1 PhD position on Human-Robot Interaction within the European project SQUIRREL in Netherlands | University of Twente

The Human Media Interaction Group at University of Twente in Enschede/Netherlands (https://hmi.ewi.utwente.nl/) is looking for a PhD candidate to work on human-robot interaction with children within the European project SQUIRREL (Clearing Clutter Bit by Bit). The aim of the 4-year PhD project is to create a socially aware robot that is able to interact with small groups of children and engage them in object sorting games (i.e., cleaning up a room). In order to design effective robot behaviors, the PhD candidate will conduct user studies with robots and children and develop a game that motivates children to complete the task.

The PhD candidate will have the following tasks:

• carry out various user studies and experiments with children aged 4-12 to identify and evaluate effective robot behaviors
qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data captured in the user studies design new robot behaviors that will be integrated in an engaging game in the course of the project publish and present results in (international) conferences, workshops and relevant journals closely collaborate with the European partners in the SQUIRREL project work together with another PhD candidate on the project who analyses the nonverbal vocal behavior of the interactions to understand how well they are going.

Your Profile

• The candidate has an MSc degree in Social Science, Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design or an equivalent subject.
The candidate has an affinity to work with technology and an openness to learn (simple) programming of a robot, because (s)he will have to design and implement verbal and non-verbal behaviors for a social robot. Ideally the candidate already has some experience in creating or working on social robot prototypes. The candidate has experience in conducting user studies and in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. The candidate has fluent command of English as a written and spoken language. Because some of the user studies will be carried out with Austrian children, it would be of advantage if the candidate had some knowledge of the German language. As some studies might also be conducted in the Netherlands, some knowledge of the Dutch language or willingness to acquire that knowledge would also be of advantage. The candidate has an affinity to working in interdisciplinary teams

Please send your application with your CV and motivation letter through the application link, before 20 January 2014. Please also include the names, email addresses, phone numbers, and information about past working relationships of two people that we could contact for a recommendation.

For further information about the PhD position please contact Dr. Manja Lohse (Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.) and Prof. Dr. Vanessa Evers (email: Αυτή η διεύθυνση Email προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.).

Our offer

We offer a full-time PhD position in a dynamic and international environment. The duration of the contract is four years. The gross salary will range from € 2.083,00 in the first year to € 2.664,00 per month in the fourth year. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development. In addition, we offer a holiday allowance (amounts to 8%) and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% and a number of additional benefits. The labor agreements are in accordance with the CAO-NU for Dutch universities.

The Organisation

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over six faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) comprises three disciplines that shape Information and Communication Technology. ICT is more than communication. In almost every product we use mathematics, electronics and computer technology and ICT now contributes to all of societies' activities. The faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. The research which enjoys a high profile both at home and internationally, has been accommodated in the multidisciplinary research institutes MESA+, CTIT and MIRA.