AI-Enabled Digital Accessibility (ADA)

Entry requirements

Applicants are expected to hold a good Bachelors degree and/or Masters degree (2:1 or equivalent) in translation studies (translation, audiovisual translation, interpreting. For other topics, a good Bachelors degree and an MA in a relevant topic is required.

Months of entry

January, October

Course content

Our AI-enabled Digital Accessibility (ADA) PhD programme supports pioneering research in merging AI advancements with human expertise - to improve digital accessibility for all, regardless of age, language, cognitive and sensory abilities. ADA will nurture the next generation of leaders in AI-enabled digital accessibility, uniting experts in engineering, computer science, social and cognitive science, and language, translation and design studies.

Our ADA PhD gives you the opportunity to undertake an interdisciplinary research programme in conceptual, experimental and/or applied areas of AI-enabled digital accessibility.

You could explore a topic such as:

• Meaningful image/video -to-speech/text accessibility through AI
• Meaningful speech-to-text accessibility through AI
• Improving text comprehension and simplification through AI
• Tools for meaningful cross-language ADA, especially low-resource languages
• Enhancing assistive technology through AI
• Developing novel methods to personalise ADA.

As a PhD student, you’ll become part of Surrey’s Leverhulme-funded Doctoral Scholarships Network for AI-enabled Digital Accessibility (ADA-DSN), putting you at the heart of a community of academics, postdoctoral researchers, industry representatives and advocates in this emerging field.

During your PhD, you’ll embark on a training programme including:

• Interdisciplinary seminars
• Bespoke lectures
• Tutorials and masterclasses
• Student-centred workshops
• Activities focused on developing interdisciplinary, cohesion, integration, team-working, team-building and practical skills.

These workshops are designed to meet individual training needs, strengthen existing and acquire new skill sets, develop personal training plans and consolidate project plans.

Please note: Studentships and PhD topics are subject to availability as places are limited.