[open-sustainability] Several Open Research Positions in Smart City Project

Mon May 5 20:14:51 UTC 2014

Five research positions are available as part of MK:Smart (
http://www.mksmart.org), a £16M smart city project led by the Open
University, UK, related to sustainability, open data, energy and education.

All positions are available immediately for approx. 2 1/2 years
Closing date for applications: Noon Thursday 15 May 2014.

Candidates need to have a phd or comprabale on-the-job experience.

We are looking to fill the following positions:

*1. Data Science and Open Energy Data  *
http://www3.open.ac.uk/employment/job-details.asp?id=7702

The post holder will be responsible for developing a city-wide Open Energy
Data initiative. This involves working with multiple stakeholders (Milton
Keynes council, energy companies, end users, government agencies, etc.) in
identifying relevant data sources and to collect, process and analyse
energy data. A significant part of this role will be to manage and collate
existing data sets, to create and publish new data sets and to make use of
appropriate tools (or develop new tools) for making data available for
developers, citizens and experts. This work should result in a city-wide
Energy Map for Milton Keynes that could empower local communities and
business to better understand energy trends in their areas. This post
requires previous experience in open data, data science, semantic web,
information systems, and/or energy informatics or a similar area.

*2. Energy Informatics *
http://www3.open.ac.uk/employment/job-details.asp?id=7706

Drawing on expertise and experience in distributed systems, ubiquitous
computing, semantic web, intelligent energy systems, human-computer
interaction and/or social computing the post holder will be responsible for
developing novel approaches for dynamic energy demand response related to
smart grids. This will enable people and communities to manage their energy
consumption during peak demand periods in order to decrease the growth in
energy demand that is threatening the stability of electric grids and its
current infrastructure. The goal is to develop an open solution that allows
aggregating and analyzing consumption data across households or buildings,
and to realize services for dynamic demand response (by for example
shifting or curtailing demand) that make use of incentive strategies such
as variable energy pricing and gamification.

*3. Data Visualisation and Visual Analytics *
http://www3.open.ac.uk/employment/job-details.asp?id=7707

Drawing on expertise and experience in visual interfaces, data
visualization and/or human computer interaction, the post holder will be
responsible for developing highly interactive visual analytics systems that
helps urban planners, decision makers and citizens make sense of urban data
sets, create a better understanding of urban phenomena, problems, and
possible remedies. Depending on expertise and experience this work can
focus on life-cycle support for analytical reasoning, data transformations
and analytic reporting; the integration of geographic and non-geographic
data; 2D or 3D simulations of urban systems; or the collaborative and
social nature of data inquiry.

*4. Citizen Innovation and User-Centred Design *
http://www3.open.ac.uk/employment/job-details.asp?id=7709

Drawing on expertise and experience in human-computer interaction, user
experience design, ubiquitous computing or social computing, the post
holder will be responsible for leading a citizen innovation and
participatory design programme with the goal to identify and prototype
citizen-inspired digital innovations. Areas for exploration can be
wide-ranging, from improving health or local transport issues, to tackling
social issues such as community connectedness or homelessness. Working with
citizen groups, Milton Keynes council, a design agency and a wide array of
researchers the post holder will use design thinking and community ideation
workshops to explore citizen issues, identify design directions for
innovative digital services, and support the development of technical
prototypes.

*5. Digital Learning and Data Skills  *
http://www3.open.ac.uk/employment/job-details.asp?id=7708

Drawing on expertise and experience in human-computer interaction,
educational technology, ubiquitous computing or data visualization, the
post holder will be responsible for developing an interactive learning tool
for school children (age 8-16) that enables children to make sense of urban
data and understand urban phenomena (related to energy, transport, water,
health or social and community issues).  The tool should connect schools to
the Milton Keynes data hub and give teachers and children in the classroom
and at home access to a highly engaging learning environment that
encourages collaborative learning, exploring and discovery. Depending on
expertise and experience a number of approaches are possible, for example
focusing on functional interfaces for interactive data analytics or on
playful and fun experiences involving physical computing artifacts.

*Enquiries and application: *
For further information about the position and the project, please contact
Prof Gerd Kortuem (gerd.kortuem at open.ac.uk).

Full application details can be found by following the links above.
Closing date: noon on Thursday 15 May 2015

--
Prof. Gerd Kortuem
Computing and Communications Department
The Open University
web: http://www.kortuem.com
email: gerd.kortuem at open.ac.uk
twitter: @kortuem
phone: +44 7590 490843
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