PhD student in Video Games and Sustainability - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Information Technology holds a leading position in both research and education at all levels. We are currently Uppsala University's third largest department, have around 350 employees, including 120 teachers and 120 PhD students. Approximately 5,000 undergraduate students take one or more courses at the department each year. You can find more information about us on the department of Information Technology website.

The Division of Visual Information and Interaction (Vi3) is a unique combination of expertise in computing education research, computerized image analysis, and human-machine interaction (HMI).  Within the HMI unit, the Digital Ecologies Lab is led by Prof Mike Hazas, has two postdocs, and five active, externally-funded research projects.

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Description of the research area
The student will join the Digital Ecologies Lab, and be a key staff member in a new research project entitled “Game On? Identifying Environmentally Sustainable Trajectories for Video Games”, funded by the Swedish Energy Agency.  The project is led by Mike Hazas (Department of IT), in collaboration with Per Fors (Dept. of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Uppsala University), Daniel Pargman and Björn Hedin (both at KTH), and Daniel Schien (University of Bristol).  Industry partners include Dataspelsbranschen and Kinda Brave AB. The objectives of the overall project are: (1) Map out how gaming is composed in Sweden (demographics, devices, services, delivery, genre and modes of play); (2) Use this composition to model the energy and environmental footprint for different forms of gaming; (3) Uncover the meanings and practicalities of both older and newer forms of playing games, charting the next decade’s possible trajectories. (4) Evaluate the footprint of these trajectories.

Duties
The actual PhD plan and work will be co-developed with the student.  However, the funded proposal suggests the student would be involved in research tasks such as:  an online survey of hundreds of people in Sweden that engage in digital gaming practices; interviews and observation in many households to explore and understand their game-related practices; visioning and scenario-building for the future of digital gaming in Sweden and its implications for electricity and carbon emissions, based on the student’s own fieldwork and incorporating data gathered by other researchers in the project. 

The student will be co-supervised by Hazas and Fors, with some direct collaboration with Schien and other project partners.

The duration of the position is at most five years, and includes department duties (mainly teaching) at a level of at most 20%.  Doctoral education also includes participation in courses related to the research subject.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in human-computer interaction, science and technology studies, human geography, anthropology, media studies, or related areas relevant to the PhD topics, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

You must have some experience gathering and analysing qualitative data.

Good communication skills in English, both spoken and written, are required. 

You must be able to conduct yourself professionally in different contexts:  as a collaborative member of a project team, and with participants and stakeholders such as household inhabitants, games developers, and others working in the games and games publishing industry.

Additional qualifications
Experience with quantitative data analysis, particularly as might be applied to social practices, and energy and environmental sustainability.

Some familiarity with concepts and methods from life cycle assessment, and propensity to contribute to simple modelling based on data gathered in the project.

Ability to conduct the research with participants in Swedish, is meriting.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

How to apply
The application should include:

• A statement of the applicant’s motivation for applying for this particular position, including the candidate’s research interests, and evidence of the applicant’s ability to work in a group (maximum 2 pages)
• A curriculum vitae (CV)
• A copy of relevant diplomas and transcripts (translated into English or Swedish)
• A copy of the MSc thesis (or a draft thereof).
• The earliest possible starting date.
• Contact information for at least one reference (but no reference letter). 

Promising applicants will be invited for an interview on-site before hiring.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 28 August or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala. 

For further information about the position, please contact: Mike Hazas, e-mail address mike.hazas@it.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 26 May 2023, UFV-PA 2023/1858. 

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