Applications are invited for an interdisciplinary PhD studentship to understand how people use and react to Smart Meters and home energy data. Jointly based at the UCL Interaction Centre and the UCL Energy Institute, the student will be part of internationally leading Human-Computer Interaction and energy research groups.

The project intends to conduct research on how people use and understand home energy data and how future systems might be better designed to meet peoples’ needs. Under the supervision of Duncan Brumby (UCL Interaction Centre) and Tadj Oreszczyn (UCL Energy Institute), the student will conduct field studies to understand peoples’ behavior and attitudes towards energy usage following a user-centered design perspective  Based on this understanding, prototype Smart Meter systems will be built and evaluated. A particular focus of the planned work will be given to understanding how feedback on energy usage should be represented so that people can easily understand their usage patterns.

For more information and examples of recent work in the area as well as an application form, please go to the UCL Jobs pages and search on reference 1362558. These documents are also available from the UCLIC website.

This studentship is funded for 42 months full-time starting January 2014 by the EPSRC and EDF Energy R&D UK. Full UK/EU fees, an enhanced annual stipend of approximately £18,000 plus a substantial research budget is available only for UK/EU applicants who are ordinarily resident in the UK for 3 years prior to the start date. To check whether or not you are eligible please consult the EPSRC eligibility criteria at http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/Pages/eligibility.aspx.

Candidates must have a clear interest in Human-Computer Interaction. Candidates should have strong programming skills and have good knowledge of research methods and data analyse techniques. Strong analytical skills are desirable, as is experience of conducting user studies or implementing novel systems. Candidates should have excellent written and oral communication skills. Relevant research experience is highly desirable.

Please ensure that you apply via the ‘Apply’ button below using the application form as above and email the completed form to Louise Gaynor (l.gaynor@ucl.ac.uk). This form must include the following:

• A cover letter (addressed to Dr Duncan Brumby, UCL) of a maximum one page in length, demonstrating how and why you think you are suitable for this studentship (please include the project title);
• A two-page research proposal based on the project description (guidance available at http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/energy/programmes/documents/ei-prog-ov-phd-tips.pdf);
• A one-page CV and a copy of transcripts of results for your Bachelors and most recent academic qualifications.

The closing date for applications is 1 November 2013 at 12 pm. Short-listed applicants will be interviewed. This will most likely be during the week commencing 18 November 2013.

If you wish to discuss the post informally, please contact Dr Duncan Brumby. Please contact Louise Gaynor  if you have any queries about the application process.

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