Ageing Intervention Developments (AID)

Summary

Join the Ageing Intervention Developments (AID) Lab if you are passionate about improving equity, social justice, and inclusivity for ageing persons within the construction industry and the built environment infrastructure.

The global population is ageing (including an ageing construction workforce), and the built environment infrastructure in many cities and communities are approaching their design life. I refer to this unprecedented phenomenon as “double ageing”. Double ageing presents us with challenges and opportunities. To tackle the challenges and harness the benefits of double ageing, we have created a collaborative and engagement research network called ‘Ageing Intervention Development (AID) Lab’. Our core aim is to bring together researchers, community, industry, policymakers, and other partners: create an interdisciplinary space to explore questions, engage in dialogues and develop interventions to inform decision-making outcomes in age-friendly cities, communities, and workplaces towards improving equity, social justice, and inclusivity for ageing persons within the construction industry and the built environment infrastructure.

Our vision (which directly feeds into our core research theme) is to create Ageing Intervention Developments (AID):

1) to promote an age-friendly construction industry where older construction workers feel safe, comfortable, and happy while improving productivity.

2) to promote an age-friendly built environment (our daily surroundings, such as workplaces, buildings, parks, roads, and pavement) that is inclusive and accessible to promote active ageing.

3) inspired by emerging technologies, such as wearable sensors (for human sensing), Artificial Intelligence, robotics, extended reality, and digital twins.

Our research explores theories within environmental psychology (e.g., human-environment interactions), psychophysiology, and social cognition. We use these theories to guide our understanding of how older adults “interact” and “respond” in complex systems. We monitor these interactions and responses through physiological indicators (e.g., heart rate, skin conductivity, brain activity), psychological indicators (e.g., stress), human behaviour (e.g., gait) and self-reflection.

Join us at AID Lab if you share our vision and want to make real world impact.

We are also looking for highly motivated students with the desire to contribute to research at AID Lab. PhD applicants are required to develop a research proposal that aligns with one or more of AID Lab’s vision and core research themes. Interested candidates may come from different disciplines, such as construction management, civil engineering, architecture, urban planning, geography, computer science, electrical engineering, psychology, health sciences, sociology, cultural studies, art and performance design, or related fields. We employ person-centred, community-based participatory research, and policy-level approaches to co-produce all aspects of our research project.

Applicants to research degree programmes should normally have at least a first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline. The criteria for entry for some research degrees may be higher, for example, several faculties, also require a Masters degree. Applicants are advised to check with the relevant School prior to making an application. Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the School or Graduate School prior to making an application.

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study is an IELTS of 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid. Some schools and faculties have a higher requirement.