[Fully Funded PhD] Recruiting a PhD position in Dublin in the area of gestures in HRI
Vân Hoàng
As part of a new multi-institutional, interdisciplinary national centre for data science and AI funded by Research Ireland, we are looking to recruit a new PhD beginning in Autumn 2026 on the project below:
Project Title: Gestural Entrainment: The Social Impact of Temporal and Magnitude Alignment
Recent adaptive frameworks emphasize the need for "consistency" across verbal and non-verbal modalities. However, the specific alignment of gesture magnitude and frequency (mimicry) between a robot and a human remains under-explored in its effect on long-term rapport. In light of this, the current research project will ask to what extent does a robot’s subtle alignment with a human partner’s gestural tempo and magnitude (entrainment) enhance perceived empathy without falling into the "Uncanny Valley"? To investigate this, we will look at the evaluation of "Interactional Synchrony" using humanoid robots that dynamically scale their gesture intensity based on real-time human motion tracking. Metrics would include self-reported rapport, social presence, and physiological markers of engagement. While the work will primarily target dyadic interaction, we will also consider issues of consistency of persona and presence in multi-person contexts. The key output of this work will be design guidelines for "naturalness" in social robots that prioritizes behavioural alignment over purely generative variety.
Funding:
Studentships provide a stipend of €25,000 per year for four years (tax free) with additional funds available to support e.g., conference attendance and training activities. Fees for EU students will be covered automatically, while non-EU students will receive a fee waiver from TU Dublin.
Application process:
I am actively recruiting for this position to begin in Autumn 2026. Interested candidates can contact me directly (see below for further details -- please include a CV in any email). Formal Applications should then be submitted here before June 14th 2026 specifically mentioning me as having been spoken with and TU Dublin as the targeted institution. Interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place in June with decisions soon after.
We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and particularly encourage
applications from under-represented groups.
Due to the large number of applications received, only applicants invited to interview will receive an email response.
Please note that applicants who are invited to interview and are successful, will have to subsequently formalize their application to TU Dublin meeting TU Dublin requirements.
For further information, please contact rober...@tudublin.ie .
In addition to this specific project, TU Dublin is also recruiting several other PhDs to begin in the
Autumn of 2026 which are listed here: