PhD: Home and community automation technologies in support of ageing-in-place

University of Worcester offers a PhD exploring how people with dementia adopt off-the-shelf home and community automation tech to support daily living and wellbeing.

This PhD study will investigate the adoption of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) automation technologies used in the home or in the community by people affected by dementia. Technology has the potential to impact significantly on the health and wellbeing of people affected by dementia not least in reducing social isolation and opening opportunities for engaging in life, learning and leisure.

The use of COTS automation technologies may reduce the stigma attached to technology specifically designed for use by people living with dementia as they will feel it is part of normal life rather than drawing attention to their condition.

Potential areas of investigation are:

• Automation and assistance of everyday tasks.
• Cognitive support to address confusion and assist in memory recall, thinking and planning.
• Adapting the environment to account for behavioural and mood changes.
• The use of automation to support physical activity and/or health and well-being

A project in this area will incur some additional costs that will be met by the student, for fieldwork and consultation with experts by experience. The exact costs will depend on the specific project and will be discussed both at interview and kept under review throughout the duration of the project.

Supervisory team

• Director of Studies: Dr Chris Bowers, Digital Innovation and Intelligent Systems Research Group, University of Worcester
• Supervisors: Dr Mary O’Malley, Senior Research Fellow, School of Health and Wellbeing, Association for Dementia Studies
• External Advisor: TBC
• Research Group: Association for Dementia Studies

Find out more here https://www.worc.ac.uk/documents/phd-projects-March-2025/ADS-Adoption-of-Proprietary-Home-and-Community-Automaton-technologies.pdf

Application Process

To begin the application process please go to: https://www.worc.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/applying-for-a-phd/.

The Interview

All successful applicants will be offered an interview with the proposed Supervisory Team. You will be contacted by a member of the Doctoral School Team to find a suitable date. Interviews can be conducted in person or over Microsoft Teams.

Funding your PhD

For information about Doctoral Loans please visit: https://www.worc.ac.uk/study/feesand-finance/doctoral-loans.aspx

During your PhD you can access the Research Conference Support Scheme to support the costs of presenting your research at an external conference.

For further information or an informal discussion about this project, please contact Dr Chris Bowers (Director of Studies) via email at c.bowers@worc.ac.uk