I visited the Division of Media Technology and Interaction Design at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, for two months during Swedish winter!

I had a fantastic and very informative time there. I worked with Dr Andrii Matviienko to build an Augmented Reality (AR) cycling simulator that allows cyclists to wear an AR headset and cycle in an augmented physical space—for example, adding buildings and moving cars into an empty hall. This is an important contribution to my research area (Human-Computer Interaction in cycling), as it allows us to investigate underexplored safety-critical situations, such as left-hook turns, while allowing experiment participants to cycle in physical space without affecting their safety or cycling behaviour, opening doors for many new user studies with high ecological validity.

I also gained first-hand knowledge about the Swedish academic system and the IT industry. I shared an office with Swedish academics, where we had many interesting discussions about how academia in Sweden differs from the UK. I attended a public PhD defence (Viva) and learned about the types of questions students are asked when being examined and how to present a PhD thesis.

I also participated in experiments within the research group and learned more about ongoing research projects at KTH.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to visit the Ericsson headquarters, where I saw how Extended and Mixed Reality research is conducted in the industry.

I met many interesting people in Stockholm and hope to be in touch and collaborate with them for many years. Stockholm is a very beautiful city; as a runner, I enjoyed the many scenic waterfront views, especially in the snow!

The mobility scholarship is a great programme that exposed me to a new culture, academic environment and perspective on my PhD.

First published: 11 December 2024

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