PhD Scholarship: Designing Human-AI Interaction for Mental Health and Wellbeing

PhD Scholarship: Designing Human-AI Interaction for Mental Health and Wellbeing

PhD Scholarship: DesigningHuman-AI Interaction for Mental Health and Wellbeing

University: University College Dublin, Ireland

College / Management Unit: College of Science

School / Unit / Institute: School of Computer Science

Co-Supervisor: Prof. Gavin Doherty, Professor of HCI at Trinity College Dublin

Deadline of application : April 24, 2026 (AoE)

Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an online interview in April / May

Position: 100%, full-time position, tuition fees waived by the School

Scholarship: The scholarship includes a 4-year tax-free PhD student stipend of €25,000 per annum, registration fee, a travel budget for international travel to conferences, and a new computer. In addition, all PhD candidates will do some demonstration and/or teaching assistant hours in the School as part of their career development. These teaching activities are also an additional source of income for PhD candidates.

Eligibility: EU and non-EU students are equally eligible for studentships under this award

Description of the Post

The School of Computer Science at University College Dublin invites applications for a fully-funded PhD scholarship under the supervision of Dr. Wanling Cai to explore the design of human-AI interaction that supports mental health and wellbeing. This will be well-suited for candidates interested in working across HCI, AI, mental health, and responsible technology design.

The candidate will focus on investigating and designing human-AI systems that support either mental health practitioners in their clinical work or the broader population in sustaining positive mental health. The candidate will complete a project with the suggested topics including but not limited to:

Designing Clinician-AI Interaction: This topic centers on the design of AI technologies to support mental health professionals' clinical work and/or assist them in developing relevant mental health competencies. Using human-centered approaches, the candidate will explore several key areas: investigating existing barriers and challenges in clinical practice, such as obstacles in clinician-client communication during mental health interventions; examining how mental health professionals currently interact with AI-based tools; and identifying design opportunities and envisioning novel solutions to support and enhance mental health professionals' skills and confidence.

Designing AI for Positive Mental Health: This topic focuses on the design of AI technologies to assist the general public, such as specific demographics like young people or older adults, in accessing mental health support, therapeutic interventions, or wellbeing activities. The objective is to promote and maintain positive mental health, which is crucial for early intervention, emotion regulation, and preventing the development of more serious mental health problems. The candidate will investigate the real-world barriers that currently prevent individuals from effectively engaging in therapeutic and wellbeing practices. Built on these insights, the candidate will identify design opportunities and design intelligent technological interventions to enhance the accessibility and usability of digital mental health.

Candidates are also encouraged to build upon, modify, or propose their own interdisciplinary PhD topics investigating AI in the mental health field. The candidate should demonstrate their willingness to learn new research methods, techniques, tools, and technologies as necessary to undertake research related to this PhD. Given the potential risk such as bias and privacy with AI like Large Language Models (LLMs), the candidate will also consider responsible and ethically informed approaches into the design of AI for mental healthcare.

The successful candidate will be based in UCD's School of Computer Science. 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 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.

Selection Criteria

Mandatory requirements

• The candidate should hold an undergraduate or postgraduate degree (2.1 grade or equivalent) in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology and Computing, Cognitive Science, or a similar discipline. Some programming ability is required.
• The candidate should demonstrate experience in qualitative research, and have knowledge of mixed-method approaches to research.
• Excellent English communication skills are required. Non-native English speakers should have an IELTS with a minimum total score of 6.5 (with at least 6 in all components) or equivalent (further details on equivalence of tests are available here ). Please note that there is no IELTS requirement for non-native English speakers who have graduated from a degree in Ireland or in English.
• MSc degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Design, or similar discipline.
• Self-motivation and strong interest in digital mental health, human-AI interaction, or user-centered research.
• Strong programming and prototyping skills; experience in developing interactive web-based AI prototypes will be desirable.
• Excellent qualitative and/or quantitative research skills; experience in participatory designs (such as workshops, co-design sessions, interviews).
• Experience in conducting research in human-AI interaction or health technology design.
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• A CV, including background, skillsets, research projects/publications, and other relevant information;
• A brief project proposal (max 1,000 words) including a proposed research topic, research aims, methodology, expected outcome, and impact proposed for this research;
• Academic transcripts evidencing a 2.1 grade (or equivalent);
• A writing sample (published paper, chapter in thesis, etc);
• A proof of English Language Proficiency for non-native English speakers, in line with UCD requirements.