PhD Scholarship: Developing AI-Driven Help-Seeking Tools for Young People’s Mental Health

PhD Scholarship: Developing AI-Driven Help-Seeking Tools for Young People’s Mental Health

University College Dublin invites applications for a fully-funded PhD scholarship to explore AI-driven digital interventions that support young people in mental health help-seeking behaviours. This interdisciplinary project focuses on the interaction between young users (18-25) and AI tools such as generative AI (e.g., chatbots) and traditional AI (e.g., recommendation systems).

The successful candidate will join the School of Computer Science at UCD, ranked among the top in the world, and will be part of the HCI@UCD group, a multidisciplinary community focused on cutting-edge human-computer interaction (HCI) research. As part of this highly regarded school and group, you will benefit from access to leading experts, collaborative networks, and career development opportunities.

University: University College Dublin

School: School of Computer Science

Primary Supervisor: Dr Claudette Pretorius, Assistant Professor, School of Computer Science,  claudette.pretorius1@ucd.ie

Co-Supervisor: Dr David Coyle, Associate Professor, School of Computer Science

Renumeration: A PhD studentship consisting of:

• 4-year tax-free stipend (22,000 Euro annually) 
• Registration fees
• A travel and equipment budget

*All doctoral candidates will do some demonstration and/or teaching assistant hours in the school as part of their career development.

Requirements: Candidates must have a first class or upper second-class honours primary degree, or equivalent. Non-native English speakers require at least IELTS 6.5 (with at least 6 in all components) or equivalent (further details on equivalence of tests are available HERE ).

Research Area:

This PhD project addresses the growing need for personalised, accessible mental health help-seeking tools tailored to young people (18-25). Previous research highlights gaps in current platforms, including information overload, lack of personalisation, and limited real-time emotional support. By leveraging generative AI (e.g., chatbots, conversational recommender systems), the project will explore possible digital interventions that enhance the help-seeking journey and improve immediate help-seeking outcomes.

The findings from our previous research on young people’s online help-seeking behaviours has revealed key needs for credible, relatable content; actionable steps that can be taken in the moment; and the ability to connect with someone, both synchronously and asynchronously. The project will build on these insights by understanding how AI-driven tools could offer personalised, real-time support based current level of need and mental health literacy.

A key feature of this project is the flexibility for the PhD candidate to shape the research direction based on their interests. This could include exploring brief psychological interventions, behavioural design, or peer-support models within the context AI driven tools.

Responsibilities:

The candidate will investigate how personalisation through AI can enhance engagement with digital mental health platforms, using a human centred approach. The goal is to uncover key design features that foster effective and empathetic AI-driven interventions for mental health.

The candidate will draw on and contribute to an interdisciplinary body of research spanning the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, and Psychology. Other relevant research backgrounds may include but not limited to: design, sociology, and information science.

The candidate will be expected to write and successfully defend a PhD thesis and meet the degree requirements set by UCD to advance through the PhD programme. The candidate will be expected to produce research outputs related to their PhD project and present findings at relevant academic conferences. They will collaborate closely with their supervisors to co-author and lead publications, contributing to both individual and team research objectives. By the end of the program, the candidate should aim to produce first-authored and co-authored papers in high-quality journals or conferences, demonstrating a significant contribution to their field of study.

Candidate Profile:

• A strong academic background in human-computer interaction, psychology, computer science, or a related field.
• Interest in digital mental health and user-centred design.
• Strong skills in qualitative/quantitative research methods.

How to Apply:

• A CV including if applicable in relevant, prior publications
• The name and contact details of 2 academic references
• A cover letter (max 1000 words) detailing your interest in this research area and position
• A writing sample such as a publication or chapter from a thesis

Completed applications should be emailed to Claudette Pretorius ((opens in a new window)claudette.pretorius1@ucd.ie) by November 18th 2024 AOE. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview in the following weeks, expecting a commencement date in January or May 2025.