This PhD studentship will involve research on usability engineering and human-computer interaction with embodied conversational agents, ECAs, virtual reality avatars with spoken communications skills. The focus will be in use of ECAs in eBanking and eCommerce.

The PhD student will be based at the Centre for Communication Interface Research (CCIR), www.ccir.ed.ac.uk in the School of Engineering. Located in the University’s King’s Buildings campus, this is one of the top rated Research Schools in the UK. 

The Centre for Communication Interface Research (CCIR) is a multi-disciplinary research centre comprising engineers, linguists and human factors experts. CCIR has some 20 years experience in usability engineering and design plus methodologies for the evaluation of telephone, Internet and mobile phone technologies for eCommerce services. Current research involves work on spoken dialogue applications for eCommerce and eBanking services; creation of services based on speaker verification and other biometrics technologies; understanding embodied conversational agents and virtual acting.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, a first-class or upper-second-class Honours degree, or equivalent, or a higher qualification, in a relevant subject.

Closing date: 30/6/2013

For further details please email Professor Mervyn Jack, by clicking the ‘Apply’ button below.