School of Engineering and Digital Arts

Location: Canterbury
Salary: £27,511 to £31,866 per annum
Grade: Grade 6 Research Assistant
Post Type: Full Time
Contract Type: Fixed Term - 12 Months
Release Date: Tuesday 13 April 2021
Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Tuesday 11 May 2021 (unless otherwise stated)
Interview Date: Thursday 20 May 2021
Reference: CEMS-045-21-R

We seek a talented and motivated Research Assistant to join the Intelligent Interactions (II) research group, at the School of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA). The position is full time for 1 year and specialised in Interactive Media Technologies.

The role is part of the Interreg 2 Seas project “SOCORRO: Seeking out corrosion - before it is too late” (https://www.socorro.eu/) which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

As Research Assistant you will be required to utilise your existing research and technical experience and skills in the field of Interaction Design (ID) and Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) to develop and test the outputs needed for communicating the research findings. You must have a problem-solving approach to meeting the overall and specific project deliverables. You will be expected to devise work leading to communication outputs including media exhibits for touring and training purposes. This involves the technical development, testing and dissemination of Mixed Reality (MR) experiences and / or Tangible User Interfaces (TUI).

In this role you will work closely with the research team at the University of Kent and also with our EU project partners. Given the current COVID pandemic working remotely is an option. However, it is expected that you contribute to EDA and SOCORRO’s research community, and where possible attend and present at EDA seminars and SOCORRO related events.

As Research Assistant you will:
• help meet the objectives of the project’s Communication work package according to the direction of the investigators
• support the research of other team members under the direction of the principal investigator, enabling the successful practical undertaking of research by others
• prototype, develop, implement and test communication outputs (i.e. interactive exhibits: TUIs / MR experiences) for public dissemination and training purposes
• engage in the production of exhibits and communication outputs engaging with stakeholders in the industry as well as the public, keeping progress to meet project milestones and deadlines

To be successful in this role you will have/be:
• Bachelor or equivalent qualification in relevant discipline (e.g. Computing, Interaction Design, Engineering, Digital Media)
• knowledge and good technical understanding of Interaction Design and HCI hardware and software
• a good understanding of interaction design, interactive installations, tangible interfaces and / or mixed reality experiences

The School of Engineering & Digital Arts is part of the Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and prides itself on offering excellent teaching in an environment which is also supporting world-class research in the subject areas in which we teach. We have an excellent track record of achievement in teaching, in research, and in enterprise-led activity, and we maintain strong working contacts with Academic and Industrial Organisations within the UK, in Europe, and worldwide. As part of the University’s strategic direction to expand Science and Engineering, the School is establishing a new Mechanical Engineering programme and research theme to complement its existing activities.

Please see the links below to view the full job description and also to apply for this post. If you require further information regarding the application process please contact The Resourcing Team on jobs@kent.ac.uk quoting ref number: CEMS-045-21-R