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Garment-Based Wearables for Shared Management of Anxiety of the Student in the University Context (5+3), 2024-8

PhD fellowship in the field of Garment-Based Wearables for Shared Management of Anxiety of the Student in the University Context (5+3)

The Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, in collaboration with the Carlsberg Foundation, invites applications for a fully funded PhD fellowship in Garment-Based Wearables for Shared Management of Anxiety of the Student in the University Context provided the necessary funding is available. This PhD fellowship is available as of 1 August 2024 for a period of up to three years (5+3). The candidate who is awarded the fellowship must commence his/her PhD degree programme on 1 August 2024. 

To help university students cope with their growing study-related anxiety and prevent it from developing into more severe mental health issues, this project investigates how smart garment-based wearables could be designed to allow shared management of student anxiety with their close ones in the study context.

The project will apply a qualitative research approach to understand university students' experiences with study-related anxiety. After that a co-design approach is used to investigate stakeholders needs for the wearable technology. Based on the findings, the project will apply constructive design research approach to design and develop garment-based wearables for the shared management of student anxiety. Finally, the subjective lived experiences with the wearables will be studied.

The project will be located at the Department of Digital Design and Information Studies (DDIS). The researchers at DDIS have long traditions of interaction and speculative design, constructive design research, qualitative health, human-computer interaction, and co-design research.

For the prototyping activities of this project, the PhD supervisor have an AU Wearables Lab with all the needed machines for crafting and soft manufacturing of the wearable prototypes.

A suitable candidate for PhD student position has knowledge in interaction or product design, technical implementation, and physical prototyping. It is a plus if the candidate has some experience with soft manufacturing machinery (i.e., sewing, knitting, and/or embroidery machines) and soft electronics crafting. Also, some experience in qualitative or mixed methods research is expected.

The applicant is asked to provide a design portfolio of previous works.

Enrolment and place of work
The PhD student must complete the studies in accordance with the valid regulations for the PhD degree programme, currently the Ministerial Order of 27 August 2013 on the PhD degree programme at the universities: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/

Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/phdstudystructure/

Rules and regulations for the PhD degree programme at the Graduate School at Arts: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/  

The PhD fellow will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, with the aim of completing a PhD degree at the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University.

The PhD student will be affiliated with the PhD programme ICT, Media, Communication and Journalism.

The PhD student’s place of work will be the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University. In general, the student is expected to be present at the school on an everyday basis.

The PhD degree programme is expected to include a lengthy research stay at a foreign institution, cf. Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme.

School of Communication and Culture’s research programme: http://cc.au.dk/en/research/research-programmes/

5+3 programme
When you apply for a 3-year PhD fellowship (5+3), you must have completed your two year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) no later than 31 July 2024.

The PhD fellow will be employed as a PhD student at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University. The terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (see section 6.1.4), as well as with the protocol to the agreement covering staff with university degrees in the state sector (see enclosure 5). The agreement and the protocol including amendments are available online: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/

Salary: http://phd.arts.au.dk/financing/salary-and-employment/salary-5-3/

How to apply
The application must include:

  • Motivation/cover letter (statement of motivation and research interests, max one A4 page of 2,400 characters including spaces)
  • CV (including a complete list of education, positions, publications and other qualifying activities)
  • Project description outlining how the candidate envisages completing the work to be undertaken during the course of the term of appointment.
    The overall project description (excl. list of project literature/bibliography/reference list and timetable) must not exceed 12,000 characters including spaces, tables, diagrams, footnotes, endnotes and illustrations (5 A4 pages of 2,400 characters each)
  • Project literature/reference list
  • Timetable (mandatory form)
  • Cover sheet (form stating your degrees)
  • Copies of educational certificates (Bachelor and Master’s degrees). The diplomas or diploma supplement/transcript of records must state: name of university, education (Bachelor or Master), duration (number of years, full-time), courses, marks and (if given) ECTS credits.

Please see a detailed description of the requirements for the application in the guide for the application facility: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/how-to-apply/  

Application
If you require professional guidance regarding your application for the PhD fellowship please contact the PhD programme director at ICT, Media, Communication and Journalism:  http://phd.arts.au.dk/about-us/contact/

For further information, please contact Associate Professor Minna Pakanen, School of Communication and Culture, mpakanen@cc.au.dk, Phone + 45 22 96 74 30.

The application must be submitted in English.

All applicants must provide documentation of excellent communication skills in English which are considered essential, and you must therefore be able to read, write, and speak academic English fluently. English language requirement is comparable to a minimum of TOEFL 83 or IELTS 6.5. Please see this page for further information: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/english-test/

Applications for the PhD fellowship and enrolment in the PhD degree programme can only be submitted via the application form in Aarhus University’s web-based facility.

Deadline for applications: 15 March 2024 at 23.59 Danish time (CET/CEST).
Reference number: 2024-8

During the assessments, Aarhus University can conduct interviews with selected applicants.