Domestic digital guests: Speculative approaches to metadata in the home

Coventry University (CU) is inviting applications from suitably-qualified graduates for a fully-funded PhD studentship in critical design.

Applications are invited from ambitious and self-motivated candidates to study the use of metadata in domestic environments. Before Coronavirus, concern was growing about the impact of screens and social media on individual and social well-being, but now technology has become vital for school, work and social interaction, with track-and-trace apps seen as key to return to ‘normal ’economic activity, which some see instead as increasing surveillance capitalism and ecological disaster.

There is thus an urgent need for a critical approach to technology use, aimed at inclusivity and the ‘postdigital,’ particularly regarding the unregulated growth of artificial intelligence, reliance on data science and the quantification of human behaviour, and technological surveillance within domestic environments via ‘intelligent assistants’.

This project specifically investigates metadata generated by AI technologies in the quantification of human behaviour in the domestic environment, exploring what can and cannot be quantified, and the role of human agency and labour in the generation of metadata. The project explores this through ethnographic methods, speculative design and pataphysics, to link micro- and macro-level issues through criticality and spatial practice.
Training and Development
The successful candidate will receive comprehensive research training including technical, personal and professional skills.

All researchers at Coventry University (from PhD to Professor) are part of the Doctoral College and Centre for Research Capability and Development, which provides support with high-quality training and career development activities.
Entry criteria for applicants to PHD
· A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average.
PLUS
the potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within a 3.5 years
· a minimum of English language proficiency (IELTS overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component)

For further details see: https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-students/making-an-application/
How to apply
To apply on line please visit:
https://pgrplus.coventry.ac.uk/studentships/fah-domestic-digital-guests-speculative-approaches-to-metadata-in-the-home

All applications require full supporting documentation, a covering letter, plus an up to 2000-word supporting statement showing how the applicant’s expertise and interests are relevant to the project.