PhD Studentship: Shaping sound like we do with light

Light and sound have many similarities, but they are still managed differently: arrays of speakers with complex electronics are still state of the art in ultrasound, but also for creating the illusion of 3D sound in theatres, cinemas and concerts, while a lens is all that is needed for directional light. Holograms for light are as common as one of the new £5 notes in UK, but nothing similar is available for sound, not even in VR. Even the language we use for sound is borrowed from the one we have for light.

This project is a part of a larger research effort to bridge this gap, using acoustic metamaterials (Grants on the Web 2018). These are common materials (3D-printing plastic, paper, wood), but engineered in shapes that modify the sound going through (Memoli, et al. 2017), just like a lens or a colour filter does for light. This means that acoustic metamaterials can be incorporated almost everywhere, with little additional signature, and can be used to control sound to the level of a single seat in an auditorium. They have the potential to revolution the way we think, design and experience sound.

In the next three years, our multi-disciplinary team will be creating metamaterial-based devices to manage sound in different contexts. We will design the materials and assemble in prototypes that will be tested on end users using VR/AR environments, in collaboration with our industrial partners (e.g. producers of videogames/3D video/VR content…but also musicians, architects and noise consultants).

Depending on your skills/interests, you may be instrumental to the design of the final user experiences (Human Computer Interaction/Virtual Reality), take part in the design and testing of the materials (physics/engineering) or in their miniaturisation/actuation (physics/engineering/informatics). As a team, we will be very active in outreach and in the interactions with the industrial partners. We will have a weekly residency, sponsored by Wired Sussex, in a local hub connecting more than 2,500 companies operating in the digital economy.

Eligibility
Applicants must meet the University’s academic entry requirements (https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply/international-qualifications) and English language requirements (https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply/international-qualifications/english-language-research).

How to apply
Apply for an full time Informatics PhD using this step by step guide: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply

In the ’Finance information’ section of the application form clearly state you are applying for the ’PhD scholarship: Shaping sound like we do with light’.