Research Associate in Human-Computer Interaction

King's College London - Department of Informatics

About us

The researcher will join the Human-Centred Computing (HCC) group at King’s at the Department of Informatics, which provides a supportive and collaborative environment and an exciting mix of disciplines. We are currently one of the top UK HCI groups in publishing at ACM CHI.

Dr Neate currently leads a team of two researchers and five PhD students, with a strong record of success. The team has won 14 paper awards at major conferences, including CHI and ASSETS, and has secured around £3M in research funding from a range of sources.

About the role

The Department of Informatics at King’s College London is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Researcher with expertise in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and accessibility. This is a fixed-term, four-year research position working on the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project, “Total Communication Technologies to Support Accessible Communication (TACT)”, led by Dr Timothy Neate.

About the Project

TACT is an interdisciplinary fellowship reimagining how technology can support communication for people with communication disabilities. Combining perspectives from HCI, human-AI interaction, accessibility, and language and communication sciences, the project aims to enhance both verbal and non-verbal communication through inclusive, human-centred design. It will explore how emerging technologies, such as generative AI, smart wearables, and augmented or mixed reality, can enable ‘total communication’, supporting people’s ability to connect and express themselves in everyday and digital contexts.

Working closely with individuals with aphasia and developmental language disorders, the project will combine ethnographic research, co-design, prototyping, and evaluation to develop innovative communication technologies.

TACT brings together a wide network of academic, industry, and charity partners, including Microsoft Research, Tobii Dynavox, Transport for London, Hidden Disabilities, Aphasia Re-Connect, Dyscover, and Speech and Language UK, alongside academic collaborators at City, University of London, the University of Maryland, and McGill University.

The Role

The postdoctoral researcher will lead the core HCI components of the project, undertaking design research, technology development, and user studies. The role includes co-designing novel communication technologies, conducting fieldwork and evaluations, and contributing to high-quality publications in leading HCI venues such as ACM CHI and ASSETS.

You will join the Human-Centred Computing (HCC) Group at King’s, one of the UK’s leading HCI research groups. The position offers extensive opportunities for development, including travel to project partners in the UK, USA, Canada, and Sweden, and funding for conferences, training, and caring responsibilities.

This is a full time post (37.5 Hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed term contract until 30/11/2029.