Available
Project number:
2025_55
Start date:
October 2025
Project themes:
Main supervisor:
Senior Lecturer in Computer Science
Co-supervisor:
Additional Information:
Technologies for Enabling Fairness and Access in Co-Design
Background
Co-design, the collaborative act of designing with end-users, often relies heavily on language-based methods like reading, writing, and discussion. This can pose challenges to many who might not be able to access design processes, e.g. due to lack of domain-specific knowledge or disabilities, leading to the exclusion of these stakeholders’ valuable insights and resulting in products and services that fail to meet diverse user needs.
Novelty and Importance
This PhD project will build on our group’s work in co-created personas, generative AI, and tangible interfaces to develop novel tools and techniques that ensure equal participation in co-design for all users. The research will focus on creating accessible, innovative methods to broaden the reach and inclusivity of co-design across various contexts, improving design outcomes for marginalized groups. The core novelty will be the development of technology-supported co-design methods and tools; an under-explored domain which has the potential to formalise and enhance co-design methods to improve access and scale.
Aims and Objectives
The PhD student will develop, through involvement in active research projects, novel technologies to support co-design. This will involve:
- Engagement with end communities -- i.e. user-centred design work
- Development of technologies -- e.g. applications for mobile, or even perhaps bespoke form factors (e.g. tangible devices) to support co-design processes such as ideation and reflection
- Evaluation of technologies and approaches and their impact on co-designers and the co-design process through objective and subjective methods
We are now accepting applications for 1 October 2025
How to apply
Candidates should possess or be expected to achieve a 1st or upper 2nd class degree in a relevant subject including the biosciences, computer science, mathematics, statistics, data science, chemistry, physics, and be enthusiastic about combining their expertise with other disciplines in the field of healthcare.
Important information for International Students:
It is the responsibility of the student to apply for their Student Visa. Please note that the EPSRC DRIVE-Health studentship does not cover the visa application fees or the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) required for access to the National Health Service. The IHS is mandatory for anyone entering the UK on a Student Visa and is currently £776 per year for each year of study. Further detail can be found under the International Students tab below.
Next Steps
- Applications submitted by the closing date of Thursday 30 January 2025 will be considered by the CDT. We will contact shortlisted applicants with information about this part of the recruitment process.
- Candidates will be invited to attend an interview. Interviews are projected to take place in March 2025.
- Project selection will be through a panel interview chaired by either Professor Richard Dobson and Professor Vasa Curcin (CDT Directors) followed by informal discussion with prospective supervisors.
- If you have any questions related to the specific project you are applying for, please contact the main supervisor of the project directly.
For any other questions about the recruitment process, please email us at
