PhD Position in Ergonomics and Human-Robot Collaboration

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked as one of the world's leading universities. It has around 47,000 students and more than 8,800 staff in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our effort to understand, explain, and improve our world and the conditions of human life.

Lund University welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Gender equality, equal opportunities, and diversity are fundamental principles for all parts of our operations.

Description of the Organization

The PhD position is associated with the Ergonomics Group at the Department of Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology, which focuses on the interaction between humans, technology, and organizations and what this interaction means for the design of technology, technical systems, and organizations.

Being a PhD Student

As a PhD student, you are both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University. As a research student, you are trained in a scientific approach. This can be briefly described as gaining practice in critical and analytical thinking, solving problems independently with the right methodological choices, and developing research ethics awareness. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to work on projects, develop your leadership skills, and enhance your pedagogical abilities. Throughout your studies, you will be guided by supervisors. The research studies conclude with a dissertation and a doctoral degree.

Learn more about being a PhD student at LTH at lth.se (https://www.lth.se/forskning/forskarutbildning/).

Project Description

The working environment in the construction industry is known for having many hazards and significant challenges related to accidents and wear injuries. Similar to other industries, there is currently rapid development of robots intended for use on construction sites. In the future, humans and robots are expected to work in the same environment, and in some cases even collaborate and work together. This entails changing workplace risks and a need for new knowledge about both the risks and how they can be managed. The current research project revolves around how people in the construction industry perceive, understand, and could act in relation to workplace risks in human-robot collaboration.

Responsibilities

You will primarily focus on your doctoral education, which includes participation in research projects as well as doctoral courses, seminars, and conferences.

You will work on a research project about human-robot collaboration on construction sites with a focus on safety. The research concerns how people understand and perceive risks when collaborating with robots and how these risks can be managed from an MTO perspective. The research is applied and includes various user studies. In the project, you will work alongside two senior researchers, who will also be your supervisors in the doctoral education. The research environment also includes research projects related to human-robot collaboration in other contexts as well as more PhD students and senior researchers to collaborate with.

The responsibilities include:

• Scientific literature reviews
• Participating in planning user studies within the research project
• Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with various personnel categories/roles within the construction industry
• Systematic observations of human-robot collaboration
• Analysis of qualitative and quantitative empirical research data
• Writing scientific articles and reports
• Participation in teaching and other departmental work

Qualifications

To be accepted and employed as a PhD student, you need to meet the requirements below.

Eligibility Requirements

You meet the basic eligibility for doctoral education if you have:

• a completed master's degree or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the master's level or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Specific eligibility for the doctoral education subject is met if you have:

• at least 50 higher education credits relevant to the subject area (e.g., psychology, cognitive science, behavioral science, science and technology studies (STS), sociology, interaction design, leadership, or organizational studies), of which at least 25 higher education credits at the master's level

Other Requirements

To benefit from the current doctoral education, the following is also required:

• Very good knowledge of Swedish, in both spoken and written form.
• Very good knowledge of English, in both spoken and written form.
• Good ability to work independently and the ability to formulate and address scientific problems.
• Good collaboration skills.

Read more here

Welcome with your application!

LTH – Lund University Faculty of Engineering – is the engineering faculty at Lund University. At LTH, we educate people, build knowledge for the future, and work hard to develop society. We create space for brilliant research and inspire creative development of technology, architecture, and design. Nearly 10,000 students study here. Each year, our researchers – many of whom work in world-leading profile areas – publish about 100 dissertations and 2,000 scientific findings. A number of research results and student projects are refined into innovations. Together, we explore and create – for the benefit of the world.

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