phd user research

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user experience PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Enhancing iot security, quality, and user experience in epileptic ehealth, phd research project.

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

Self-Funded PhD Students Only

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Enhancing Video Quality Assessment for 6G Networks: Leveraging Low Latency, High Data Rates, and Massive Connectivity for Improved User Experience

Designing meaningful mixed reality experiences, 1 year - mres project - playable archives: creating engagement with specialist collections through data-driven tools and digital innovation, trust, risk and digital identity for digitally-unsure citizens, designing interactive digital storytelling experiences, the role of digital technologies in shifts towards sustainable behaviours – empowering end user engagement through user-centred design, digital literacy for workers in ageing health workforces, funded phd project (students worldwide).

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Self-funded PhDs in Health and Social Care: Social Work and Social Care

Self-funded phds in health and social care: nursing and midwifery, self-funded phds in health and social care: allied health professions, turst detection from brain signals in human-ai teaming, ai-based interventions for mental health conditions, user-centred assistance control in physical human-robot collaboration: a predictive model-based approach, funded phd project (uk students only).

This research project has funding attached. It is only available to UK citizens or those who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. Some projects, which are funded by charities or by the universities themselves may have more stringent restrictions.

PhD Studentship in Designing AI for Home Wellbeing through Participatory Design

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The School of Information is UC Berkeley’s newest professional school. Located in the center of campus, the I School is a graduate research and education community committed to expanding access to information and to improving its usability, reliability, and credibility while preserving security and privacy.

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The School of Information offers four degrees:

The Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program educates information professionals to provide leadership for an information-driven world.

The Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) is an online degree preparing data science professionals to solve real-world problems. The 5th Year MIDS program is a streamlined path to a MIDS degree for Cal undergraduates.

The Master of Information and Cybersecurity (MICS) is an online degree preparing cybersecurity leaders for complex cybersecurity challenges.

Our Ph.D. in Information Science is a research program for next-generation scholars of the information age.

• Fall 2024 Course Schedule

The School of Information's courses bridge the disciplines of information and computer science, design, social sciences, management, law, and policy. We welcome interest in our graduate-level Information classes from current UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students and community members.  More information about signing up for classes.

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Research by faculty members and doctoral students keeps the I School on the vanguard of contemporary information needs and solutions.

The I School is also home to several active centers and labs, including the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) , the Center for Technology, Society & Policy , and the BioSENSE Lab .

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I School graduate students and alumni have expertise in data science, user experience design & research, product management, engineering, information policy, cybersecurity, and more — learn more about hiring I School students and alumni .

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Related Faculty

Morgan Ames

Coye Cheshire

John Chuang

Marti Hearst

Kimiko Ryokai

Niloufar Salehi

Recent publications.

Looking at Figure 1a, I say duck, you say rabbit, so let’s call the whole thing off, because it can’t be both. Looking at Figure 1b, though, I say two rows of three X’s, you say three columns of two X’s, so let’s not call the whole thing off, because our disagreement could be reconciled in the form of a mutually valuable insight into the commutative property of multiplication, where the two perceptual orientations are complementary construals of six X’s (ie, 2× 3= 3× 2). Abrahamson and Wilensky (2007) used this example to introduce an educational design framework–learning axes and bridging tools–centered on fostering conceptual insight through setting up students to experience then reconcile ambiguous perceptual constructions of instructional materials. Engaging with these materials, students are to experience different meanings that are each valid in their own right yet initially appear incompatible with each other. The learning goal requires finding a new way of thinking that would accommodate or resolve the conflict, whereby the alternative perceptions become complementary or dialectic rather than contradictory. The educational design principle of learning through reconciling competing perceptual constructions has been applied also to the case of ratio and proportion (eg, Abrahamson, Lee, Negrete & Gutiérrez, 2014). The objective of the current article is to investigate the application of the framework to geometry, in particular to designing activities where students engage in task-oriented embodied investigations into voluminous objects. The idea is that students build these objects themselves, moving from 2D images to 3D structures. 

For a small portion of U.S. schoolchildren and their teachers, going to school online was the norm even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a mass shift to remote learning.

Human-computer Interaction (HCI) news

The UC Berkeley School of Information is launching IceBerk, a multidisciplinary lab focused on using informatics for climate empowerment.

In an episode of  The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper , an AI-generated version of the news anchor, made by Professor Hany Farid and his undergrad intern Matyas Bohacek, was incorporated into the broadcast.

In response to recent calls for researchers to address ongoing environmental crises, School of Information Ph.D. student Yangyang Yang and Professor Kimiko Ryokai have created “Being The Creek,” a project that utilizes mobile augmented reality (MAR) to help people experience Berkeley’s natural environment and its history from the perspective of Strawberry Creek.

Dr. Jeremy Gordon (Ph.D. ’23) presented his UC Berkeley School of Information dissertation “Embodying the Future: Modeling Visually Guided Planning as Prospective Mental Simulation” on Thursday, November 9, 2023

University of California, Berkeley, School of Information professor Coye Cheshire, along with colleagues at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare and UC San Francisco, recently won a $300K grant from the UC Noyce Initiative on computational precision health to study the extent of the problem, and what might be done to combat it. 

Hearst has begun explicitly studying the relationship between language — especially written text — and information visualization. She put various ideas together in a paper in the Communications of the ACM this October of 2023.

‘Tis the season for political pundits, patriotic advertisements, presidential debates…and deepfakes?!

In the recently published Speak, Memory: An Archaeology of Books Known to ChatGPT/GPT-4, I School Associate Professor David Bamman reveals much about what is known and remains to be known about the large language model (LLM) fueling ChatGPT. 

Applied Cognitive Psychology: User Experience

MA in Psychology

In the MA Program in Applied Cognitive Psychology: User Experience, you will gain the skills to apply cognitive psychology theory and empirical research to create human-centered solutions. This program prepares graduates for promising careers in user experience research, product design, and human-computer interaction.

User Experience (UX) is an empirical approach to design that prioritizes human needs, cognitive capabilities, and behavior. Human-centered design starts with a deep understanding of psychology to create successful interactions between people and the devices, applications, and interfaces they use. In this program, you will learn the cognitive principles and research methods needed to create intuitive digital experiences and evaluate existing solutions. Join us in shaping how cutting-edge technology transforms the human experience.

Program Highlights

• Our 48-unit terminal MA program equips graduates with advanced knowledge in cognitive psychology, user experience, research methods, and statistics, preparing you for a successful career in User Experience.
• Stand out from other recent graduates with hands-on experience. Our program’s unique practical component includes professional internships and work opportunities in the Games & Interactive Technology Lab . By completing the required field internship, typically undertaken during the summer between your first and second years, you will graduate with relevant work experience on your resume.
• Attend our bi-monthly UX Lunch event series, featuring speakers from diverse domains who share their professional experiences and work examples. Receive in-depth guidance on building an impressive UX portfolio, mastering job applications, and excelling in interviews.
• In addition to the one-on-one coaching you’ll receive from your advisor, you’ll benefit from comprehensive career support services through CGU’s Career Development Office to transition seamlessly from the program into your desired career. Throughout the program, students are connected with industry events and conferences in the UX field, fostering networking opportunities and keeping you informed about the constantly evolving technology landscape.
• UX researchers are highly employable, and land jobs at companies across a broad range of industries, from tech to healthcare. Read the Nielsen Norman Group report on UX careers .
• This program is STEM designated, allowing international students who hold F-1 visas to apply for OPT work authorizations for a total of 36 months (an initial 1-year period and a 24-month OPT STEM extension) of paid work experience in the U.S. after graduation.

Program At-a-glance

required units

degree awarded

Spring, Summer, Fall

program start

2 years | full time*

estimated completion time

Kathy Pezdek

Professor of Psychology

Research Interests

Memory & Comprehension, Eyewitness Memory, Autobiographical Memory

Danielle Green

Assistant Professor of Practice

User Experience, Product Strategy, Gaming, Technology for Health and Wellness, Educational Technology, Inclusive Design

Associate Professor of Information Systems & Technology

Data science, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Health Informatics, Mobile Health, Data Management, Data warehousing, Business intelligence, ICT4D

Chinazunwa Uwaoma

Research Assistant Professor of Information Systems & Technology

Internet of Things, Mobile Computing, Computer Communications & Networks, Healthcare Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Cyber Security

Extended Faculty

Lise abrams.

Pomona College

Language and memory, speech production, tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states, cognitive aging, bilingualism

Gabriel I. Cook

Claremont McKenna College

Cognition, memory

Jennifer Groscup

Scripps College

Intersection of psychology and law

Alison Harris

Cognitive neuroscience, decision neuroscience, neuroeconomics

David Moore

Pitzer College

Cognitive development, development of mental rotation, infant-directed speech, categorization in infancy

Catherine L. Reed

Cognitive neuroscience, electroencephalography, human behavior and human factors, multisensory perception

Shlomi Sher

Rational and psychological levels of analysis; scientific approaches to the mind-body problem

Patricia Smiley

Language development, self-development, achievement motivation

Sharda Umanath

Cognition, education, experimental psychology, memory

Megan Zirnstein

Sentence processing, individual differences in reading behavior and comprehension, bilingual language processing, ERPs, eye tracking

Cognitive Psychology (8 units)

• Applied Cognitive Psychology (4 units)
• Cognition (4 units)

User Experience (12 – 16 units)

• User Experience Design & Strategy (4 units)
• Interaction Design and Usability Testing (4 units)
• User Experience Research Methods (4 units)
• Independent Study: Field Internship (0 – 4 units)

Statistics & Research Methods (12 units)

• Research Methods (4 units)
• Intermediate Statistics (2 units)
• Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (2 units)
• Applied Multiple Regression (2 units)
• Categorical Data Analysis (2 units)

Electives in Cognitive Psychology, Methods, and Related Fields (12 – 16 units) You are encouraged to take elective courses in advanced methods and statistics as well as in cognitive psychology. You are also able to benefit from related courses offered by the Center for Information Systems & Technology, including programming courses. Electives are selected based on your interests and with the approval of your academic advisor. Popular electives include:

• Design Thinking & Creative Problem Solving
• Advanced Qualitative Research Methods
• Data Analytics in Practice
• Creating the Future with Emerging Technologies
• Mobile App Development

Application Guidelines

Key Dates & Deadlines

CGU operates on a priority deadline cycle. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit complete applications by the priority dates in order to assure maximum consideration for both admission and fellowships.

Once the priority deadlines have passed, the University will continue to review applications for qualified candidates on a competitive, space-available basis. The final deadlines listed are the last date the University can accept an application in order to allow sufficient time to complete the admissions, financial aid, and other enrollment processes.

Spring 2025 Priority Deadline – November 1, 2024 Final Deadline (International) – November 15, 2024 Final Deadline (Domestic) – December 1, 2024 Classes begin – January 21, 2025

Summer 2025 Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025 Final Deadline (International) – March 1, 2025 Final Deadline (Domestic) – April 1, 2025 Classes begin – May 19, 2025

Fall 2025 Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025 Final Deadline (International) – July 5, 2025 Final Deadline (Domestic) – August 1, 2025 Classes begin – August 25, 2025

Review General Costs

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Doctoral Program FAQs

Candidates who do not have backgrounds in one of the School of Design's area of focus (Communication Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, UX design, Environments Design, Service Design, Design for Social Innovation, design research, design theory) would not be eligible for Teaching Fellowships. They may, however, be considered for the self-funded PhD option. Additional study, such as the School’s MA, MPS or MDes degree could make such candidates eligible for PhD Teaching Fellowships. Please contact us for advice on this matter.

Yes. Candidates with expertise on housing, interiors and smaller-scale architecture and an interest in Transition Design may apply and help the School build out its offerings in Environments Design.

No. The Human Computer Interaction Institute offers a PhD with pathways in Interaction Design. Consequently, applicants with research topics and approaches that demand significant amounts of coding or more cognitive science based research methods will be encouraged to apply to HCII.

In some cases, 3+ years of high-level professional design experience, demonstrated with a portfolio and a well-formulated research proposal may meet the application requirements.

In some cases, yes. Applicants with backgrounds in Business and Management, but with additional expertise and experience in Design, and who are interested in Transition Design, should apply to this program and will be encouraged to seek faculty advisers from other areas on campus. We would be particularly interested in candidates with business and management expertise related to Transition Design such as circular economies, sustainable design, and B corps.

Carnegie Mellon is a highly ranked research university and there are potential advisors from a wide range of disciplines on the campus. We also have a network of potential advisors who are based in other institutions.

No. The language requirements for application to the program cannot be waived. Please review these carefully.

No. Unfortunately we do not have the ability to review portfolio materials for each inquiry that we receive. To be considered for the program you will need to formally apply.

No. We do not currently offer an online option for our PhD degree. We hope to eventually offer a part time PhD degree but it is not an option at this time.

No. The only funding opportunity available is the Teaching Fellowship which requires students to teach 1-2 courses during the academic year.

How to Conduct User Experience Research Like a Professional

Whether you’re looking to develop a broad UX design skillset, or you’re exploring UX research as a design specialization , here’s your complete introduction to conducting user research like a pro. 

Hello, I’m Raven, a mentor for aspiring UX designers enrolled in the CareerFoundry UX Design Course . I also work as a UX Research Assistant at IBM and studied behavioral science at the University of Texas. I have 10 years of experience studying and analyzing human behavior—user research is definitely my thing.

During the past few years, I’ve worked with major companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations to develop and improve impactful products and applications. I’ve moderated focus groups, designed and administered surveys, carried out usability testing, and conducted user interviews. I also know a thing or two about creating a good persona!

In this guide, we’re going to cover the basics of UX research. We’ll start with exactly what it is, and then move on to discuss the various steps and associated terminology of UX research , as well as its role and value within the broader design process . We’ll then review the most common UX research methods, diving into how they’re conducted and a few best practices.

If you’re particularly interested in one of these topics, simply select it from the list below to jump straight to it. I’ve also added videos throughout the guide for those of you who prefer to learn with both eyes and ears—and I recommend you save this set of free UX research tutorials for later, too. Sound good? Let’s get started!

Introduction To User Experience (UX) Research

• What is UX research?
• What’s the difference between good and bad UX research?
• What are the five steps of UX research?
• What’s the role of research in the UX design process?
• Whats the value of UX research?

Introduction To User Experience Research Methods

• User Groups
• Usability Testing
• User Interviews
• Online Surveys
• User Personas
• What Next? User Research Analysis

1. What is UX research?

You read my bio in the introduction. Using only this information, could you explain why I recently switched from one time management app to another? Probably not. In order to answer this question, you need more context. UX research provides that context.  So, what is UX research and what is its purpose ?

“User research is how you will know your product or service will work in the real world, with real people. It’s where you will uncover or validate the user needs which should form the basis of what you are designing.”

— Chris Mears, UXr

According to Design Modo , UX research is; “The process of understanding user behaviors, needs, and attitudes using different observation and feedback collection methods.” One of the other benefits of user experience research is that it helps us understand how people live their lives so that we can respond to their needs with informed design solutions. Good UX research involves using the right method at the right time during the development of a product.

Maria Arvidsson, Head of Product and UX at Usabilla , describes UX research as:

“The means through which you try to understand your users’ needs, behaviors and motivations and validate your assumptions and solutions.”

2. What’s the difference between good and bad UX research?

The biggest sign of an amateur UX designer is excluding end users from the design process. At the very start of my career I held the attitude that I could test any app, website, or product on myself, replacing the act of speaking with users. Never a good idea. It took time for me to learn a more professional approach, which is to start the design process by listening to the end user. Overall, UX research helps us avoid our biases since we are required to design solutions for people who are not like us.

“Insights that are received directly from user experience research are like muscle memory; the more you do research, the more insights you build up. But just like muscle memory, YOU have to be a part of the hard work in order to enjoy the lasting benefits of it that are specific to you. While it may be tempting to outsource research to a specialized team (and sometimes you can’t avoid it), you should try your utmost best to engage in at least a little bit of the research so that the insights grow under your skin instead of being handed to you from someone else who has sweated it.” 

—UX designer Ali Rushdan Tariq from ARTariq

A quick plug before we continue: If you’re looking to become a professional in this subdomain of UX, be sure to take a look at our guide to becoming a UX researcher

3. What are the five steps of UX research?

Created by Erin Sanders , the Research Learning Spiral provides five main steps for conducting UX research. The first two steps are about forming questions and hypotheses, and the last three steps are about gathering knowledge through selected UX research methods.

• Objectives: What are the knowledge gaps we need to fill?
• Hypotheses: What do we think we understand about our users?
• Methods: Based on time and manpower, what methods should we select?
• Conduct: Gather data through the selected methods.
• Synthesize: Fill in the knowledge gaps, prove or disprove our hypotheses, and discover opportunities for our design efforts.

4. What’s the role of research in the UX design process?

UX research is the starting point for a project . Research helps us learn about the users and their behavior, goals, motivations, and needs. It also shows us how they currently navigate a system, where they have problems and, most importantly, how they feel when interacting with our product.

UX research comes first in the UX design process because without it, our work can only be based on our own experiences and assumptions, which is not objective. As Neil Turner, founder of UX for the Masses told us, a good foundation is key to successful design:

“Good user research is key to designing a great user experience. Designing without good user research is like building a house without solid foundations—your design will soon start to crumble and eventually fall apart.”

5. What’s the value of UX research?

In the current digital product landscape, the real value of UX research is its ability to reduce uncertainty in terms of what users want and need , which yields benefits for the product, the business, and, of course, the users themselves.

1. Product Benefits

UX research provides data about the end user of the product, how and when the user will use the product, and the main problems the product will solve. UX research is also helpful when UX designers and the rest of the team (and stakeholders) have to decide between multiple design solutions.

2. Business Benefits

UX research brings a lot of a value to businesses. By knowing the end users and incorporating design requirements upfront, businesses can speed up the product development process, eliminate redesign costs, and increase user satisfaction.

3. User Benefits

One of the greatest values of user experience research is that it’s unbiased user feedback. Simply put, UX research speaks the user’s thoughts—without any influence from outside authority. It also serves as a bridge between users and the company.

“User experience research provides powerful insights that allow companies to humanize their customers and insert their needs, intentions, and behaviors into the design and development process. In turn, these insights enable companies to create experiences that meet—and sometimes exceed—customer needs and expectations. User experience research should be conducted well before the first sketch is drawn and integrated throughout the concept, iterative design, and launch phases of a product.”

—Janelle Estes, Director of Research Strategy at UserTesting

UX research is based on observation, understanding,  and analysis.  With the help of various UX research techniques, you will:

• O bserve your users , keeping an eye out for non-verbal clues as to how they are feeling;
• Develop an understanding of the user’s mental model : what does the user anticipate when using a certain product? Based on their previous experience, how do they expect this particular product to work?
• A nalyze  the insights you’ve gathered and try to identify patterns and trends. Eventually, these insights will inform the decisions you make about the product and how it is designed.

With that in mind, let’s consider some of the most valuable user research techniques.

1. User Groups

User groups—also called “focus group discussions” or “focus groups”—are structured interviews that quickly and inexpensively reveal the desires, experiences, and attitudes of a target audience. User groups are a helpful user experience research method when a company needs a lot of insight in a short amount of time. If you are unsure when to use a user experience research method, user groups can be a good one to start with.

Why Do We Conduct User Groups?

User groups can help your company better understand:

1) How users perceive a product

2) What users believe are a product’s most important features

3) What problems users experience with the product

4) Where users feel the product fails to meet expectations

User groups can also be used to generate ideas of what users want to see in the future.

What people say and what people do are often very different, therefore user groups do not provide an accurate measurement of behavior . And because user groups are conducted with more than one user at a time, participants may influence each other’s opinions and preferences (aka “groupthink”), thus introducing bias and producing inaccurate data.

Best Practices For User Groups

Getting the most out of your user group is straightforward if you consider the following best practices when conducting this particular user research technique.

• Ask good questions: Make sure your questions are clear, open-ended, and focused on the topics you’re investigating.
• Choose a few topics: On average, plan to discuss 3-5 topics during a 90-minute focus group.
• Include the right amount of people: A good focus group should include 3-6 users—large enough to include a variety of perspectives, but small enough so everyone has a chance to speak.

“Conducting user research allows you to dive deep beneath the surface of what your users say they want, to instead uncover what they actually need. It’s the key to ensuring that your products and features will actually solve the problems that your clients face on a day to day basis. User research is imperative if you want to create a successful, habit forming product.”

— Jennifer Aldrich, UX and Content Strategist at InVisionApp

How To Conduct User Experience Research With User Groups

Conducting user groups can be broken down into a few major steps:

• Create a schedule that provides enough time for recruiting, testing, analyzing, and integrating results.
• Assemble your team, and establish roles: choose a moderator, note-taker, and discussion leader.
• Define the scope of your research: what questions will you ask? And how in-depth do you want to explore the answers? This will determine the number of people and the number of groups that need to be tested.
• Create a discussion guide that includes 3-5 topics for discussion.
• Recruit potential or existing users who are likely to provide good feedback.
• Conduct user group testing, and record data.
• Analyze and report findings.

“It’s really hard to design products by user groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

—Steve Jobs

2. Usability Testing

According to the usability.gov website, usability testing refers to “evaluating a product or service by testing it with representative users.” During a test, participants will be asked to complete specific tasks while one or more observers watch, listen, and record notes. The main goal of this user experience testing method is to identify usability problems, collect qualitative data, and determine participants’ overall satisfaction with the product.

Why Do We Perform Usability Testing?

Usability testing helps identify problems before they are coded. When development issues are identified early on, it is typically less expensive to fix them. Usability testing also reveals how satisfied users are with the product , as well as what changes are required to improve user satisfaction and performance .

Unfortunately, usability testing is not 100% representative of the real life scenario in which a user will engage with your product. Also, because the data is qualitative, this kind of UX testing method doesn’t provide the large samples of feedback a questionnaire might. The good news it that the qualitative feedback you receive can be far more accurate and insightful.

Best Practices For Usability Testing

• Test with five users: Testing five users is typically enough to identify a design’s most important usability problems.
• Invite your team to the testing sessions: Anyone who is involved with how fast and how well problems are addressed should be invited to the usability testing sessions. These stakeholders may include the executive team, and lead developers or designers.
• Keep the findings brief and to-the-point: When you report the findings of a usability test, limit the comments to the ones that are really important. One good rule of thumb is to include the top three positive comments and the top three problems. The overall report should be no more than approximately 50 comments and 30 pages.

How to Conduct UX Research with Usability Testing

Usability testing can be broken down into a few major steps:

• Identify what needs to be tested and why (e.g. a new product, feature, etc.)
• Identify the target audience (or your desired customers).
• Create a list of tasks for the participants to work through.
• Recruit the right participants for the test.
• Involve the right stakeholders.
• Apply what you learn.

“One of usability’s most hard-earned lessons is that ‘you are not the user.’ If you work on a development project, you’re atypical by definition. Design to optimize the user experience for outsiders, not insiders.”

– Jakob Nielsen

3. User Interviews

A well-known user experience methodology is an interview. An interview is a user experience research method used to discover the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of users (and potential users) of a product. Interviews are typically conducted by one interviewer speaking to one user at a time for 30 minutes to an hour. Interviews can take place face-to-face, over the phone, or via video streaming.

Why Do We Conduct Interviews?

Of all the user experience design methods, interviews are typically conducted at the beginning of the product development cycle when reviewing product goals. Because of the one-to-one nature of the interview, individual concerns and misunderstandings can be directly addressed and cleared up.

Face-to-face interviews also allow you to capture verbal and nonverbal cues, such as emotions and body language, which may identify enthusiasm for the product or discomfort with the questions.

When thinking about what research methodology to use, bear in mind that interviews are also a good supplement to online surveys: conducting an interview beforehand helps you refine questions for the survey, while conducting an interview afterwards allows you to gain explanations for survey answers.

There are a few drawbacks, however. First, because interviews require a team of people to conduct them, personnel costs are usually difficult to keep low. Sample size is also limited to the size of the interviewing staff.

Best Practices For User Interviews

• Hire a skilled interviewer: A skilled interviewer asks questions in a neutral manner, listens well, makes users feel comfortable, and knows when and how to probe for more details.
• Create a discussion guide: Write up a discussion guide (or an interview protocol) for all interviewers to follow. This guide should include questions and follow-up questions.
• Get informed consent: Before conducting the interview, make sure to get permission or consent to record the session. It’s also good to have one or two note takers on hand.

How To Conduct User Experience Research With User Interviews

Conducting an interview can be broken down into a few major steps:

• Prepare a discussion guide, or a list of questions to ask participants.
• Select a recording method (e.g. written notes, tape recorder, video).
• Conduct at least one trial run of the interview.
• Recruit the right participants for the interview.
• Conduct the interview.
• Analyze and report the results.

“Curiosity is a natural outcome of caring, and it is the single greatest contributor to effective user research … Caring and curiosity engender personal investment, and investment motivates a researcher to develop a deep understanding of users.”

– Demetrius Madrigal

4. Online Surveys

A survey is a research tool that typically includes a set of questions used to find out the preferences, attitudes, and opinions of your users on a given topic. Today, surveys are generally conducted online and in various lengths and formats. Data collected from surveys is received automatically, and the survey tool selected generally provides some level of analysis, the data from which can then be used for user experience studies further down the line to inform your product.

“It is so important to avoid using leading questions when it comes to surveys. It’s a common mistake that many people make. For example phrasing a question like “What do you dislike about Uber?” assumes the user has a negative preference for the service off the bat. A more neutral phrase would be “Tell us about your experience getting around town.” – this elicits more natural user feedback and behavior instead of forcing them down a funnel.”

– Top tip from UXBeginner

Why Do We Conduct Online Surveys?

Unlike traditional surveys, online surveys enable companies to quickly collect data from a broad (and sometimes remote) audience for free—or a low price. Surveys also help you discover who your users are , what your users want to accomplish, and what information your users are looking for.

Unfortunately, what users say versus what they do are two different things and can often yield inaccurate results. Furthermore, poorly worded questions can negatively influence how users respond. Length can also be an issue—many people hate taking long surveys. This is why it’s important to create short surveys so users are more likely to complete them and participate in future research efforts.

Best Practices For Online Surveys

• Keep it short: Keep your surveys brief, especially if participants will be compensated little or not at all. Only focus on what is truly important.
• Keep it simple: Make sure questions can be easily understood: ambiguous or complex wording can make questions more difficult to understand, which can bring the data into question.
• Keep it engaging: Include a mix of both multiple choice questions and open-ended questions (or questions in which users complete the answer).

How To Conduct User Experience Research With Online Surveys

Conducting an online survey can be broken down into a few major steps:

• Identify goals and objectives of the survey.
• Create survey questions.

Note: Consider collecting information about how satisfied users are with your product, what users like/dislike, and if they have suggestions for improvement.

• Select an online survey tool (e.g. SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics).
• Recruit participants.
• Conduct the survey.

“We have to arm ourselves with data, research … and a clear understanding of our users so our decisions are not made out of fear but out of real, actionable information. Although our clients may not have articulated reasons for why they want what they want, it is our responsibility to have an ironclad rationale to support our design decisions.”

– Debra Levin Gelman

5. User Personas

A user persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer. A persona is generally based on user research and includes the needs, goals, and observed behavior patterns of your target audience. You can find out how to create a user persona in this detailed guide .

Why Do We Create User Personas?

Whether you’re developing a smartphone app or a mobile-responsive website, any user experience research job will require you to understand who will be using the product. Knowing your audience will help influence the features and design elements you choose, thus making your product more useful. A persona clarifies who is in your target audience by answering the following questions:

• Who is my ideal customer?
• What are the current behavior patterns of my users?
• What are the needs and goals of my users?

Understanding the needs of your users is vital to developing a successful product. Well-defined personas will enable you to efficiently identify and communicate user needs. Personas will also help you describe the individuals who use your product, which is essential to your overall value proposition.

Unfortunately, creating personas can be expensive — it all depends on how deep into user research your organization is willing to go. There is also no real “scientific logic” behind persona building, which makes some people a little more hesitant to accept them.

Best Practices For User Personas

• Create a well-defined user persona: A great persona contains four key pieces of information: header, demographic profile, end goal(s), scenario.
• Keep personas brief: As a rule of thumb, avoid adding extra details that cannot be used to influence the design. If it does not affect the final design or help make any decisions easier: omit it.
• Make personas specific and realistic: Avoid exaggerated caricatures, and include enough detail to help you find real-life representation.

How To Conduct User Experience Research By Creating Personas

Creating user personas can be broken down into these main steps:

• Discuss and identify who your target users are with stakeholders (e.g. UX team, marketing team, product manager).
• Survey and/or interview real users to get their demographic information, pain points, and preferences.
• Condense the research, and look for themes to define your groups.
• Organize your groups into personas.
• Test your personas.

“Be someone else. It takes great empathy to create a good experience. To create relevant experiences, you have to forget everything you know and design for others. Align with the expected patience, level of interest, and depth of knowledge of your users. Talk in the user’s language.”

– Niko Nyman

Which User Experience Research Method Should You Use?

Now that you know more about the various user experience research methods, which one do you choose? Well, it all depends on your overall research goals.

You’ll also need to consider what stage you’re at in the design process. If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to focus on understanding your users and the underlying problem . What are you trying to solve? Who are you trying to solve it for? At this early stage in the design process, you’ll typically use a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative methods such as field studies, diary studies, surveys, and data mining.

Once you’ve established a direction for your design, you’ll start to think about actually building your product. Your UX research will now focus on evaluating your designs and making sure that they adequately address your users’ needs . So, you’ll choose research methods that can help you to optimize your designs and improve usability—such as card sorting and usability testing.

Eventually, you’ll have finalized your design and developed a working product—but this doesn’t mean your research is done! This is the ideal time to investigate how well the product performs in the real world. At this point, you’ll focus mainly on quantitative research methods , such as usability benchmarking, surveys, and A/B testing.

To help you with the task of choosing your research methods, let’s explore some important distinctions between the various techniques.

Behavioral vs. Attitudinal Research

As mentioned before, there is a big difference between “what people do” versus “what people say.” Attitudinal research is used to understand or measure attitudes and beliefs, whereas behavioral research is used to measure behaviors. For example, usability testing is a behavioral user research method that focuses on action and performance. By contrast, user research methods like user groups, interviews, and persona creation focus on how people think about a product.

UX designers often conduct task analysis to see not how users say they complete tasks in a user flow, but how they actually do.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

When conducting UX research and choosing a suitable method, it’s important to understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative research.

Quantitative research   gathers data that is measurable. It gives you clear-cut figures to work with, such as how many users purchased an item via your e-commerce app, or what percentage of visitors added an item to their wishlist. “Quant methods”, as they’re sometimes called in the industry, help you to put a number on the usability of your product. They also allow you to compare different designs and determine if one version performs significantly better than another.

Qualitative research   explores the reasons or motivations behind these actions. Why did the user bounce from your website? What made them “wishlist” an item instead of purchasing it? While quantitative data is fixed, qualitative data is more descriptive and open-ended. You can learn all about qualitative research in the video guide below, in which CareerFoundry graduate and professional UX designer Maureen Herben takes you through the most common qualitative user research processes and tools.

A further distinction to make is between how qualitative and quantitative studies go about collecting data. Studies that are qualitative in nature are based on direct observation. For example, you’ll gather data about the user’s behaviours or attitudes by observing them directly in action. Quantitative studies gather this data indirectly—through an online survey, for example.

Qualitative research methods (e.g. usability testing, user groups, interviews) are better for answering questions about why or how to fix a problem, whereas quantitative methods (e.g. online surveys) are great for answering questions about how many and how much.

Ideally, you’ll use a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative methods throughout your user research, and work hard to ensure that the UX research you conduct is inclusive !

6. What Next? Conducting User Research Analysis

Once you’ve conducted extensive user research, you’ll move on to the analysis phase. This is where you’ll turn the raw data you’ve gathered into valuable insights. The purpose of UX research analysis is to interpret what the data means; what does it tell you about the product you’re designing, and the people you’re designing it for? How can you use the data you’ve gathered to inform the design process?

Watch this video to learn how to conduct user research analysis in five simple steps:

Final thoughts

“User experience research is the work that uncovers and articulates the needs of individuals and/or groups in order to inform the design of products and services in a structured manner.”

—Nick Remis, Adaptive Path

Overall, the purpose of user experience research is simple: to discover patterns and reveal unknown insights and preferences from the people who use your product. It basically provides the context for our design. Research also helps us fight the tendency to design for ourselves (or our stakeholders)—and returns the focus on designing for the user.

If you’d like to learn more about UX research, check out these articles:

• What Does a UX Researcher Actually Do? The Ultimate Career Guide
• The Ultimate Guide to UX Research Bootcamps
• Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your UX Research Portfolio
• Interview Toolkit: Top 5 UX Research Questions to Prepare For

And to get inspired, check out these 15 quotes from influential designers in the industry.

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User Experience Research for Humanities PhDs

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Originally published on  MLA Job List  by Rebecca Sausville.

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Should UX professionals get a PhD?

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There are a lot of opportunities for UX professionals to learn more about the field. There are various certifications, courses, and classes that can help you understand frameworks, trends, and strategies to use in the space.

But should UX professionals get PhDs? A PhD is obviously a large commitment, but it also allows you to go deep into research, exploring important tenets of UX that can strongly influence a UX career .

Benefits of a PhD 

Holding a phd helps you stand out.

According to the  2016 UXPA salary survey , only about 10% of respondents have earned a PhD level of education. 

Because it’s uncommon, having a PhD can help you stand apart from other job seekers. Many employers recognize the skills and passion that a PhD requires and are eager to bring experts on board.

If you run your own UX consultancy or work as a freelancer, a PhD can also help communicate your expertise and value to potential clients.  In a field where the definition of UX is hard to pinpoint and people come to the table with a bunch of qualifications, having a relevant advanced degree is a wonderful asset .

PhD skills are valuable

The skills learned in grad school nicely transfer to UX research and strategy work.  Those with PhDs are often problem solvers who are good at learning new things  — new terminology, new concepts, new software, new processes, or whatever is needed to get things done.

Grad school also cultivates specific skills that are useful in UX work, like writing, speaking, and justifying decisions. For many PhDs, most public speaking will feel easy compared to orally defending a dissertation to a PhD committee.

PhDs have also learned to be very efficient. As grad students, many have to learn to multitask a heavy load. They took graduate courses, did scientific research, taught classes or labs, spoke at conferences, wrote journal publications, and worked with student or professional organizations. They now get things done quickly because they've learned to juggle multiple projects.

The downside of a PhD 

Phd programs are time consuming and costly.

PhD can take up to eight years to complete. Programs can be a shorter term, but you can count on turning over at least five years if you start from the level of a bachelor’s degree.

If you already have a good career going, it might not make sense to step away.

Grad school is very intensive with little time for outside activities . In traditional PhD programs, it isn’t feasible to work another job while enrolled in a program. Some programs actually prohibit outside jobs, especially if the department is funding you.

In short,  a PhD forces you to temporarily sacrifice a lot  — income, work opportunities and time with friends and family. This can lead to great outcomes eventually, but it can be slow and difficult process.

Many people agree that they often tell people that a PhD is probably not the best avenue for all UX researchers. None of them regret getting theirs, but there are so many other paths into UX that are more pleasant and direct.

How do you decide whether to pursue a PhD?

When considering the PhD, there are many factors to consider. Here are some things to think about:

• Passion:  Don’t go after this degree solely because you think it will lead to more money or prestige. It probably will, but you are unlikely to stick with it if you don’t truly love research for the sake of learning new things. Getting accepted into PhD programs can also be a challenge — you have to prove your passion to even have a shot.
• Type of program:  This article specifically refers to PhD programs in social sciences, which are a wonderful segue into UX research. But there are other avenues to consider. Look at master’s programs and certificate programs to see if those will better give you the skills boost you want.
• Cost:  Even in the US, it is typical for PhD programs to fully fund students with a tuition waiver and stipend. This is great, but keep in mind that your grad school income is very low compared to full-time UX jobs and you might need student loans to supplement your income, depending on your financial situation.
• Location:  Are you willing or able to move? Are you looking to start a career in a new city or country? Or can you find a nontraditional online education that better suits your needs?
• Advisor:  As a PhD student, you work very closely with an advisor, meaning you need to be fully invested in whatever their research interests are. Make sure you apply to programs and advisors who will be a good fit and be certain that you and your potential advisor are compatible interpersonally and professionally.
• Culture:  PhD students also work closely with one another. Many programs are very small, with only a few students per cohort. Get to know existing students and get a feel for whether the culture is a good fit for you.
• Other personal factors:  For example, having a spouse or partner who can help cover bills and household duties can be very helpful. But do you have young children and not want to be busy all the time? Or do you have other commitments that you are unwilling or unable to give up during a PhD? A lot of personal factors can determine whether a PhD is right for you, and none are right or wrong.

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The research conducted at google has broadened dramatically, becoming more important to our mission than ever before..

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Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D. Western Michigan University Kalamazoo MI 49008-5379 USA (269) 387-3800

Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Ph.D.

Ihs-phd program student research grant.

The IHS-PhD Program Student Research Grants are established to support doctoral students engaged in independent scholarly research, scientific inquiry, inventive technology, and artistic/creative activity. The intent of this funding is to support the student's research, not the student with a salary/stipend.

Doctoral students may receive a maximum of one IHS/PhD Research Grants. These competitive grants are not guaranteed awards for each student. The IHS-PhD Program Academic Affairs Committee will review funding request and determine the awarding of these funds.

Note: The typing of theses, dissertations and project paper, as well as the purchase of computers or supplies and equipment commonly provided by departments or by other existing grants or funds do not qualify as a legitimate budget expense under these funds.

Award amount

Grants range up to $500

Eligibility

WMU IHS-PhD Program students must be:

• Enrolled in the IHS-PhD Program
• In good academic standing (3.0 GPA)
• Enrolled in the semester that the application is made

Letter of Application

Important : The application letter should be addressed to the IHS-PhD Academic Affairs Committee and emailed as an attachment to the IHS-PhD Director.

The required application letter must clearly address the following elements:

Applicants are REQUIRED to request funding in writing and send the request to the program director. The request letter must clearly address the following elements:

• Student's name
• Student’s IHS-PhD Program Advisor
• The significance of the project
• The feasibility of completing it in the stated time frame with the requested resources
• The budget and use of the funds
• The applicant’s qualifications for carrying out the project.

College of Professional Studies

The Graduate Certificate in Usability offers a flexible, practical pathway to gain experience in the rapidly growing field of usability and user experience.

A wide variety of industries—from computer software and hardware to biomedical and government agencies—recognize the importance of usability. As a result, there has been an increase in the demand for people with this knowledge. The Graduate Certificate in Usability provides you with the opportunity to learn about the top in-demand skills in this field, including usability testing, prototyping, and information architecture. You can also choose from focused electives that emphasize practical assignments to help get you up to speed with this rapidly growing field.

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A graduate degree or certificate from Northeastern—a top-ranked university—can accelerate your career through rigorous academic coursework and hands-on professional experience in the area of your interest. Apply now—and take your career to the next level.

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• Statement of purpose (500-1000 words): identifies your educational goals and expectations of the program; please be aware that the university's academic policy on plagiarism applies to your statement of purpose
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Our admissions process operates on a rolling basis; however, we do recommend the application guidelines below to ensure you can begin during your desired start term:

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Northeastern's signature experience-powered learning model has been at the heart of the university for more than a century. It combines world-class academics with professional practice, allowing you to acquire relevant, real-world skills you can immediately put into action in your current workplace. This makes a Northeastern education a dynamic, transformative experience, giving you countless opportunities to grow as a professional and person.

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Northeastern University faculty represents a broad cross-section of professional practices and fields, including finance, education, biomedical science, management, and the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside you to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.

By enrolling in Northeastern, you’ll be connected to students at our 13 campuses, as well as 300,000-plus alumni and more than 3,500 employer partners around the world. Our global university system provides you with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally and serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions.

Below is a look at where our Digital Media & Design alumni work, the positions they hold, and the skills they bring to their organization.

Where They Work

What they do.

• Art and Design
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• Information Technology
• Media and Communication

What They're Skilled At

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Social Media
• Digital Media

Learn more about Northeastern Alumni on  Linkedin .

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PhD Positions (m/f/d) | Research School: Molecules of Life

The International Max Planck Research School for Molecules of Life (IMPRS-ML) offers fully funded PhD student positions (m/f/d) in the areas of biochemistry, structural biology, biophysics, cell biology, systems biology, and computational biology . We are looking for outstanding graduates from all over the world to join our network of passionate young scientists in Munich.

What do we offer

• Excellent career opportunities in a vibrant international research community,
• A structured PhD program created by Munich-based Max Planck Institutes and Universities with English as the main language,
• State-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge research projects,
• Individual supervision and mentoring by world-leading scientists,
• Full funding for international and German students, with no tuition fees and additional funding for scientific trainings and internships.

Join our community

The strongest asset of our graduate program is our dynamic and international research community. IMPRS-ML brings together two renowned Max Planck Institutes, the MPI of Biochemistry and the MPI for Biological Intelligence, as well as two leading partner universities, the LMU and TUM, to deliver first-class training for the world’s most promising young scientists.

At IMPRS-ML, we are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Our research groups focus on exploring the structure, function, and dynamics of biomolecules. They investigate how and where these molecules interact in biological systems to generate appropriate responses to environmental cues.

More than 30 distinguished and internationally recognized group leaders actively participate in the PhD program and offer challenging and cutting-edge research projects in the following areas:

• Biochemistry
• Bio-imaging
• Computational Biology
• Gene Regulation
• Immunobiology
• Structural Biology
• Systems Biology

IMPRS-ML– a structured PhD program for future leaders in science

IMPRS-ML provides comprehensive scientific training in a superb and vibrant research environment with state-of-the-art facilities to students aiming for a successful career in science. Our doctoral researchers work within international teams of scientists in an interdisciplinary setting with extensive access to expertise and support. Seminars, summer schools, elective courses, career development training and participation in international conferences supplement laboratory work.

We invite highly qualified candidates with a strong commitment to basic science to apply.

Applicants should hold an MSc (or equivalent degree) with a strong background in biological sciences, biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology or a related discipline. Outstanding candidates with a first-class BSc degree (or equivalent degree) are eligible to apply for the fast-track option.

For more information, eligibility criteria and online application please visit our website .

Online applications open: 01.09.2024

Application deadline: 13.10.2024

Accepted candidates may start research projects between March and October 2025.

Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry Am Klopferspitz 18 82152 Martinsried Germany

Phone: +49 89 8578-1

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Randy L. Hirschtick (Gollub), MD, PhD

• MD, Duke University School of Medicine
• PhD, Pharmacology, Duke University

• Faculty, Staff and Students
• Hope Barkoukis

Hope Barkoukis, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND

Chair of the Department of Nutrition, and the curriculum creator/faculty co-lead for the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Wellness and Preventive Care Pathway for medical students. The Mandel Pathway introduces medical students to stress reduction techniques, social well-being habits, nutrition, lifestyle and culinary medicine. In 2018 the Mandel Pathway received national recognition and an award for Innovation in Teaching future health care professionals from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Teaching awards include the 2019 Outstanding Dietetic Educator from Nutrition Dietetics Education Professionals and the Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Top Prof, and the John S. Diekhoff Graduate Award for teaching excellence from CWRU. Advanced training includes Culinary Coaching from Harvard University and the Institute for Lifestyle Medicine and advanced training in culinary arts. Countless culinary & nutrition educational sessions for students, consumers and professional audiences have been presented, including recently for ≥ 300 attendees at the Academy’s national Food, Nutrition and Exhibition.

Research experience ranges from the design of nutrition, food and culinary intervention studies; nutrition counseling of culturally diverse populations; competency in body composition techniques, respiratory calorimetry, energy balance determinations, nutritional status and dietary assessments, protein analyses, use of mass spec and stable isotopes for metabolic research. Several funded NIH research interventions have focused on manipulating the types of dietary carbohydrates and dietary glycemic index to achieve greater control of glucose response and substrate utilization using the dietary intervention I have created. I have significant expertise in collaborating with investigators across several disciplines.

Teaching Information

Teaching interests.

Nutrition for the aging and aged, culinary medicine, vitamins, nutrition for healthcare professionals, sports nutrition

Courses Taught

Office hours.

By appointment

Research Information

Research projects.

• In planning stages: Culinary medicine in dietetic education curriculum requirements and undergraduate education;
• This study will determine the effects of abnormal glucose utilization and flux through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway on cell proliferation and nitric oxide deficiency in idiopathic PAH.
• Role: Co-Investigator
• This study investigates the impact of lifestyle interventions on maternal and infant outcomes. Nutrition students were/(continue to be) trained to be ‘lifestyle coaches’.
• This study is creating a consumer useful tool to assess contamination in over the counter dietary supplements and investigating the accuracy of this tool.

Awards and Honors

External appointments, publications.

View Publications

Selected Publications

• Eddie Hill, Hima Sapa, PhD, Lavinia Negrea, MD, Kristin Bame, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, Thomas Hostetter, MD, Hope Barkoukis, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND, Adriana Dusso, PhD, Mirela Dobre, MD. (2020). Effect of Oat B Glucan Supplementation: A feasibility Study. J Renal Nutrition, 30(3);208-215.
• ML Erickson, J Mey, CL Axelrod, D Paul, R Russell, H Barkoukis, G OTierney, JP Kirwan. (2020). Rationale and Study Design for Lifestyle Intervention on Preparation for Pregnancy (LIPP): A Randomized Clinical Trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials 94:106:624
• Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo, Jiao Yu, Majusha Kulkarni, Abdes Sattar, Nicholas Funderburg, Hope Barkoukis, Grace McComsey. (2019). Brief Report: Zinc Supplementation and Inflammation in Treated HIV. J Acquired Immune Def Syndrome, November 1:82(3);275-280.
• Barkoukis H, Swain J, Rogers K, Harris S. (2019). Culinary Medicine and the RDN: Time for a leadership role.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2019.01.012.
• Ritzenthaler, D., Chan, C., Papp, K. K., & Barkoukis, H. (2018). Zip, zap, zop: Improving medical student wellness. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33 (2 Supplement 1), 755-756.
• Hari A, Fealy C, Solomon T, Haus J, Kelly K, Barkoukis H, Kirwan, J. Exercise induced improvements in glucose effectiveness are blunted by high glycemic diet in pre-diabetics. Acta Diabetologicia, Jan 5, 2019. https://doi.org/10/.1007/s00592-018-1272-2

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• Vacant positions - University of Oslo

SolarLab announces 41 PhD vacancies to drive solar innovation in the Netherlands

10 September 2024

Paving the way for a sustainable future

SolarLab , a national collaboration of leading solar energy researchers, offers a unique opportunity for PhD candidates to immerse themselves in groundbreaking research aimed at making solar energy more efficient, sustainable, and seamlessly integrated into our daily lives. As part of this dynamic research environment, the new PhD students will join a team of over 40 researchers working across the Netherlands to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the climate crisis.

"Our research is focused on the design of new solar cells, advanced solar energy materials, and innovative integration methods," explained Prof. dr. Monica Morales-Masis, a principal investigator at SolarLab. "The results of these projects will not only contribute to fundamental renewable energy knowledge globally but will also be directly implemented in the solar energy industry here in the Netherlands."

Join a thriving national solar energy ecosystem

As part of the SolarNL program, SolarLab aims to foster a thriving ecosystem for solar energy innovation. PhD candidates will work on research projects in collaboration with top universities, research institutes, and leading solar technology companies. These efforts align with SolarNL's vision to accelerate the energy transition by developing an industry for high-efficiency solar cells, flexible solar foils, and customized solar panels tailored for a variety of applications.

"By joining SolarLab, you will be part of a large, collaborative community of researchers and industry experts working towards a common goal: developing new and impactful solar technologies to meet our climate goals," said Prof. dr. Bruno Ehler, principal investigator and program leader at SolarLab.

Funded by the National Growth Fund's SolarNL program

SolarLab's research initiatives are a crucial part of the SolarNL program, which has received a substantial subsidy from the National Growth Fund and private investors. The program aims to build a robust Dutch solar energy manufacturing industry with a production volume of over 7 GWp/year, enough to meet the 2050 solar energy goals in The Netherlands. This initiative leverages the Netherlands' extensive expertise in solar technology to produce a new generation of solar cells and panels, utilizing fully circular production processes that minimize CO2 emissions and integrate aesthetically into various environments.

A call to aspiring researchers

The new PhD positions offer a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation in solar technology. PhD students at SolarLab will be part of a large community of researchers who contribute to developing the next generation of solar cells. For example, they can develop more efficient tandem solar cells based on perovskite semiconductors, make solar cells more recyclable, or develop solar cells of any color for integration into building facades or cars. The research will not only support the creation of a new manufacturing industry for solar panels in the Netherlands and Europe but also advance global knowledge in renewable energy.

"We invite passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds to join us in solving the greatest challenge of our generation. Your contribution is vital," added Bruno. "If you are excited about making a real impact on the future of energy, we encourage you to apply."

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