EPSRC / BBC iCASE award: Understanding Audiences of the Future - development and deployment of non-invasive measures of individual or collective immersion

Background: The University of Bristol, through Bristol Vision Institute (BVI) is a world leader in vision science. Bristol has a long and rich tradition at the forefront of the study of human and animal vision, artificial vision systems and imaging more generally, based on collaborations across science, engineering, medicine and the creative arts (www.bristol.ac.uk/vision-institute). Within BVI this project will involve two research groups – the Visual Information Laboratory (VI-Lab) and the Experimental Psychology Vision Group (EPVG). EPVG has an international reputation for its work on human visual behavior, with particular strengths in understanding basic perceptual processes, visual attention, visual memory, eye movements and natural scene statistics. This work includes understanding human interactions with real and virtual environments. VI-Lab (www.bristol.ac.uk/vi-lab) undertakes innovative, collaborative and interdisciplinary research resulting in world leading technology in the areas of computer vision, image and video communications, content analysis and distributed sensor systems. VI-Lab is one of the largest groupings of its type in the UK. The group’s research studio provides an excellently equipped facility for undertaking this research, containing state of the art cameras, displays and measurement equipment together with a comprehensive suite for psychophysical experimentation.

Project description: A fully funded (enhanced stipend and fees) EPSRC PhD studentship for UK/EU students (Conditions may apply to non-UK students) is available in the area of Measuring Visual Immersion. Audience immersion lies at the heart of the success of any performance. New media formats for cinema and broadcast promise new and powerful ways to deliver performance in effective, exciting and novel ways. In this project we will enable the development and deployment of non-invasive measures of individual or collective immersion. These would support better editorial decision making, provide a dynamic means of adapting a programme in real time, and also provide insights into the relative contributions of narrative and technology. We will investigate personalised immersion measures based on fused psychophysical and physiological measurements and, with support and investment of the University of Bristol, develop the first auditorium equipped with instrumentation for measuring collective measures of immersion – using this to evaluate both conventional and new formats.

The person: We are seeking a person with an interest in applications of technology and psychological assessment in the creative arts. The person would ideally have an undergraduate or Master’s degree in a relevant discipline such as Psychology. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this work, applicants with different scientific background will also be considered.