AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) studentship – inclusive digital tours: understanding quality of experience for disabled and neurodivergent heritage visitors with the National Trust and University of Surrey

The National Trust, and the University of Surrey are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded collaborative doctoral studentship from October 2026 under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme. This project will investigate how disabled and neurodivergent heritage visitors experience immersive digital tours, including VR, AR and 360° video, and how these technologies can be designed to be more inclusive, accessible and meaningful. This project will be supervised by Dr Heather Smith (National Trust) and Dr Femi Adeyemi-Ejeye and Prof Bran Nicol (University of Surrey), and the student will be expected to spend time at both University of Surrey and the National Trust, as well as becoming part of the wider cohort of REACH CDP-funded students across the UK. The studentship can be studied either full- or part-time and we encourage applications from a diverse range of people, those with non-traditional academic backgrounds, those with industry experience, and those with identities that are currently underrepresented in academia and the heritage sector. 

This collaborative doctoral project will explore how immersive digital media, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and 360° video, can be designed and evaluated to support inclusive and meaningful heritage experiences. While widely adopted across the sector, such technologies are often assessed in terms of technical performance rather than how they work for diverse audiences in real contexts, particularly neurodivergent and disabled visitors.

The project addresses this gap by applying a human-centred Quality of Experience (QoE) approach to evaluate how immersive media supports visitor experience in practice. In partnership with the National Trust, the research will combine user studies, audience research, and immersive media prototyping to develop an evidence-based framework for inclusive digital interpretation. Outputs will include practical evaluation tools, design guidance, and prototype experiences to support more accessible, effective, and fit-for-purpose digital heritage systems across the sector.

Research questions include:

• How do accessibility features in immersive heritage media influence visitor experience, including comprehension, comfort, engagement, and emotional response?
• What are the expectations, needs, and perceptual thresholds of neurodivergent and disabled visitors when engaging with immersive heritage content?
• How can human-centred evaluation methods, including QoE approaches, be adapted for inclusive immersive heritage experiences?
• How can visitor insights inform the design of more accessible and meaningful digital heritage experiences?
• How can an inclusive evaluation framework support heritage organisations in real-world use?

Research with National Trust

The student will undertake research across selected National Trust properties, working with Digital, Visitor Experience, and Access & Inclusion teams, and engaging with central teams based in Swindon. The project will involve fieldwork, user studies, and co-development of immersive prototypes. Opportunities for a structured placement with the National Trust (typically up to three months) may be available to support practical experience in inclusive digital interpretation.

This studentship is funded by the REACH AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership. The REACH CDP is led by Royal Museums Greenwich and comprises museums and heritage organisations including the National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces, and the British Film Institute. The successful student will have access to training led by REACH CDP partners and will join a lively cohort of students working with heritage organisations across England and Wales.

• You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for our Innovative Media Technology PhD programme.
• This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants.
• To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria: 
  • Be a UK or Irish National (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have settled status, or 
  • Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have indefinite leave to remain or enter
• The latest revision of the AHRC Training Grant Funding Guide is available on the UKRI website.
• We want to encourage the widest range of potential students to study for a CDP studentship and are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply. We particularly welcome applications from people of Global Majority backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this area. 
• Applicants should ideally have or expect to receive a Masters-level qualification in a relevant subject such as Cultural and Museum Studies, Heritage Studies, Media and Communication Studies, Psychology, Computer Science, Digital Media, Human–Computer Interaction, Computational Media, Accessibility or Disability Studies, or a related discipline. Alternatively, applicants may demonstrate equivalent experience in a professional setting, for example within museums and heritage organisations, digital media production, user experience (UX) research, accessibility or inclusive design, or roles involving audience research and digital interpretation.
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate experience or a clear interest in human-centred evaluation of digital or immersive media within cultural or heritage contexts, for example through user studies, UX methods, perceptual evaluation, Quality of Experience (QoE), or related approaches, and enthusiasm for developing skills across interdisciplinary areas including heritage, accessibility, and digital media.
• As a collaborative award, students will be expected to spend time at both the University and the National Trust.