The Human-Centered Computing group at Utrecht University is looking for a junior researcher who wants to jump-start their career by taking up a PhD student position in Human-Computer Interaction for Wellbeing. The five-year position includes 70% research time and 30% teaching time. The post presents an excellent opportunity to develop an academic profile as a competent researcher and able teacher.
The scope of the PhD candidate’s duties includes primarily conducting excellent research in Human-Computer Interaction. This research should result in successfully obtaining a PhD degree during the appointment. Other duties include supporting the preparation and teaching of Bachelor- and Master-level courses, supervising student theses, managing research infrastructure and participating in public outreach.

Research
The candidate will join the Human-Centered Computing group led by Judith Masthoff to conduct research in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. The focus of the position is on designing new interfaces for physically active users. With more than half of Europe’s population being physically active, the focus of new technologies should shift from persuading users to be active to making physical activity more engaging. The PhD student will investigate new frontiers in designing technologies that help better integrate physical activity in social lives, facilitate reflection and ensure wide participation. The proposed research is transdisciplinary in nature and requires a strong interest both in hands-on interface development and in-depth user studies. The candidate will be supervised by Paweł W. Woźniak.

Teaching
The candidate is expected to be involved in teaching activities within the department of Information and Computing Sciences. Teaching activities may include supporting senior teaching staff, conducting tutorials, and supervising student projects and theses. These activities will contribute to the development of the didactic skills of the candidate.

The successful candidate is an excellent student and holds a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field. We welcome participants with past research experience, but this is not a requirement.  Excellent English communication skills are necessary. The ideal candidate should express a strong interest in research and teaching in HCI.
The Department considers gender balance and diversity in a broader sense very important; hence, women are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants are encouraged to mention any personal circumstances that need to be taken into account in their evaluation, for example parental leave or military service.

The candidate is offered a position for 5-years (full-time). Salary starts at € 2325,- and increases to € 2972,- gross per month during the appointment (scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities). Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

All in all we offer an exciting opportunity to contribute to an ambitious and international education programme with highly motivated students and to conduct your own research project at a renowned research university. You will receive appropriate training, personal supervision, and guidance for both your research and teaching tasks, which will provide an excellent start to an academic career.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Science consists of six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information and Computing Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics. The Faculty is home to 6,200 students and nearly 1,500 staff and is internationally renowned for the quality of its research. The Faculty's academic programmes reflect developments in today's society.

The Department of Information and Computing Sciences is nationally and internationally renowned for its research in Computing Science and Information Science. Current research groups are Algorithmic Data Analysis, Algorithms and Complexity, Decision Support Systems, Simulation of Complex Systems, Geometric Computing, Multimedia, Human-Centered Computing, Social and Affective Computing, Visualisation and Graphics, Interaction Technology, Process Management and Analytics, Organization and Information, Natural Language Processing, Intelligent Systems, Data Intensive Systems, Software Technology and Software Technology of Learning and Teaching. Relevant areas of interdisciplinary research include Artificial Intelligence, Game Research, Foundations of Complex Systems, Applied Data Science and Integrative Bioinformatics. The Department has, among others, close collaborations with the University Medical Center, the Departments of Physics and Mathematics, and the Faculties of Humanities and Geosciences.

The Department offers Bachelor programmes in Computer Science and Information Science, and five English language research Master's programmes in Artificial Intelligence, Business Informatics, Computing Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Game and Media Technology. The Department is developing Master's programmes in Data Science. High enrolment figures and good student ratings make the education very successful.


The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht city has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the Netherlands and the the most bicycle-friendly city in the world.