Auditory Perception in Virtual and Augmented Reality Spaces

Headphones are ubiquitous and a very convenient way of reproducing sound. More recently attention has been devoted to full surround sound capabilities over headphones and a great deal of research effort is being devoted to this, particularly in areas of Virtual and Augmented Reality. However, convincing rendition of acoustic spaces with headphones is still elusive and problems still exist with internalisation, individualisation, acoustic modelling of the spaces, etc. This PhD project takes at look at the issue from a more holistic perspective. The multimodal aspects of audio and visual interactions are to be considered as well as important human factors such as personality and cognitive styles and how these affect perception of virtual and augmented spaces. The project will involve the design of subjective experiments to be undertaken in virtual or augmented reality spaces and will include both aspects of signal processing and room acoustics modelling as well as applied psychology methods.

You can expect to be able to take advantage of our world-class experimental facilities such as the octave, a fully immersive audiovisual virtual reality environment, acoustic laboratories such as anechoic and semi-anechoic chambers, listening room, object-based spatial audio systems, head-tracked binaural systems, and virtual and augmented reality kit, as appropriate.

You’ll join a thriving research centre and will work alongside PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and senior researchers who are researching related topics.
EligibilityYou’ll need a good undergraduate degree (1st or 2:1) in a relevant subject such as acoustics, psychology or computer science and you’ll be able to demonstrate a strong interest in human auditory or visual perception. Desirable experience includes design of applied psychology tests, statistical analysis, programming (e.g. MATLAB), and scientific publication.
FundingApplication where funding can be secured from other sources will be accepted at any time. For further information visit: www.salford.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/fees-and-funding/research-degree-fees-and-funding
Further information and applyingYou are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Bruno Fazenda at [Email Address Removed] for an informal discussion before you apply. Competition for this fully-funded PhD is expected to be intense and you will benefit from our advice on your application.

For more information on research within the School of Computing Science & Engineering and to make an application please visit: www.salford.ac.uk/research/sirc/postgraduate-research