Applications are invited for a three-year PhD studentship, supported by the College of Business and Social Sciences to be undertaken within the Department for Marketing and Strategy at Aston University.

Until recently, the idea of providing users with health or support services via machines was science fiction. Now it is a reality, transforming ways providers interact with users (e.g., applying service robots). While organisations have enthusiastically grasped Human-to-Machine (H-M) interactions, results are mixed (Castelo et al., 2023). Users’ perceptions of services provided by technologies are strongly, and positively, influenced by anthropomorphism (Fakhimi et al., 2023b). Thus, Human-to-Human (H-H) interaction should be more effective than H-M. However, recent advances in AI technology have begun to blur the lines between H and M. The Metaverse, built around its equivalence to the physical world, could reinvent users’ experiences of health and support services by providing H-M interactions that mirror H-H ones. Given the UK’s ageing population, Metaverse-based virtual services could provide vital support to what are forecast to be overwhelmed health and social systems (Bolt-Christmas et al., 2023). The application of AI technologies shows potential to improve the accessibility/cost/quality of providing these healthcare and social support services.

The immersive quality of the Metaverse builds a strong sense of social presence (i.e., embodied representation plus real-time interactions) and the illusion of co-locating with others (Kataria et al., 2023). Consequently, social influences transferred via the Metaverse could affect users’ H-M perceptions and experiences differently from previous technologies. Metaverse users can be socially influenced by human and nonhuman entities (e.g., AI agents) (Puntoni et al., 2021), potentially reducing health issues like loneliness and stress (Hadi et al., 2023). The Metaverse can help bring humans closer together by removing physical distance barriers (McNamee, 2019). In addition, the Metaverse may work as a beneficial timeout from the physical world's daily stresses, via the therapeutic and stress-relieving benefits of some virtual reality applications (White et al., 

Benefits 

This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the home or overseas fees rate, plus a maintenance allowance of £19,237 per year for the full 3 year programme.  

Application 

Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Proposal Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience. 
4. Two academic referees who can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
5.  Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
6. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.