EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity in Data Visualization

The Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity in Data Visualization (DIVERSE CDT) offers an innovative and ambitious programme that will deliver cohort-based training to 60 PhD students who will become critical, multidisciplinary leaders at the forefront of data visualization research and practice. Complex quantitative and qualitative data lie at the heart of every organisation. Data visualization is increasingly central to the analysis and communication of these data and to decision making across organisations. It opens up new ways of understanding problems, reveals new questions, highlights new possibilities and allows data to be understood by new audiences. But it requires new knowledge, diverse perspectives and advanced expertise and visualization experts are in short supply and lack diversity. DIVERSE CDT will deliver high-quality doctoral training through four key innovations that are designed to increase the diversity of researchers involved in and approaches taken by data visualization: 1) Connected Components: students undertake and relate a series of applied studies with industrial and academic partners through a structured internship programme and an international exchange programme. 2) Interactive Documentation: students use an interactive digital notebook for recording, reflection and reporting that becomes a "thesis" for examination. 3) Cohort Reflection: students engage collaboratively in reflection and learning within and across cohorts, developing a knowledge base and a community of practice. 4) Supportive Inclusion: enriching and inclusive processes for admission, and progression that address barriers for students from under-represented backgrounds and open up new opportunities for study that speak to students' substantive interests. Outline doctoral training programme: Year 1: Bespoke training covering core topics in data visualization design and production, research methodologies, diversity and inclusion and an innovative Visualization Design Labs module where students collaborate to address real-world visualization problems provided by partner organisations. This is complemented by interdisciplinary masterclasses and a four month scaffolded replication study project. Year 1 concludes with co-creation in which students engage with potential supervisors and external partners to select and iteratively refine an initial PhD focus and plan. Years 2-4: Structured as two 1-year phases of research and reflection, followed by a final year of cross study synthesis as findings and claims are developed. The research and reflection phases will be grounded in 3-6 month internships where students address challenging research topics in collaboration with a range of academic and industrial partners (across public, private and not-for-profit fields). Complementary training across the 4 years will provide wider research and professional skills based on regular needs analysis, e.g. training in responsible innovation, EDI, entrepreneurship, research ethics and other topics from the comprehensive doctoral programmes at City and Warwick. We will develop communities of practice across and between cohorts through activities including an annual inter-cohort data hackathon, ongoing reflective groups, 1-day reflective retreats and an annual residential retreat. Partners will provide industry mentors and we will host a series of engagements with EDI role models. Students will actively contribute to a vibrant and inclusive research environment through co-creation and delivery of these activities as well as by identifying topics to address that speak to personal, community or social justice concerns. Finally, DIVERSE CDT establishes unique international collaborations through an exchange programme with the world's leading visualisation labs. All students will have the option of a funded research visit, and we will host students from participating labs, enhancing the doctoral experience.