Postdoctoral Fellow in Human-Centred, Ethical Design of Technology-Enhanced Cultural Experiences

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NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the job

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

The postdoctoral fellow will perform research within the context of an EU-funded project focusing on sustainable digital transition in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). More specifically, the project will explore and exploit the use of eXtended Reality (XR) technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other transformative technologies to enable novel forms of presence and immersive, cultural (co-) experiences and that revolve around music. The project team consists of artists, technologists and researchers from 8 European countries dedicated to facilitating the sustainable digital transition in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs).

Background
While the so-called “cultural digitalization” is not a new phenomenon, technologies such as XR, AI, 5G and big data, have immense potential to redefine and transform creative processes, profoundly changing how human beings connect through music experiences or art performances, among diverse CCI subsectors . However, the mere availability of novel digital tools and technologies is not enough to positively change and redefine existing social practices and structures and there is a need for active involvement of creators, professional and non-professional musicians and artists in human-centred experimentation and creative, critical exploration of novel digital tools to really pave the way for a sustainable digital transition in the CCIs.

The project aims to develop, test and pilot different solutions building on digital technologies empowered by Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality (XR) technology for CCIs, based on a genuine human-centric design process. The focus will be on music and different types of musical experiences aiming to foster meaningful co-experiences (e.g., between on-site and remote audiences or artists). The methodological cornerstone is an inherently human-centric, inclusive, and ethical approach towards the design and evaluation of novel digital tools that can enhance the deep human-to-human connections, and emotional and aesthetic co-experiences mediated by music in diverse settings. NTNU’s main responsibility in the project is the ethical and human-centric design and evaluation of the developed tools and enabled experiences.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work within an interdisciplinary setting of researchers from different fields, professional artists and representatives from the creative industries and to perform impactful user research on real-world use cases.

The working place of the position is NTNU campus in Trondheim. You will report to the Head of the Department.

Duties of the position

• Co-design the human-centric methodology and empirical studies and help to plan, conduct and analyze the results from different types of user studies during all phases of the planned human-centric design process:
  • Phase 1: Understanding requirements and co-creation
  • Phase 2: Experimentation and iterative testing
  • Phase 3: Real-world evaluation at different scales and post-pilot impact assessment
• Active contribution to and participation in project meetings and project-related dissemination activities (e.g., writing conference and journal papers, public dissemination of results) and representation of NTNU as project partner in relevant fora.
• Develop and pursue an own research agenda in the area of human-centric experiences and/or ethical design.
• Contribute to the further development of research activities in human-centric and ethical technology design at the department (e.g., proposal writing, establishing new international collaborations, organisation of scientific workshops, participation in professional communities within areas relevant to the position etc.).
• Participate in educational activities of the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology (IIK), including supervision and co-supervision of MSc and PhD students.
  

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, Social Sciences, Design, Creative Computing or similar. If you can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position.
• Documented experience with human-centered design and or evaluation research, participatory design, co-design / co-creation, ethical design or equivalent is a must.
• Track record with publications on human-centered design and or evaluation research, participatory design, co-design / co-creation, ethical design or equivalent in high-quality journals and conferences.
• Experience with co-creation and setting up and running co-creation sessions with various stakeholders; experience with co-design/participatory design approaches.
• Being able to attend and present at national and international forums (requiring some travel activities).
• Good written and oral English language skills. Applicants must provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following tests can be used as such documentation: TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are: TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test), IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted), CAE/CPE: grade B or A.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D Candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate.

Preferred selection criteria

• Excellent knowledge of and hands-on experience with mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) approaches for user research.
• Theoretical and/or practical knowledge and experience in the area of ethical technology design and digital ethics is an advantage.
• Experience with research or other relevant forms of collaboration with the CCI sector is an advantage.
• Experience with supervision of MSc or BSc students’ thesis work.
• Experience with participating in EU and/or nationally funded R&I projects on related topics.
  

Personal characteristics

• Able to communicate information with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing
• Positive, enthusiastic, perseverant, able to adapt
• Aware of own strengths and weaknesses; pays attention to situations when help from others is needed to do the job effectively
• Reliable, initiative-taking and able to work both in a self-driven manner and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Able to efficiently plan and balance efforts towards the achievement of short- and long-term goals

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 594 500 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The application must include:

• CV and certificates.
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your Ph.D, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or that your PhD thesis has been submitted.
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, or have recently submitted your thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 5 items).
• A research statement of up to 4 pages focused explicitly on the suitability of the candidate for the position, and the proposed approach for addressing the described work.
• Name and contact information of three referees.
  

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, please attach this as well.

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact associate professor Katrien De Moor (katrien.demoor@ntnu.no) and associate professor David Palma (david.palma@ntnu.no).
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Julie Lindland, e-mail: Julie.lindland@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

Application deadline: 30.09.24