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Doctoral Researcher 08 (CONVERGENCE of HUMANS and MACHINES): Games & Play for Posthumans / Väitöskirjatutkija: Pelit ja leikit postihmisille

Published date more than one year ago
Posted: more than one year ago
Company Tampere University
Company: Tampere University
End date Feb. 28, 2023
Due date: Feb. 28, 2023
Location Tampere
Location: Tampere


Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact research and education. Our universities community has its competitive edges in technology, health and society. www.tuni.fi/en

CONVERGENCE of HUMANS and MACHINES project at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences is looking for a Doctoral Researcher to work on the topic of Games & Play for Posthumans.

Convergence is the trailblazing doctoral field, aiming at bringing together expertise of natural sciences & engineering (ENG) and social sciences & humanities (SSH) in multidisciplinary union. As many as 16 doctoral research projects are related to the following developments: affective computing, gamification, augmented reality, cybernetics, ubiquitous connectivity, dispersed computing, AI & machine learning, and robotics & machine perception. Each student will be supervised by two leading senior faculty members (and, sometimes, a PostDoc or company/organization representative). The main supervisor and the co-supervisor are from different research fields: ENG and SSH. Check the end of the position description for the supervisory team details.

Join Convergence… And make a change!

* Convergence has 16 funded doctoral positions. The applicant may only apply for up to 3 positions within Convergence. If you are unsure if this (#08) is the correct one – please, check the website with the list of Convergence positions. Make your selection first and only apply the ones that are suitable for your background.

Project background

Convergence is a new research field that brings together academics from Social Sciences & Humanities and Technology & Engineering to train the next generation of Doctoral Expertise and address future challenges and opportunities of multidisciplinary Convergence of Humans and Machines. Convergence is funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.

Convergence is based on the premise that, on the one hand, people are increasingly integrated with technology and our culture and practices are increasingly dictated by information technology. On the other hand, machines are becoming more alive, creative, and dynamic. In other words, human and machine are converging. The project has emerged from the need to redefine and renegotiate the roles of human and machine in society and from the need of cross-disciplinary collaboration understand this rising area. 

Job description

We are looking for a Doctoral Researcher who is a  creative technologist interested in working on one or more of the following topics to pursue research within the field of  “Games & Play for Posthumans”:

  • Games for transhumans
  • Trans-species play
  • Games for outer space
  • Playing with robotic companions
  • Transurban playgrounds

Backgrounds can be diverse and be oriented towards engineering, design, or the humanities. However, in all candidates we look for skills and aptitude for designing and making technologies, critical engagement with possible futures, as well as creative and generative thinking. 

Successful candidates will pursue a doctoral degree at Tampere University. Full-time doctoral studies are expected to be completed in four years.

An applicant  may only apply for maximum 3 Convergence positions from this list. This position number is 08.

Short description: 

With the rapid advances in technology, artificial intelligence, robotic companions, bodily integrated technologies, brain-machine interfaces, and space habitation technologies are now here or on the horizon. These technologies, when integrated fully on the societal level, will have a profound impact on how we live and experience the world around us. In this project, we aim to investigate these futures through an antisolutionist approach and by using games & play as a central lens. What will games & play be like in a posthuman age? What can designing games & play in a posthuman era tell us about future societies?

This project aims to answer this question and examine games & play in posthuman technofutures through utilizing antisolutionist design methods. In other words, this project will create fictional narratives, worlds and prototypes through speculative and critical design methods such as design fiction, fictional probes, and pastiche scenarios, demonstrating how games & play could be like in posthuman futures. 

In the context of this project, posthuman futures refer both to transhuman futures where computers and the body of humans converge and to futures where we attain a more-than-human approach, going beyond anthropocentric thinking by taking non-human actors into account. These two approaches merge especially when we consider that the integration of synthetic technology with our organic bodies may render us trans-species, which suggests possibilities for novel ways of interaction between organic species, synthetic species and trans-species.

Tentative Research problems/questions: 

  • What will games & play be like in a posthuman age? 
  • What artifacts and technologies will facilitate games & play in posthuman futures?
  • What can designing games & play of a posthuman era tell us about future societies?

Requirements

The applicant needs to have a Master’s degree related to human-computer interaction (e.g., interaction design, industrial product design, graphic design, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, psychology, or a suitable field within the humanities) and have demonstrated (during your studies towards the Master’s degree or otherwise) the competence and motivation to pursue postgraduate studies. 

Successful candidates must be pursuing or will be accepted to study towards a doctoral degree in the Doctoral Programme of Humans and Technologies (DPHAT). Please visit the admissions webpage https://www.tuni.fi/en/study-with-us/programmes/doctoral-programmes for more information on eligibility requirements. Please, pay special attention to the language requirements.

Preferred applicant’s qualifications:

The research topics require a strong interest and relevant experience in the following:

  • Having skills in designing and developing working prototypes of technologies
  • Experience in using design tools and techniques (sketching, drawing, visual design software such as photoshop, illustrator, brainstorming, ideation)
  • Experience in maker tools (e.g., arduino, raspberry pie, different sensors, 3D-printer, prototyping tools)
  • Familiarity with some of the following areas and concepts: posthumanism, transhumanism, more-than-human design, wearables, bodily technologies, brain-machine interfaces, design fiction, speculative design, critical design
  • Interest or knowledge in game design
  • Interest in and knowledge of science fiction, world-building and literary writing

Candidates are selected based on the level of promise that they show, and this will be evaluated on the basis of their study and research interest description, their previous success in studies, and merits in writing the doctoral thesis and / or scientific publishing, as well as their background match to the research topic.

Tampere University is a unique, multidisciplinary and boldly forward-looking, evolving community. Our values are openness, diversity, responsibility, courage, critical thinking, erudition building, and learner-centeredness. We hope that you can embrace these values and promote them in your work.

We offer

An applicant  may only apply for maximum 3 Convergence positions from this list. This position number is 08.

The position will be filled for a fixed-term period of maximum four (4) years. The starting date is 1 September 2023 or as mutually agreed. A trial period of six (6) months applies to all our new employees.

The salary will be based on both the job requirements and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the salary system of Finnish universities. According to the criteria applied to teaching and research staff, the position of a Doctoral Researcher is placed on level 2—4 of the job requirements scale. A typical baseline starting salary for Doctoral Researchers is approximately 2,500 EUR/month.

We are inviting you to be a part of a vibrant, active and truly international research community. We value interdisciplinarity, as it allows you to expand your research network and exposes you to new perspectives and ideas to solve complex research problems and pursue novel research findings. We are strongly committed to the highest level of scientific research and the provision of high-quality doctoral education. 

As a member of staff at Tampere University, you will enjoy a range of competitive benefits, such as occupational health care services, flexible work schedule, versatile research infrastructure, modern teaching facilities and a safe and inviting campus area as well as a personal fund to spend on sports and cultural activities in your free time. Please read more about working at Tampere University. You can also find more information about us and working and living Tampere by watching our video: Tampere Higher Education Community - our academic playground.  

Finland is among the most stable, free and safe countries in the world, based on prominent ratings by various agencies. Tampere is the largest inland city of Finland, and the city is counted among the major academic hubs in the Nordic countries. Tampere region is the most rapidly growing urban area in Finland and home to a vibrant knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial community. The city is an industrial powerhouse that enjoys a rich cultural scene and a reputation as a centre of Finland’s information society. Tampere is also surrounded by vivid nature with forests and lakes, providing countless opportunities for easy-to-access outdoor adventures and refreshment throughout the year. 

Read more about Finland and Tampere: 

How to apply

To address these rising challenges, Convergence is looking for 16 funded doctoral researchers. Note, the applicant may only apply for 3 positions within Convergence.

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications has been extended to 28 February 2023 (23:59 EET /UTC +2). Please write your application and all the accompanying documentation in English and attach them in PDF format.

Please attach only the following documents (in PDF format) to your application: 

  • A letter of motivation and description of your research interests (max. 2 page(s)). Named “Surname_Motivation_Letter.pdf”
    • The selected applicant will have to apply and be admitted to the doctoral programme prior to the start of the work. The student needs to write a more detailed research plan at that stage.
  • Curriculum vitae according to the TENK templateNamed “Surname_CV.pdf”
  • Pdf copy of your MSc and BSc degree certificates, including transcripts of all university records and their English translations (Finnish and Swedish certificates are also accepted). 
    • If you do not have the certificates yet, please, include the letter from your university that provides the expected graduation date as well as your current transcript of records. Named “Surname_Degrees.pdf”
  • Certificate of language proficiency “Named “Surname_Lang.pdf”
    • The minimum English language test result requirements: Test name: minimum test result (*The previous CAE and CPE have been renamed as C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency): TOEFL iBT / TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition: 92 overall, with no section below 20; IELTS (academic) / IELTS Indicator: 6.5 overall, with no section below 5.5; PTE (academic): 62 overall, with no section below 54; C1 Advanced*: C; C2 Proficiency*: C1; Finnish National Certificate of Language Proficiency (English): Proficiency level 5
    • Exemptions to the language requirements: It is possible to be exempted from submitting a language test score if you have completed a higher education degree in English in certain countriesIf you apply without a valid language test result, carefully examine the exemptions that your studies fulfil the requirements.
  • Either 2 Recommendation letters [preferably] OR the contact details of two referees [if the first option is not possible, and with explained reasoning], e.g., your M.Sc. supervisors / employers. Named “Surname_Recommendations.pdf”

For further information, please contact the supervisors:

Assistant Professor Oğuz ‘Oz’ Buruk, oguz.buruk@tuni.fi 

Professor Johannes Riquet, johannes.riquet@tuni.fi 

External co-supervisor, Tactic Games, Member of the Board Katriina Heljakka kati.heljakka@tactic.net 

For general question about Convergence, contact: Coordinator, Dr. Aleksandr Ometov, aleksandr.ometov@tuni.fi

For questions about the doctoral studies enrollment, check DPHAT doctoral programme contacts.

*** [Summary in Finnish]

Tampereen yliopisto ja Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu muodostavat yhdessä Suomen toiseksi suurimman monitieteisen, innostavan ja vaikuttavan tutkimus- ja oppimisyhteisön. Korkeakouluyhteisömme osaamiskärjet ovat tekniikka, terveys ja yhteiskunta. Lue lisää: www.tuni.fi

ITC on käynnistänyt uuden monitieteisen tutkimussuunnan Ihmiset ja teknologiat -tohtoriohjelmaan (DPHAT) sijoittuvan CONVERGENCE – Ihmisen ja koneen konvergenssi -tutkimusalan puitteissa.

Maailma on täyttymässä erilaisista koneista, autonomisista ajoneuvoista, reaaliaikaisista käännöstyökaluista, puettavasta teknologiasta ja muista laitteista, joissa ihmisen ja koneen välinen raja on katoamassa. Ihmisen ja koneen konvergenssi -ohjelman päätavoitteena onkin tutkia tulevaisuutta, jossa tietoa, asiantuntemusta ja taitoja voidaan siirtää reaaliajassa ja jossa tekoälyyn perustuvat toimijat ymmärtävät ja aistivat ihmistä reagoiden tähän ennakoiden ja eettisesti. Kehitys näyttää johtavan modernin ihmisen ja koneiden yhteistoimintaan ja rinnakkaiseloon eli konvergenssiin, joka tuo mukanaan täysin uusia tutkimusongelmia.

Näiden haasteiden ratkaisemiseksi ITC-tiedekunta rekrytoi 16 palkkapaikallista väitöskirjatutkijaa. Jokaista opiskelijaa ohjaa pääohjaaja ja sivuohjaaja, jotka ovat eri aloilta (toinen yhteiskunta- ja humanistisista tieteistä ja toinen tekniikan alalta).

Luodaan uutta eri alueet yhdistävää osaamista yhdessä!

Tehtävänkuvaus

Väitöskirjatutkija (Pelit ja leikit postihmisille)

Teknologian nopean kehityksen myötä tekoäly, robottikumppanit, kehoon integroidut tekniikat, aivo-konerajapinnat ja avaruusasumusteknologiat ovat nyt täällä tai horisontissa. Näillä tekniikoilla, kun ne integroidaan täysin yhteiskunnallisella tasolla, on syvällinen vaikutus siihen, miten elämme ja koemme ympäröivän maailman. Tämän projektin tavoitteena on tutkia pelejä ja pelaamista posthumaanisissa teknotulevaisuudessa hyödyntämällä antisolutionistisia suunnittelumenetelmiä. Toisin sanoen tämä projekti luo fiktiivisiä kertomuksia, maailmoja ja prototyyppejä spekulatiivisilla ja kriittisillä suunnittelumenetelmillä, kuten designfiktio, fiktiivinen koettima ja pastisiskenaario, osoittaen minkälaisia pelit ja leikki voisivat olla posthumaanisessa tulevaisuudessa.

Hakuohjeet ja lisätiedot 

Jätäthän hakemuksesi yliopiston sähköisellä hakulomakkeella (linkki löytyy tämän ilmoituksen alta). Katso tarkemmat ohjeet ja yhteystiedot englanninkielisestä ilmoitukselta. 

Hakuaikaa tehtävään on jatkettu 28.2.2023 klo 23.59 asti.