date:     To be confirmed
Reference:     052021-215 

Located in a modern £300M campus in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, England, the School of Computing and Digital Technology is a thriving,  vibrant, and inspiring learning community committed to excellence in research, high quality teaching and impactful industrial engagement. Building on continuous success in student growth and in sustained advancement of research activities, the school has embarked on a programme of extensive expansion funded by substantial long-term investments. Our growing teams are teaching, exploring and practicing in some of the most exciting areas in the field of computing and the processing of digital media.? Our research groups include the Digital Media Technology (DMT) Lab; Data Science and Big Data Analytics; Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics; Future Networks ; Enterprise Systems and Socio-Technical Systems Modelling.? 

We are a practice-based school, making our teaching and research relevant to the evolving market for computer skills by partnering with local and global enterprise in areas such as smart cities, medical applications, the media production industry, and IoT applications. This is particularly relevant in our MSc User Experience Design course where students are encouraged to work on existing innovative research projects or in partnership with external industry organisations to tackle real-world issues. We work in a collaborative and cross disciplinary culture, where interacting freely across the school and with colleagues in other schools is encouraged to gain a unique insight into impactful problem domains. 

The Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research team at BCU is world leading in the fields of immersive technologies, AR, VR, accessibility and assistive technology. 

To further accelerate our research growth around the field of HCI, we have a unique opportunity available to join the DMT Lab as a Research Assistant or Research Fellow on a permanent contract. 

For this role we are particularly seeking applicants who bring expertise and a significant technical development background in HCI. Experience around our current HCI research specialisms listed above (e.g. immersive technologies, accessibility, assistive technology, etc.) is expected, although we also actively encourage applications from experts with research experience in other HCI domains.  

Research Assistant - £30,831 to £33,512 per annum
Research Fellow - £37,505 to £40,766 per annum

Main Duties and Responsibilities (for both grades)

  • To undertake research co-aligned with the HCI research group within the DMT Lab. 
  • To support and lead on writing up research work for publication in leading international events and journals.
  • Leading the development of research prototypes to explore novel technical insights in the field of HCI. 
  • Develop research objectives and proposals for collaborative research throughout the DMT Lab.
  • Lead on outreach and promotion of the DMT Lab and the HCI group’s research by attending showcase events, making presentations at national and international conferences and engaging with national and international business.
  • Support and lead in the identification of novel areas for research, developing new research methods and extending the research portfolio.
  • Designing and running rigorous HCI research studies for the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. 
  • Conducting appropriate analysis of data collected from research studies and taking a lead on formal studies and analysis. 
  • Support the development of funding applications and in building partnerships for collaborative bids.  
  • Lead and support the dissemination of research into teaching practices by presenting work in teaching sessions, seminars and internal and external events. 

Skills and Experience Required (for both grades)

Essential

  • Hold suitable academic qualifications, First Degree and higher degree preferred (PhD desirable) in HCI (immersive technologies, AR/VR, accessibility, assistive technology) or related technical field. 
  • Have a strong record of contributing to research teams.
  • Excellent technical development skills, with proven proficiency in a range of software development platforms, languages and tools (e.g. Python, C#, C, JS, Unity, UE4)
  • Evidence of research activity (published research is desirable)
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate material of a specialist or highly technical nature
  • Able to manage research and administrative activities and to balance competing pressures of research and administrative demands and deadlines
  • Good interpersonal skills with the ability to liaise with colleagues and students
  • Able to build contacts and participate in internal and external networks for the exchange of information and collaboration.
  • Able to identify potential sources of funding.
  • Evidence of engagement in continuous professional development.

Desirable

  • PhD in HCI (immersive technologies, AR/VR, accessibility, assistive technology) or related technical field. 
  • Experience of HCI research in an industry context
  • Experience of knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange between academia and industry
  • Experience with, or strong willingness to engage with, national and international networking events
  • Experience in embedding research into student led initiatives associated with teaching and learning. 

IN ADDITOIN TO ALL OF THE ABOVE - For Research Fellow

Main Duties and Responsibilities 

  • Lead on world leading research co-aligned with the HCI research group within the DMT Lab. 
  • Develop and lead strategies for REF returnable publications in leading international events and journals.
  • Develop ideas for generating income, promoting research area and influencing leading edge practice.
  • Leading the development of research prototypes to explore novel technical insights in the field of HCI. 
  • Lead on the design of research programs at postgraduate level, supporting the direction of MSc and PhD research projects
  • Lead on income generation activities, including leading on bid writing and project management in accordance with the role specification. 

Skills and Experience

Essential

  • PhD in HCI (immersive technologies, AR/VR, accessibility, assistive technology) or related technical field.
  • A proven record of attracting and securing research funding and partnering across your area of practice. 
  • Have a strong record of research and research publications in leading international events and journals. 
  • Excellent team working and communication skills. 
  • Track record of impact via networking and community management.
  • Have the ability to communicate complex ideas and issues to a variety of stakeholders, both written and verbal

Desirable

  • Demonstrable ability to analyse complex information, think strategically and identify business opportunities for research improvement within a domain linked to the vision of the DMT Lab’s HCI group.
  • Evidenced experience of industry practices and processes.
  • Experience of leading on research projects as PI or CI.
  • Experience of teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

The specific requirements for each role are detailed in the relevant job descriptions so applicants are advised to review these carefully before making an application.

The University Core Values are Excellence, People Focused, Partnership Working and Fairness and Integrity. These values underpin our working practices and student and staff community so applicants need to demonstrate these values during the application process.

Benefits

In return for your dedication and hard work, can expect great ongoing personal and professional development plus the following main benefits;

  • Generous annual leave entitlement – 40 days including bank holidays and Christmas/New Year closure
  • Sickness/absence entitlement
  • Teachers’ Pension scheme
  • Library facilities on all campuses
  • Life Assurance
  • Personal Accident
  • Travel card scheme
  • Car parking
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Car share scheme
  • Catering facilities

With around 24,000 students from 80 countries, Birmingham City University is a large and diverse place to study. We put students at the heart of everything we do, giving them the best opportunities for future success. The University has an enviable reputation for providing quality, student-focused education in a professional and friendly environment. Our superb courses, state-of-the-art facilities, first-rate staff, and focus on practical skills and professional relevance is producing some of the country’s most employable graduates.

We put £270 million into the regional economy and support thousands of jobs in the area. We're investing £260 million in our estate, including a major expansion of our city centre campus at Eastside, providing students with an enviable range of facilities. The Complete University Guide ranked us as a top 30 UK university for spending on facilities in 2015.

If you want to be a part of this amazing opportunity, are passionate about education and want to join our richly diverse community, please apply today as we could be part of your future.

The University is committed to internationalism and diversity and welcomes applications from all countries, faiths and backgrounds.

It is each individual successful applicants responsibility to ensure that they have permission to work in the UK. Some applicants may require sponsorship from the University and a visa from UKVI to take up the role if successful. More information on this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

Some roles are not capable of sponsorship because they do not meet the UKVI criteria relating to skill and salary level. If you are unsure as to whether you would require sponsorship if successful, or whether the role is capable of sponsorship, please contact us: RTinbox@bcu.ac.uk 
 
Please note on occasions where we receive a large number of applications, we may close the advert ahead of the publicised closing date. If this does happen, we will contact all candidates via email who have started but not yet completed their application, giving 48 hours’ notice.  We would therefore advise that you submit your completed application as soon as possible.

At Birmingham City University we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer.  All staff are expected to understand and enact the University’s commitment to ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion in our employment practice and in all that we do . This commitment is enshrined in our Core Values and is detailed in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Employment Policy. The University values and celebrates the diversity of our staff and students; we welcome people from the many  different backgrounds and life experiences that reflect the students and the citizens we serve.  We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and actively encourage unique contributions, in particular from under-represented groups in respect of age, disability, sex, gender or gender identity, ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status

Birmingham City University ('BCU') is committed to protecting your personal data and being transparent about what we do with your personal data. One of the ways we do this is through our privacy notices. For further information please click here. 

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