PhD position: Inclusive and Sustainable Design of Technologies of Care
Deadline: 27.02.2022
Oslo School of Architecture and Design
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) is an internationally leading, specialized university within the disciplines design, architecture, landscape architecture and urbanism. AHO offers a unique research-based education of international standing. Established in 1945, today it has built a solid national funding base and is prominently ranked internationally. AHO awards three Master’s degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Design, as well as a PhD programme. The school has approximately 800 students and 155 employees.
The Institute of Design (IDE) at AHO is one of the leading Nordic design-institutions. The institute takes a broad, holistic approach to design that emphasizes the relevance and importance of design within contemporary society. Our perspective is that good design creates aesthetic and functional products, services and experiences that delight and improve the lives of people and contribute to a sustainable future.
The Institute of Design develops research and teaching within and across the fields of industrial design, interaction design, service design, and systems oriented design. IDE collaborates closely with industry, public sector and governance, and is an important actor in research- and innovation-projects. The institute has an extensive international and national network across industry and academia, covering both the growing digital sector, as well as established areas such as healthcare, maritime industry, future-studies and innovation, and service development in the public and private sector. AHO’s design alumni are found in leading design studios and consultancies, in tech-companies, in industry, in research and innovation projects, as well as in policy and governance. The Institute of Design is internationally recognized and highly ranked; projects from the institute are frequently represented in national and international design awards.
Annual PhD Call 2022
About the position
The Institute of Design, AHO offers a PhD position that focus on inclusive and sustainable design of technologies of care. The position will contribute to research on the role that interaction design plays in supporting intersecting issues of health, social and environmental justice. It seeks to explore feminist posthumanities theories and more-than-human design approaches that attend to and design-with the relations between human bodies and the environment. The PhD position will research this in the context of health and wellbeing, by inquiring into the social, cultural, and ecological dimensions of health technologies, and by designing technologies that nurture caring practices for humans and the Earth.
The PhD will explore a designerly and theoretical feminist lens on care that requires a speculative commitment to neglected relations which have often been taken for granted or rendered invisible. Such neglected relations, that may be connected with social justice and/or climate change, often disproportionately effect the health and well-being of marginalized communities. This position will seek to use design to render visible and support neglected care relations and amplify the work of marginalized people as agents of change, with the goal of researching how technologies of care can be designed for more equitable and sustainable futures. The PhD will include critical and curious hands-on experimentation with new technologies and materials used in health care, such as biodesign, body-based soft technologies, and machine learning, to design concrete exemplars of what inclusive and sustainable technologies of care could look and feel like.
The candidate should have a master’s degree in design, art or a technical discipline, such as interaction design, industrial design, human computer interaction, digital art, software studies. Applicants with a background in humanities and social science with a strong knowledge of design research and creative practices are welcome to apply.
Experience with design is an advantage.
Experience with academic or creative writing is a requirement.
Personal characteristics
Ambitious, curious and highly motivated.
The ability to understand interaction design from a professional perspective.
The ability to work systematically and complete tasks within given deadlines.
The ability to work independently as well as in teams.
A strong motivation to contributing to a good working and social environment.
The Application must include
An application letter describing relevant background, motivation, research experience and network. (Two A4 pages maximum).
A tentative project description of maximum 5 pages, formulating core questions/concerns, theoretical positioning, research approach/methodology, project plan, and intended results (academic, artistic, etc.).
A portfolio that documents relevant practice within design (can be online)
CV
Certified copies of educational certificates, transcript of records, diplomas and letters of recommendation.
A list of publications and/or academic work if available.
Examples of work written by the applicant if available. (Three works maximum.)
2 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail address and telephone number).
We are committed to an anti-discriminatory hiring process and work culture, and value lived experiences including those of marginalized identities. We are seeking qualified applicants regardless of their gender, background, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.
Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. Applications that do not comply with the formal requirements will not be considered. Attachments beyond the required documents will not be taken into consideration.
The material for the PhD application will be assessed according to the following criteria:
The quality of the project description (outline)
The applicant's suitability for the research tasks
The academic competence of the applicant
Relevance and quality of the design portfolio
We offer
The PhD scholarship is fully funded and there is no tuition fee.
The position (SKO1017) has a pay grade of 54 with salary NOK 491 200 per year for a full position; extensive relevant experience can give a higher start salary. From the salary, there will be a mandatory deduction of 2 % as a contribution to the State Pension fund (SPK). Standard employment conditions for state employees in Norway apply for the position.
The PhD is a full-time 3-year position, with the possibility for negotiating a 4-year position with 25% teaching.
An annual sum of 20 000 NOK for literature and other necessary academic activities.
Attractive welfare benefits and generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities.
Formal regulations
The educational component in the AHO PhD Programme is mandatory and requires fulltime attendance. Residency in Oslo for the employment period is mandatory. Research stay at a relevant international academic institution is encouraged. The PhD fellowship will start September 1st 2022.
Information meeting
The PhD Programme at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) will arrange an online information meeting about the AHO PhD Programme on Friday, February 4th 2022 at 14:00 CET. See www.ahophdlive.com for more information.
Contact Information:
Questions about this PhD position can be directed to the main supervisors:
Postdoctoral Researcher Marie Louise Juul Søndergaard, email: mljuul@aho.no
