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Dear All, Please forward the following PhD studentship information to anyone who may be interested in applying. The Acoustics Research Centre at Salford has several areas
of interest which overlap with those on Auditory. Applications are invited from UK and EU candidates for fully-funded PhD studentships at the University of Salford. TOPICS The Acoustics Research Centre within the School of Computing, Science and Engineering is keen to encourage high-quality applications on the following topics: 1.
Predicting attention to model listening mode in complex audio scenes. The goal of this project is to build on our current work on object-based spatial
audio. You will develop new models of salient sounds and use them to improve current theories of listening modes. Likely supervisor: Dr Bruno Fazenda (b.m.fazenda@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) 2.
Modelling expectation in soundscapes. We have previously shown that listener expectation has a significant effect on evaluation of outdoor urban soundscapes.
The goal of this project is to build a model of expectation for non-speech, non-music sounds. Likely supervisor: Prof Bill Davies (w.davies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) 3.
Taxonomic analysis of everyday sounds. Urban soundscapes and audio attribute rating are two fields which use categories of sounds and attributes,
but in neither case are they built on a rigorous taxonomy. The goal of this project would be to play a significant part in developing a rigorous taxonomy of everyday sounds, working with acoustic, emotional and semantic descriptors of sounds. Likely supervisor:
Prof Trevor Cox (t.j.cox@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) 4.
Structure and scale in soundscape cognition. Soundscape research has many results on the characteristics of whole soundscapes, some on individual
sounds, and a few on characteristics of one sound. But there is little evidence of how these mental representations are tied together in an overall cognitive structure. The goal of this project is to explore the interactions between auditory attention, physical
scale and cognitive scale in complex acoustic scenes. Likely supervisor: Prof Bill Davies (w.davies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) 5.
Your own interesting idea. We’re always interested in hearing from candidates with these. Have a look at our current research to see how your idea
might relate and contact the likely closest supervisor. Please don’t email more than one person at a time. QUALIFICATIONS Applicants should have a first-class honours degree and/or a good MSc degree in acoustics, psychology, electronic engineering or a related subject. Desirable
experience includes design of listening tests, statistical analysis, programming (e.g. MATLAB), and scientific publication.
SUPERVISION Depending on the topic, you would be supervised by any of Prof Bill Davies, Prof Trevor Cox, Dr Bruno Fazenda. In each case you would benefit from working alongside
post-doctoral and PhD researchers on our existing funded projects such as S3A: Future Spatial Audio for an Immersive Listener Experience at Home, and Making Sense of Sound. You would be based in the Acoustics Research Centre (http://www.salford.ac.uk/computing-science-engineering/research/acoustics)
with excellent laboratory resources. The topic and methods of the project might be varied to suit the strengths of the applicant. FUNDING Successful candidates will receive a bursary of £14,296 tax free for up to three years and will also get their tuition fees paid. TO APPLY You are strongly encouraged to contact the likely supervisor indicated above for an informal discussion before you apply. Competition for these fully-funded
places is expected to be intense and you will benefit from our advice on your application. Further details and application form can be found at
http://www.salford.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/fees-and-funding/funded-phd-studentship Best, Bill Davies Professor Bill Davies Associate Dean Academic | School of Computing, Science and Engineering Room 108, Newton Building, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT t: +44 (0) 161 295 5986 w.davies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx |
www.salford.ac.uk |