Published: 28 May 2023 352 views
Applications are invited for a PhD studentship within the Department of Engineering and Informatics at the University of Sussex. The successful candidate will work within the problem of early diagnosis, monitoring, and management of chronic conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, that not only impair movement but can also bring about pain and emotional barriers (e.g. anxiety) that impede engagement in valued activities.
Parkinson’s disease has been highlighted as a global health concern, with projected increase in prevalence and number of years with disability. This makes it critical to explore and advance the possibility of leveraging technology-based approaches for supporting rehabilitation and care, for the purpose of improving quality of life. Technological methods can additionally be valuable for early diagnosis which also has significant benefits (it can for example contribute to boosting chances of effective treatment). Experience in data science and machine learning would be beneficial to the project, and interest in ubiquitous computing, affective computing, and/or human-computer interaction will further be of value.
The project sits within our work exploring, developing, and evaluating technologies aimed at supporting rehabilitation for chronic conditions (Parkinson’s, chronic musculoskeletal pain), including: wearable systems that enable capture of movement behaviour in everyday settings; machine learning methods to support automatic detection of related states or experiences; user studies geared toward deeper understanding of the relevant needs of people with the condition. The candidate will have opportunities to be involved with research communities in these areas. They will also be supported in additional opportunities to maximise the impact of their work.
The University of Sussex is a public research university situated in Falmer, near Brighton in Sussex. The university received its Royal Charter in August 1961, and was a founding member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities promoting excellence in research and teaching. Sussex counts three Nobel Prize winners, 14 Fellows of the Royal Society, six Fellows of the British Academy and a winner of the Crafoord Prize among its faculty. In the latest rankings, the university was placed 62nd in Europe and 140th in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015... continue reading
Eligible candidates will have an upper second-class (2:1) undergraduate honours degree or equivalent qualification.
Open to UK, EU and overseas candidates.
The School of Engineering & Informatics values equality, diversity and inclusion. As a holder of an Athena Swan Award, we are committed to offering equal treatment and opportunities to our staff and student body.
We will accept applications from women (who are underrepresented in PhD positions in our school), and those who may also have an intersectional identity with other underrepresented groups - disabled and neurodiverse women, LGBTQ+ women, and women from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Apply online for a full time PhD in Informatics (SEP2023) using our step-by-step guide (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply). Here you will also find details of our entry requirements.
Please clearly state on your application form that you are applying for the ‘Cooper Carlson Scholarship’. Please mention that the research project is under the supervision of Dr Temitayo Olugbade.
