Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) Associate: User Research and Interface Design (Project STRUM) - 3 month fixed term contract, 0.5FTE (LCM136)

Theâ¯University of West London (UWL)â¯is ranked as 47thâ¯in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2026 and isâ¯theâ¯1stâ¯London modern* universityâ¯in The Times/The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026. We are also rankedâ¯2ndâ¯in London, 6thâ¯in England and 8thâ¯in the UK for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2026**.â¯The UWL community is a diverse body of students and staff who work together to create an environment of success and achievement. We celebrate the diversity of our staff and promote our values in practice through our commitment to inclusivity, progression, and success. 

* A modern university is a university established in 1992, or after. Excluding specialist providers. 

** Calculated as the average of all questions, using registered populations. 

The School

This post is based in the London College of Music at the University of West London (UWL) and works in partnership with RT Sixty Ltd (RT60), a UK micro-business that develops consumer music apps including Songzap, iDrumTune and Drummer ITP, with apps that have reached number one in the music-app charts in more than 90 countries. 

UWL and RT60 have a long record of collaboration on Innovate UK and AHRC-funded projects, including work behind a REF2021 4*-rated impact case study. The Associate will be supervised jointly by Professor Justin Paterson (UWL) and Professor Rob Toulson (RT60). 

The Role  

We are seeking an Associate for STRUM, a 0.5 FTE 3-month (13-week) Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) project funded under UKRI's AKT 6 competition (Creative Industries) with an anticipated start date in the week commencing 9 November 2026. 

Singer-songwriter acoustic guitarists are a large and fast-growing group of music-makers, yet most recording tools assume technical fluency. RT60's Songzap_V3 app offers AI-powered headphone-free recording; STRUM will establish how to present it to non-technical users without compromising creative flow. 

You will carry out in-field observation of 12 to 15 singer-songwriters to identify where workflow friction disrupts creative flow, translate your findings into ranked decisions on which features to expose, simplify or hide, and assemble and test a prototypical simplified interface in SwiftUI from RT60's existing modules (the audio engine is not modified). 

You will run iterative testing rounds, evaluate usability, trust and perceived creative control, and deliver a release-ready interface, an accompanying specification and an outline for a follow-on Knowledge Transfer Partnership. 

The post is based at UWL's Ealing campus, with in-person milestones at RT60's Harpenden office in weeks 1, 7 and 13 and fieldwork visits to participants where feasible. You will receive weekly supervision from UWL and day-to-day support from RT60. 

The Person 

You will hold, or be about to be awarded, a PhD in human-computer interaction, UX/UI or interaction design, music technology or a closely related discipline, and will meet the UKRI AKT Associate eligibility criteria (including recent-graduate status at project start). 

You will have experience of qualitative user research (observation, interviews, focus groups and thematic analysis) and of working ethically with participants. 

You will be proficient in coding and able to assemble an interface from existing modules; fluency with rapid-prototyping and graphic-design tools is desirable. 

You will be a practising musician, ideally on guitar and voice, able to build rapport with singer-songwriters, with strong written and analytical skills. 

You will work autonomously to tight deadlines and be pragmatic about the commercial realities of a micro-business. 

How to Apply  

To apply click on ‘Apply Online’ and fill out the application form. Further information about the application process can be found here: https://jobs.uwl.ac.uk/display.aspx?id=1253&pid=0  

Please emailâ¯[email protected]⯠if you need any assistance with the application process. 

Interviews are expected to be held in the week commencing 02 November 2026.  

For informal enquiries about the position please contact Professor Justin Paterson, Professor of Music Production, [email protected].  

Additional Information  

Read more about working at the University of West London atâ¯https://www.uwl.ac.uk/about-us/how-university-works/why-work-uwl 

The Associate will be employed by UWL and jointly supervised by UWL and RT Sixty Ltd; RT Sixty Ltd will own the resulting IP and interface code under a Lambert Toolkit agreement. 

Our department/school is under-represented in terms of staff from minority ethnic backgrounds, of LGBT+ identities, and with disabilities. UWL is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter, and is a Disability Confident Employer. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly those mentioned above to increase diversity in our workforce. 

Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.  

Please be advised that it is expected that appointment within a grade will normally be at the minimum point. 

This position does not meetâ¯the University criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship. 

We will intermittently review the applications as part of this open advert, therefore if successful, you will be shortlisted and contacted at any time.â¯

The University of West London reserves the right to close the role prior to this date should a suitable applicant be found.

Closing Date: 26 Oct 2026

Department: Academic

Salary: £40,834 per annum (pro rata)