Doctoral research in UX, HCI, interaction design and related fields. Compare the research fit, funding and eligibility before investing time in an application.
Funded awards and funding competitions are labelled separately. Some projects require technical skills; others welcome design, social-science or professional backgrounds. Announced rounds that have not opened yet are clearly marked. The number boxes count listings, not available funded places.
Listings disappear the day after their advertised closing date, using UK time. If automatic updates are paused in Reading settings, reload to remove expired listings. Institutions may close adverts earlier, so always recheck the source. No listed opportunity is a paid placement.
Collection search checked . A UK-wide search of university, doctoral-training and academic vacancy sources, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is a selected set of relevant opportunities, not an exhaustive census or a promise that every university has an open funded place. Self-funded project ideas and expired adverts are excluded. Each card records its own source check; existing academic job checks are retained separately.
PhD studentships 12
Funding competition · RECHECK AVAILABILITY
VR embodiment and eating disorders · GW4 BioMed funding competition
University of Bristol · England Advertised closing date: 21 October 2026 · check the application portal for the cutoff time
Investigate how embodying virtual bodies of different shapes and sizes affects body perception and satisfaction in people with eating disorders. An interdisciplinary route into immersive experience evaluation and mental-health research. The project page permits part-time study.
Funding: A four-year GW4 BioMed3 studentship includes Home-rate tuition fees, a UKRI-rate stipend and research support. Funding is competitive. Confirm eligibility and any overseas-fee arrangements with the programme.
Source check · : Official GW4 project and funding pages reviewed. Project code NMH27Br Bould. This is a separate funding route from the NIHR award below: do not assume that submitting one application covers both.
Happiness by Design: immersive technologies for consumer experience
University of Nottingham · England · with Swansea University, Wales Advertised closing date: 23 October 2026 · deadline time not stated
Combine immersive environments, computer vision and behavioural research to investigate food experiences in realistic contexts. Relevant to HCI, XR, user research and experimental design; applicants need a relevant first or 2:1 degree. The industrial partner is pladis.
Funding: Four years of Home tuition fees plus an advertised tax-free stipend of £23,303 a year. International applicants must fund the fee difference, advertised as around £20,000 a year and rising.
Source check · : University advert on FindAPhD and the Food Consortium’s IFST project page reviewed. Start-date wording differs: the consortium page says February 2027; the advert allows January–September 2027. Confirm the intended start and overseas fee shortfall. Project reference 2601 NSP.
Designing Human–AI Teams for Meaningful Human Control of ‘Machine-Speed’ Operations
University of Birmingham · England Advertised closing date: 26 October 2026, 5pm · confirm the time zone
Study how people retain meaningful control when AI agents operate faster than human communication and decision-making. HCI, human factors, ergonomics and cognitive psychology backgrounds are relevant. Human-participant experiments and statistical analysis are essential. Starts 4 January 2027, with BAE Systems as the project partner.
Funding: Home applicants only. Tuition fees, maintenance stipend, research training and research activity support are advertised; the precise stipend and award duration should be confirmed.
Source check · : Centre-UB’s current project page confirms the deadline, Home-only restriction and start date. Funding components are stated in the university’s jobs.ac.uk advert. Discuss the project’s defence context and funding terms with the supervisors.
VR embodiment and eating disorders · NIHR ARC South West award
University of Bristol · England · with University of Bath Advertised closing date: 29 October 2026 · deadline time not stated
Use mixed methods and work with people with eating disorders to evaluate VR embodiment experiences and requirements for clinical adoption. HCI, psychology, public-health and related backgrounds are eligible; prior research experience is expected. Start between December 2026 and February 2027.
Funding: Three years full-time: UK tuition fees and a UKRI-rate stipend, advertised as £21,805 for 2026/27. Overseas applicants must cover the fee difference. Part-time applicants must finish before March 2031.
Source check · : The University of Bristol’s full advert on FindAPhD was reviewed. This is the NIHR award, with a different deadline and duration from the GW4 funding competition for the related project. Confirm the appropriate route with the supervisor.
Modelling Dialogue Understandability in Media Using Listener Types and AI
University of Salford · UK Advertised closing date: 16 November 2026
An adjacent route into human-centred media research for applicants with machine learning, audio engineering or speech-processing experience. This is a technical research opportunity rather than a general UX design studentship.
Funding: Indexed advert: £22,852 per year for three and a half years; funding listed for UK students. Tuition fee coverage and detailed eligibility need confirmation.
Source check · : Lead from jobs.ac.uk indexed advert text; full advert has not been reviewed. Ask about the funding package, supervision, equipment and required attendance. Remote study is not verified.
University of Edinburgh · Scotland Advertised closing date: 30 November 2026, midnight GMT · mandatory Stage 1 deadline
Design and investigate real-world language technologies through HCI, design, linguistics, informatics, law and humanities. Suitable for applicants bringing design or research expertise rather than only computer science. Typically a relevant 2:1 and/or master’s; substantial relevant professional experience can also be considered.
Funding: Four years of funding, tuition-fee waiver and research support. The programme expects a £30,000 annual stipend for eligible Home-fee entrants in 2027; overseas entrants receive the standard UKRI stipend. The enhancement is described as expected, not guaranteed.
Source check · : Official 2027 recruitment page reviewed. Stage 1 is required before an invitation to Stage 2 in January 2027. Starts September 2027, based at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Check fee status and the final stipend offer.
University of Cambridge · England Advertised closing date: 2 December 2026 · deadline time not verified
A project combining HCI and critical computing around deceptive design, supervised by Dr Katie Seaborn in the Aspirational Computing Lab. Relevant to critical design, ethics and the evaluation of technology’s effects on people.
Funding: Applicants are expected to enter the University Funding Competitions. A Home-rate studentship may be available if that funding application fails; it is not a guaranteed fully funded offer. International students may need to pay the fee difference.
Source check · : Cambridge’s indexed official vacancy text and vacancy index confirm reference NR50923 and the December deadline; direct full-page retrieval was blocked. A third-party listing gives a conflicting April date, which is not used here. Confirm supervision fit and funding before applying.
University of Glasgow · Scotland Advertised closing date: 4 January 2027 · deadline time not stated
Design and build interactive technologies around the needs and agency of zoo animals. HCI user-study and research-method experience is sought; strong applicants outside computing are welcome if they can demonstrate technical development ability. Planned start: 1 June 2027.
Funding: Fees and a UKRI-rate stipend are advertised for UK and EU citizens. The advert explicitly excludes non-UK/non-EU applicants. Confirm duration and the exact fee-status rules with the supervisor.
Source check · : The university’s full FindAPhD advert was reviewed; Glasgow’s research group page also identifies FUTUREFAUNA. Do not assume nationality and tuition-fee status are interchangeable. Animal research experience is useful but is not listed as essential.
Trustworthy Human-Centred AI for Health and Society
Ulster University · Northern Ireland Advertised closing date: 8 January 2027, 4pm · confirm the time zone
Research human-centred health AI through adaptive rehabilitation, explainable decision support or governance of autonomous systems. This is a technically oriented programme for computing, AI and related backgrounds. Preferred start: 13 September 2027; part-time scholarships may be available.
Funding: Scholarships advertised to applicants worldwide: tuition fees, approximately £22,000 a year maintenance for three years and approximately £900 a year research support. Exact rates and 2027/28 terms remain to be confirmed.
Source check · : Ulster’s official project page reviewed. Funding depends on the award available at offer stage. Existing doctoral qualifications, substantial prior doctoral registration and full-time employment can affect eligibility; read the detailed rules.
Northumbria University · Newcastle upon Tyne, England Advertised closing date: 11 January 2027 · deadline time not stated
Investigate AI with citizens and communities through design, HCI, social research, governance and technology. Applicants from design and professional backgrounds are welcomed; prior AI expertise or a first degree in computer science is not required. Part-time study can be requested.
Funding: Four years of tuition fees, UKRI stipend and research support. The programme advertises an enhanced £30,000 first-year stipend for eligible full-time Home-fee entrants in 2027/28. International awards are limited; confirm individual terms.
Source check · : Official CDT recruitment guidance reviewed. Regular on-campus participation in Newcastle is expected. The Home-fee stipend enhancement carries additional activities; do not apply that figure to overseas or part-time applicants.
King’s College London · England Advertised closing date: 11 January 2027 · applications open 20 October 2026
Develop robot-learning and social-reasoning methods for assistive robots, with evaluation in hospital settings. Relevant to human–robot interaction, but strong mathematics, machine learning and programming are essential. Start: October 2027; supervisor Dr Oya Celiktutan.
Funding: 3.5 years of Home or overseas tuition fees, stipend and research support. The advert estimates a 2027/28 stipend of £24,514 a year and £3,000 annual bench fees.
Source check · : Full university advert on FindAPhD reviewed. Applications are not yet open at the 17 October check: opening date is 20 October. This PhD focuses on technical robot learning, within a wider programme that also uses co-design. Confirm final funding figures.
Human-centred AI for decision support in high-stakes environments
University of Southampton · England Advertised closing date: 30 September 2027 · funding awarded on a rolling basis; apply early
Study trust, explanations, workload and accountability in human–AI collaboration. A 2:1 in human factors or psychology, or relevant complex-systems experience, is sought. Quantitative methods and experimental design are essential; AI or LLM capability is desirable.
Funding: Competitive funding rather than an attached guaranteed studentship. School awards typically provide Home-rate fees and a stipend. International fee waivers and bursaries have separate eligibility and selection rules.
Source check · : Official project page reviewed. The listed project deadline does not guarantee funding remains available until then. Ask the supervisor which funding competition and earlier cutoff apply to your fee status. Applications are for 2027/28.
Our search covers institutions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A university’s absence from this selection does not mean it lacks HCI research or potential supervisors. An advertised PhD topic without funding is not a funded studentship.
Discovery sources checked 17 October 2026. These searches may include unfunded, expired or less relevant projects; the individual advert and institution determine the actual terms.
Before applying
Check the supervisor’s research, required methods, stipend duration, tuition fees for your fee status, research budget, start date, attendance and teaching obligations. A funded Home-rate award may leave a substantial overseas tuition-fee gap. A funding competition does not guarantee an award.
Prepare a concise account of your research interests and a project you can discuss critically. Explain the question, your contribution, methods, evidence and limitations. A design portfolio can help demonstrate thinking, but it does not replace the academic or technical requirements in the advert.