Dear Auditory List,
Please see a PhD opportunity below. Please feel free to forward to anyone who may be interested. Apologies for cross-posting.
Best regards,
Enzo
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FULLY-FUNDED PHD POSITION IN DATA-DRIVEN ROOM ACOUSTIC MODELLING FOR AUGMENTED REALITY (DRAMA)
University of Surrey (UK)
Application deadline: 20 May 2022
Industrial partner: Facebook Technologies
Start date: July 2022 or shortly thereafter
Funding information: full tuition fees, tax-free £20,000 yearly stipend, generous equipment and conference travel allowance. Funded by Facebook Technologies and available to citizens of all countries worldwide.
Applications are invited for a 4-years PhD position at the Institute of Sound Recording (IoSR,
http://iosr.uk).
In augmented reality (AR) applications, virtual sound sources need to be rendered in a manner that is consistent with the acoustics of the room where the user is physically in. This is necessary for the virtual sources to be perceived as believable and correctly externalised, and for the overall auditory experience comprising real and virtual sound sources to feel seamless and natural. Data-driven room acoustic models are particularly well suited in this context as they can leverage measurements of the actual room. DRAMA will define new data-driven models that are specifically tailored to applications in AR, enabling end-users to benefit from DRAMAtic improvements in the quality of the auditory experience.
You will ideally have a Masters in a relevant discipline and will definitely have a 1st or 2:1 Bachelors degree (or equivalent). You will be able to demonstrate excellent mathematical, analytical and computer programming skills. Advantage will be given to applicants with experience in one or more of: signal processing, machine learning, mathematics, programming, acoustics, and psychoacoustics. Furthermore, you will have excellent research skills evidenced by a significant Bachelors/Masters research project, involving experimental research, appropriate use of the literature and/or computer-based simulations, and a formal dissertation-style report. You will be enthusiastic and happy to work in a team, including with colleagues from Facebook Technologies.
The IoSR is home to the Tonmeister degree in Music and Sound Recording, which produced a stream of highly successful graduates (including three Oscar winners, seven Grammy winners, and twelve BAFTA winners), and is a leading centre for research in acoustic engineering. It has several projects funded from research councils and industry, involving human listening tests, acoustic measurement, statistical modelling and digital signal processing. Current work is, for example, developing systems for spatial enhancement of object-based audio reproduction, for timbral perception modelling, and for next-generation environment-aware headphones.
Applications should be made online via
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/sound-recording-phd . Please mark clearly on your application that you wish to apply for the “DRAMA Project”. The deadline to apply for this position is
Friday 20th of May 2022. Interviews will be carried out shortly thereafter. Please use the “Research Proposal” section of the application to explain why you want to pursue a PhD and how your skills and previous experiences meet the person specification outlined above.