King's College London

About us

The researcher will join the Human-Centred Computing (HCC) group at King’s at the Department of Informatics, which provides a supportive and collaborative environment and an exciting mix of disciplines.  We are currently one of the top UK HCI groups in publishing at ACM CHI.

Dr Neate currently leads a team of two researchers and five PhD students, with a strong record of success. The team has won 14 paper awards at major conferences, including CHI and ASSETS, and has secured around £3M in research funding from a range of sources.

About the role

The Department of Informatics at King’s College London is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher with expertise in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and accessibility. This is a fixed-term, four-year research position working on the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project, “Total Communication Technologies to Support Accessible Communication (TACT)”, led by Dr Timothy Neate.

About the Project 

TACT is an interdisciplinary fellowship reimagining how technology can support communication for people with communication disabilities. Combining perspectives from HCI, human-AI interaction, accessibility, and language and communication sciences, the project aims to enhance both verbal and non-verbal communication through inclusive, human-centred design. It will explore how emerging technologies, such as generative AI, smart wearables, and augmented or mixed reality, can enable ‘total communication’, supporting people’s ability to connect and express themselves in everyday and digital contexts.

Working closely with individuals with aphasia and developmental language disorders, the project will combine ethnographic research, co-design, prototyping, and evaluation to develop innovative communication technologies.

TACT brings together a wide network of academic, industry, and charity partners, including Microsoft Research, Tobii Dynavox, Transport for London, Hidden Disabilities, Aphasia Re-Connect, Dyscover, and Speech and Language UK, alongside academic collaborators at City, University of London, the University of Maryland, and McGill University.

The Role

The postdoctoral researcher will lead the core HCI components of the project, undertaking design research, technology development, and user studies. The role includes co-designing novel communication technologies, conducting fieldwork and evaluations, and contributing to high-quality publications in leading HCI venues such as ACM CHI and ASSETS.

You will join the Human-Centred Computing (HCC) Group at King’s, one of the UK’s leading HCI research groups. The position offers extensive opportunities for development, including travel to project partners in the UK, USA, Canada, and Sweden, and funding for conferences, training, and caring responsibilities.

This is a full time post (37.5 Hours per week), and you will be offered an  a fixed term contract until 30/11/2029.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.     PhD (awarded or close to completion), or equivalent experience, in human-computer interaction, computer science, or similar

2.     Expertise in human-computer interaction and/or accessibility

3.     HCI skills in understanding user needs – e.g. interviewing, ethnography, etc.

4.     Experience in co-design and/or user-centred design, working closely with end-user populations in design cycles.

5.     Key roles in leading publications in related HCI venues (e.g., CHI, ASSETS, CSCW), ideally with paper awards or other recognition

6.     Excellent communication – i.e. written and verbal skills

7.     Excellent organizational and teamworking skills

Desirable criteria

1.     Expertise in co-design with users with communication disabilities

2.     Experience with human-AI interaction

3.     Experience in videoconferencing platforms

4.     Experience working with immersive technologies, like AR/VR headsets

5.     Experience working with wearables

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.