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CHARM - Connected Human-Autonomous Research for Mobility: Designing Human Machine Interfaces to Reduce Passenger Anxiety in Connected Autonomous Shuttle Services
About the Project
Applications are invited for a Postgraduate Research studentship, supported by College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University to be undertaken within the Department of Design & Technology Innovation at Aston University. The successful applicant will join an established experimental group working on User Centred Design, VR Simulation and Gamification.
Location
This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.
Overseas Applicants
Overseas students are welcome to apply for this position.
Details of the Project
Connected Autonomous Shuttles (CASs) offer a promising opportunity to present novel travel solutions for sustainable and equitable future transport in smart cities. However, one of the major challenges to their widespread adoption is the lack of public acceptance, primarily driven by passenger anxiety. In the absence of an onboard safety driver, Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) will play an important role to ensure passengers’ safe and comfortable use of CASs. Although HMIs have demonstrated potential in mitigating anxiety by informing vehicle status, vehicle behaviour and safety instructions, research in this area remains limited. This study aims to develop, test and validate HMIs for CASs that could help reduce passenger anxiety and enhance public acceptance. A novel methodology will be applied that draws together the strengths of Inclusive Design, User-Centred Design (UCD), VR simulation (VRS) and Gamification – the use of game elements in non-game contexts. The integrated approach will guide the design of HMIs to benefit wider users by addressing factors affecting anxiety of an inclusive range of users in various anxiety-inducing travel scenarios. Users’ perceptions and needs in such scenarios involving critical incidents will be investigated in VRS without putting their safety at risk.
The study will begin with a literature review, followed by focus groups and questionnaire studies to identify key anxiety-inducing factors. Virtual reality simulations will then be developed to examine user responses to critical incident scenarios that may occur during autonomous shuttle journeys. Building on these insights, HMI prototypes - both with and without gamification elements - will be co-designed with stakeholders, then developed and evaluated in VR environments to assess their effectiveness in reducing anxiety, enhancing trust and promoting perceived safety and acceptance. In the final stage, expert validation will be conducted to assess the feasibility of integrating the developed HMIs into real-world transport systems.
This PhD project will be carried out in close collaboration with Ohmio UK Ltd., with outcomes aimed at supporting the development and optimisation of future autonomous shuttles and related transport services.
In an exciting industry supported project on Connected Autonomous Shuttle Services, we are looking for a highly skilled and enthusiastic PhD candidate to take up the challenge of designing next generation interfaces!
Person Specification
Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve,EITHER:
* A Bachelors degree in a relevant subject with an award of First Class or 2.1.
OR
* A Bachelors degree in a relevant subject with an award of First Class or 2.1, and a Masters degree in a relevant subject with an award of Merit or higher.
Qualifications from other countries which are considered by Aston University to be equivalent to that described above will be eligible to apply.
Desirable skill and experience:
• Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research methods, particularly from a User Experience (UX)/ User Interface (UI) and Graphical User Interface (GUI) design perspective
• Experience in conducting user research - including research design, data collection, and analysis - utilising methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups and statistics
• Experience in coding in C++ or C#
• Demonstrated ability in developing immersive Virtual Reality (VR) applications using Unity Game Engine, or willingness or capabilities to build or enhance technical skills in immersive application development
• A collaborative mindset, with the ability to work effectively across interdisciplinary teams including the industry
• An interest in producing research and applications with real-world impact, particularly in sectors such as logistics, transport, and digital innovation
Contact information
For formal enquiries about this project contact Dr Jisun Kim at j.kim23@aston.ac.uk .
Submitting an application
We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents.Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:
1.English language copies of thetranscripts and certificatesfor all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2.AResearch Statementdetailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3.Apersonal statementwhich outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4.ACurriculum Vitae (Resume)which details your education and work history.
5.Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University.You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6.Evidence that you meet theEnglish Languagerequirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7.A copy of yourpassport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.
Interviews
Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.
Apply for this positionhere
Alternatively, applyhere.
If you require further information about the application process, please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admissions@aston.ac.uk
Funding Notes
This studentship includes a bursary to cover the tuition fees rate, plus an annual maintenance allowance.
Seniority level
* Seniority level
Internship
Employment type
* Employment type
Full-time
Job function
* Job function
Education and Training
* Industries
Higher Education
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