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PhD Studentships

We welcome enquiries and applications from well qualified students with an interest in research in Human–Computer Interaction (HCI).  If you're interested in applying to study for a PhD in UCLIC, you should check that your research interests fit with those of UCLIC and discuss possible research ideas with the most relevant member of staff in the group. PhD students are an integral part of our research team, each pursuing their individual research project within a vibrant, research-intensive environment. We have regular research seminars and working lunches, as well as impromptu social events. Students have access to facilities including a usability lab, eye tracking equipment, motion capture equipment and biosensors, and excellent libraries in and around UCL. But the most important element is the people. See below for: Deadlines for applications Current Funded Opportunities Some practicalities about applying to UCLIC Student Destinations

Deadlines for applications :

Application forms are available from Registry. Because UCLIC is an interfaculty centre, some of our research students are registered in Computer Science and some through Psychology and Language Sciences. For applicants wishing to be considered for UCL scholarships (expected start: September 2012) the closing dates for applications are:

31st January 2012 - via Psychology and Life Sciences

Friday 6th January 2012 - via Computer Science

For applicants wishing to be considered for Computer Science departmental studentships (expected start: September 2012), the closing date for applications is:

Friday 4th May 2012

Please note that while applications will be accepted throughout the year, they will ONLY be evaluated during the review periods following these deadlines.

Current Funded Opportunities

• We are readvertising a funded Crucible studentship at the moment - details of this project can be found at the bottom of the PhD project summary page. Please use this application form to apply before the deadline 28 May 2012 and please follow the instructions when applying.
• Applications are invited for 2 funded DTG PhD studentships in the area of behavioural change in health and well-being. Please see the advert and the list of available projects for more information. Ensure you follow the instructions carefully and send your application form to Louise Gaynor by Monday 28 May 2012.
• If you are interested in the design of security systems from a user-centred perspective, you may apply for a studentship in SECReT, the national centre for PhD training in security and crime science, with a view to being supervised by a member of UCLIC staff. You should discuss your application with a member of UCLIC staff. Note deadlines and eligibility criteria on the SECReT website.
• If you are interested in user-centred design for financial systems, you may apply for a studentship in the UK PhD Centre in Financial Computing. Again, you may discuss being supervised by a member of UCLIC staff, and should discuss your application before you submit it. You should note application deadlines and eligibility criteria on the FC website.
• If your interest is in Virtual Environments, you may apply for an Engineering Doctorate in Virtual Environments, Imaging and Visualisation. EngDs involve an industrial supervisor; we will work with you to identify a suitable organisation and develop your research proposal. You should note application deadlines and eligibility criteria on the EngD website.
• When there are not specific funding opportunities, we will work with well qualified students to identify possible sources of funding. Most of these are highly competitive, and require application by the end of the calendar year prior to admission. For these opportunities, it is necessary to apply and be interviewed and offered a place before applications for funding can be made, so we encourage you to apply as early as possible if you wish to pursue this possibility. There is information about some of the possible sources of support on the Registry site, and for overseas students there are often sources of funding from the home country.

Some practicalities about applying to UCLIC

The starting point is to identify a member of academic staff whose research interests are related to yours. You should send them an email containing:

1.  A clear statement that you are interested in studying for a PhD, including when you hope to start, and how you’re hoping to fund the research.

2.  An outline of your research question, and the methods of investigation you think appropriate to carry it out.

3.  A brief CV.

4. Any questions you might have about doing a PhD in UCLIC.

Our academic staff welcome approaches like this.  The potential supervisor may give you feedback to help you better frame your personal statement prior to you applying formally to UCL.

In deciding which department to apply through (you specify this in a box on the first page of the application form), you should take the following into account:

Your own academic background and research proposal might mean that you 'fit' more naturally into one department than the other.

Psychology students all start at the beginning of the academic year; Computer Science prefer students to start then, but will accept new students at other times of the year.

Computer Science students have regular research workshops, but no formal courses. [Note: all UCLIC students are welcome to participate in courses in the 'other' department, as well as ones offered by the Graduate School and externally, but are only required to take those in their parent department.]

Please note that the Personal statement/Research Proposal is an extremely important part of your application.  It should be 1-2 pages in length.  It should clearly state the research question, and its importance.  It should state the approach to be applied in the research.  Logical thinking, clear design of research studies, and relevant methodological knowledge are all key parts of a good research proposal.  Where appropriate, the research proposal should explain how initial studies will lead on to further questions and studies in a coherent progression.  The research proposal should be your own work.

Another point to note is that we never make offers of places without receiving an official application and conducting a formal interview (which will involve the UCLIC postgraduate tutor, Dr Anna Cox, or equivalent from the relevant parent department). This holds however urgently you need a letter of support to submit with a funding application. Sorry!

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Student Destinations

Our current students are listed on the “people” page. Since UCLIC was founded in 2001, the following PhD students have successfully graduated:

• Simon Li moved to a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Centre for Health Informatics, University of New South Wales, Australia.
• Suziah Sulaiman returned to the University of Petronas, Malaysia, as a Senior Lecturer.
• Brock Craft moved to a post-doctoral position at the London Knowledge Lab.
• Dominic Furniss had a short post-doctoral position at IFE Halden (Norway) then returned to UCLIC as a post-doctoral researcher on the CHI+MED project.
• Sarah Faisal  is currently a visiting research associate.
• Stephann Makri has returned to UCLIC as a post-doctoral researcher working on the Serena project.
• Eduardo Calvillo-Gamez returned to a lectureship at the Universidad Politécnica de San Luis Potosí.
• Charlene Jennett stayed at UCL to work with Professor Angela Sasse as a post-doctoral researcher.
• Andrea Kleinsmith moved to a post-doctoral position at Goldsmiths, University of London
• Maartje Ament is now studying medicine at Imperial College, London.
• Stephen Hassard is currently splitting his time between his teaching duties at the University of Winnipeg and his job as the Research Co-ordinator for New Media Manitoba.
• Abdi Diriye moved to the HCI institute of Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, US as a post-doctoral researcher.
• Chris Janssen is now working as a research intern at Microsoft Research in Redmond, Washington, USA.

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