The project is conducted in collaboration between The Institute of Industrial Design (IDE) at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) and several partners within the Medical Technology industry in Oslo. It is primarily funded by the Norwegian Research Council’s KMB-program and runs for app. three years from August 2009.
The Institute of Industrial Design (IDE)
IDE is today a growing dynamic research environment with several externally financed projects. The institute encompasses both product and interaction design and the projects are typically conducted in close cooperation with users and other, both commercial and scientific, stakeholders. Our areas of interests include Innovation Processes, User Involvement, Future Studies, System Thinking, Extreme contexts /industries, Sustainability, Third World Development and, finally, how our design competences can be used and developed within all these domains.
At the moment 8 PhD-candidates are employed at the institute. They are all contributing extensively to our different projects and at the same time they are also taking part of AHOs research school; where close to 60 PhD-candidates are currently enrolled.
The D•side project
The project study, explore and develop the tools and methods of industrial/product design with the goal to augment the processes of innovation in high-tech industries and research environments. It brings together design-, group dynamics- and technical competences in concert with commercial interests within the MedTech industry. By utilizing both traditional and more high-tech design tools (as e.g. “rapid prototyping”) the project tries to develop both innovative products and the processes underpinning the development of those products. As a part of the project a certain venue – a “collaboration-lab” or C-lab – will be developed. The C-lab will facilitate idea-generation and interdisciplinary collaboration by combining traditional and novel, individual and team, low and high tech as well as both digital and physical design tools and methodologies.
PhD project
Within the framework of the D•side project, we advertise a three year PhD grant for research which may contribute to the perspectives outlined above. We are particularly interested in research into the processes of “Innovative Industrial Design” seen from an inside perspective of the discipline of industrial/product design. Applicants are therefore primarily invited from the disciplines of industrial or product design, but applicants from relevant and related fields will also be considered. Typical PhD-projects will both include practical design work and more theoretical inclined literature studies, reflections, analysis, compilation of empirical data, etc. While typical output will range from demos and product suggestions to written papers and thesis.
The position has a duration of three years, and is remunerated in accordance with the State salary scale, code 1017, research fellow, level 45 (app. 353 200 NOK). From the salary there will be a mandatory deduction of the 2% as contribution to the State Pension Fund. Normal employment conditions for state employees apply for the position. AHO has its own company health service.
Applicants should submit the following:
- Short reflection concerning your interest and competences and how you believe that it could contribute to projects like the one briefly described above (max 5 pages)
- Design portfolio
- Curriculum Vitae
- 2 references
The material will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- The quality of the application
- The design and/or academic competence of the applicant
- The applicant’s suitability within the research project
Contact person: Professor Håkan Edeholt, hakan.edeholt@aho.no or telephone +47-22997054. More information about the position and AHO can be found at www.aho.no
The application should be marked ‘D•side’ and sent to: Research secretary Birgitte O. Pollen, Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo, Pb 6768 St. Olavs Plass, NO-0130 Oslo, Norway or e-mail birgitte.pollen@adm.aho.no.
Application deadline June 21st 2009.
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) is a specialist university providing education within architecture and industrial design and awarding the degrees of PhD, Master of Industrial Design, Master of Architecture, and Master of Landscape Architecture. The school has a wide ranging research environment, approximately 600 students, and 90 employees.