Junior Researcher (PhD) in Adaptive XR User Interfaces with Physiological Sensing in the Design & Services Research Community

We invite applications for a fully funded PhD position for three years focusing on adaptive XR user interfaces with physiological sensing. Research activities in the Design and Services RC support the University of Lapland's strategic spearhead in research. The research is grounded in user-centred design, co-design and the creation of interactive prototypes, supported by advanced laboratory facilities for design prototyping.

The PhD research focuses on investigating user interfaces that adapt in real time based on physiological sensing. The work combines design, technical implementation and empirical evaluation. The candidate will design and prototype adaptive XR interfaces and evaluate how physiological signals can be used to infer user states - such as those related to cognitive load, stress, attention, engagement and fatigue - and how these can be used to dynamically adjust interface behaviour. The research utilises MAGICS FIRI research infrastructure at the Faculty of Art and Design, especially the HumanTech lab.

Your tasks

The candidate will:

design and develop XR prototypes (e.g. using Unreal Engine or Unity) that adapt visual, auditory or interaction elements in response to user state

integrate physiological-sensing technologies into XR systems, potentially including, e.g. eye tracking using devices such as Varjo XR-3, heart-related measures using wearable sensors and electrodermal activity (EDA/GSR) for stress detection

conduct controlled laboratory experiments and in situ XR studies to evaluate adaptive behaviour using both quantitative measures and qualitative methods

explore design strategies for adaptive interfaces, such as adjusting task difficulty based on inferred user state

investigate the user experience, trust, transparency and acceptance of adaptive systems

publish results in leading international venues in HCI, XR and design research.

The work may involve collaboration with interdisciplinary partners in areas such as human-computer interactio