2015 PhD Research Studentship for UK/EU/International Students at Coventry University, UK

Scholarship Introduction

Decarbonisation of the UK housing stock is now an urgent government priority. Therefore the key issue this PhD will address is how to design effective informatics for domestic energy behaviour change.  

The PhD will progress existing research by Cogent Labs at Coventry University on two linked tranches of work. One of these is user studies. You will engage with participating occupants to generate understandings of domestic energy behaviour. The other is to use these understandings to inform the development of energy informatics. You will implement, and evaluate in participants’ homes, innovative, user-centred web resources capable of empowering behaviour change. These will make use of data simultaneously generated in the same homes by Cogent Labs’ existing domestic energy monitoring system, ‘Cogent House’.

Potential solutions might include: an information visualisation showing what energy is currently being used for heating, featuring simulations to show effects if heating patterns were altered; an interactive graphic which could help users understand what to reduce to bring consumption closer to an average of comparable homes; or an app which could inform users of current energy use relative to user-set targets. There are many other possibilities, depending on what the occupant engagement work indicates.

Scholarship Provider

Coventry University, UK

Scholarship open for

UK, EU and International Students

Scholarship Level

PHD, Research

Eligibility

Successful applicants will have:

• ·        A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the Project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average.
• ·         Or, in the event of a first degree classification of less than 2:1, a Masters Degree in a relevant subject area will be considered as an equivalent. The Masters must have been attained with overall marks at merit level (60%). In addition, the dissertation or equivalent element in the Masters must also have been attained with a mark at merit level (60%).
• ·         the potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within a three-year period of study.
• ·         a minimum of English language proficiency (IELTS overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component).
• ·         knowledge and experience in human-computer interaction and computer science, including user studies and system development.
• ·         experience of (or a willingness and ability to quickly learn) sensing technologies, handling data; designing information visualisations; engaging with users in their own homes using a battery of qualitative approaches; skills in web developmen

Number of awards

Not Specified 

Award Duration

3 years fixed term

Coverage

Tuition Fees + Bursary £13863 per year (tax free)

How to Apply

Application can be made via online from here 

Deadline

23^rd January 2015

Click here for further information and Application