Post-doctoral researcher in ethnography and design research

Post-doctoral researcher in ethnography and design research with a focus on user experience and expectations

We are seeking to appoint a full-time post-doctoral researcher, with expertise in ethnographic research, for up to 20 months from December 2016 or January 2017.

This position offers a unique opportunity for an outstanding ethnographer to join and work with a team of internationally leading researchers on an innovative interdisciplinary project about Autonomous Driving Cars.

Research focus
The post-doctoral researcher will work full time on the ethnographic strand of the interdisciplinary project Human Expectations and Experiences of Autonomous Driving (HEAD). The position is funded through a grant awarded by Vinnova, Sweden. The successful candidate will join a research team based at Halmstad University, and will work in collaboration with colleagues based at Halmstad University and Volvo Cars in Sweden and RMIT University in Australia.

The HEAD project is situated at the forefront of AD car research and this position represents a chance to be part of a team that will develop and apply innovative and interdisciplinary digital, sensory and visual ethnographic techniques of research and dissemination within this context. These approaches will be brought together with and experimental user experience (UX) research methodologies in order to create new insights into user expectations and experiences of the AD car to inform and contribute to AD car design.

This research is focused at the interface between academic scholarship and applied practice and will both contribute to applied research as well as engaging with debates in academic scholarship in relation to this.

The successful candidate will work primarily with Professor Sarah Pink (RMIT University) and Associate Professor Vaike Fors (Halmstad University), within a research group focused on applied and design ethnography in dialogue with academic scholarship. They will benefit from working in this international research environment that spans the SCACA group at Halmstad and the Digital Ethnography Research Centre at RMIT University.

Principal duties
To organize and undertake ethnographic research with future AD car users

To contribute to the analysis of ethnographic research

To assist in the organization, running of and in contributing findings to knowledge generation and dissemination workshops

To contribute to academic publications and conference papers (where appropriate leading on these)

To contribute to report writing

To contribute to the production of video-based and digital dissemination projects, on online platforms

The post as postdoctoral researcher is a qualifying appointment, which is intended to enable the employee to develop their independence as a researcher and to obtain merits that may develop their competence for another post with higher eligibility requirements. As a postdoctoral researcher you are expected to be active in the research seminars organised by the research environment MI-lab and EIS at the school of Information Technology. You are also expected to share your research in teaching situations with under-graduate students.

Qualification
This position is suited to applicants with a recent PhD degree in ethnographic research, using digital video and other innovative techniques in ethnography. Candidates should have been trained to PhD level in anthropology, design or in a cognate discipline such as human geography, sociology, ethnology or a related interdisciplinary field. Candidates will ideally also have existing experience of research in fields of digital technology use, design ethnography and/or in using visual, digital and sensory methods in ethnographic research. The working language in the project is English, so one requirement for the position is fluent speaking and writing in English. The fieldwork for this project will be undertaken primarily in Gothenburg, Sweden and the successful candidate will ideally be fluent and able to undertake ethnographic research and analysis in Swedish.

Salary
Salary is to be settled by negotiation. The application should include a statement of the salary level requi­red by the candidate.

Application
Applications (written in English) should be sent via Halmstad University's recruitment system MyNetwork (see link on this page). If the application cannot be delivered, it shall be sent via regular mail to: Halmstad University, Registrator, Box 823, SE-301 18 HALMSTAD, Sweden. Mark your application with reference number 2016/41. The last day to apply for the position is 2016-09-01.

The application package shall consist of:

1. a cover letter stating the purpose of the application and a brief statement of why you believe that your goals are well-matched with the goals of this position, together with a description of future research plans

2. an attested CV that includes at least

- a list of previous degrees, dates, and institution, transcripts for higher-education studies until most recent available
- a complete list of publications and a description of previous research and other work experience and links to online copies of the most important publications

3. contact information for at least three references.

General Information
Halmstad University is a popular, small and young university on the Swedish west coast. The University has roughly 600 employees and 10 000 students and education on all levels, from undergraduate to Ph.D. education. Our research, often done in cooperation with the industry, is known for inno­vation and entre­preneurship.

Halmstad is a popular summer destination located on the Swedish west coast. It is situated between two cosmopolitan areas: the Copenhagen-Malmö-Lund area and the Gothenburg area, making it a well-connec­ted, yet a pleasantly calm place to live. Halmstad can be reached by a direct train connection from the Copenhagen Kastrup Airport, as well as national airports (e.g., Halmstad, Malmö, and Helsingborg/­Ängel­holm airports) and Arlanda in Stockholm.

Sweden is well known for a very high quality of life and excellent social care facilities. There are excellent (incl. international) schools and day-cares around, as well as various recreational and entertainment facilities.