PhD position in Human–Robot Interaction in healthcare: Designing sustainable collaboration in healthcare practice

Your work tasks

The PhD project focuses on human-robot interaction and collaboration in healthcare, with particular attention to how robotic technologies move from experimental interaction scenarios to becoming sustainable parts of everyday work practice in healthcare. While robotic systems often perform well in controlled laboratory environments, translating these systems into meaningful collaboration in real-world healthcare practice remains a significant challenge. The project will therefore investigate how healthcare professionals and robotic systems interact in everyday clinical practice and how these interactions shape the ways robots are used, adapted, and integrated in healthcare work. Building on insights from real-world studies of human-robot interaction, the project will explore the conditions under which human-robot collaboration can become sustainable in practice, generating knowledge that can support the development and implementation of robots that meaningfully support everyday work in healthcare.

The successful candidate will conduct empirical research and collect data through ethnographically inspired fieldwork in healthcare environments, including methods such as interviews, observations, and participatory workshops, in collaboration with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. The project will generate new knowledge about how human-robot collaboration evolves in complex healthcare environments and about the organisational, infrastructural, and professional conditions that enable such collaboration to become sustainable in real-world practice.

Your competencies

Applicants should have a strong interest in the interactions between humans and robots and in the role of emerging technologies in healthcare. The successful candidate is expected to have a background that enables them to investigate the interactions between healthcare professionals, robotic technologies, and the organisational and healthcare settings in which they are embedded.

We expect applicants to hold a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as techno-anthropology, science and technology studies, human-computer interaction, digital health, design, anthropology, sociology, or related discipline. Experience with qualitative or participatory research methods and an interest in empirical research in organisational or healthcare settings will be considered an advantage.

The ideal candidate is motivated to work in interdisciplinary research environments and is interested in collaborating with researchers from different fields as well as with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. We expect the candidate to demonstrate curiosity, independence, initiative, and the motivation to develop and carry out a research project in collaboration with supervisors and research partners.

Strong communication skills in English, both written and spoken, are required, as the PhD project will be conducted in an international research environment. Danish language skills are considered an advantage, but they are not a requirement.

How to apply

Your application must include the following:

• A cover letter of max. 1 page, including motivation for applying and a brief explanation of the applicant’s background and suitability for the project.
• A research statement (project description) broadly within the framework of human–robot interaction in healthcare, particularly focusing on real-world collaboration between healthcare professionals and robotic technologies, of max. 2 pages (excl. references). This statement should outline the applicant’s thoughts and ideas on possible research directions within the context of the topic outlined above.
• CV
• Diploma and transcripts of records
• Other relevant documents

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website.