PhD Studentship in Immersive Audio Technology

PHD STUDENTSHIP IN IMMERSIVE AUDIO TECHNOLOGY
University of Surrey (UK)
Post Type: in-person, full time
Location: Guildford (35 minutes by fast train from London) 
Support package: up to £126,961, including tuition fees at international level and stipend for 36 months (UKRI rate; £19,237 per year; tax free) and a travel/training allowance 
Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Sunday, 6 October 2024 
Start Date: January 2025 (slightly later start date can be accommodated if needed) Supervisor: Enzo De Sena

Immersive technologies will transform not only how we communicate and experience entertainment, but also our experience of the physical world, from shops to museums, cars to classrooms. This studentship will give you a chance to contribute to the field of immersive sound by optimising spatial audio reproduction using perceptually relevant metrics. For that, you must be interested in combining psychoacoustics, audio signal processing, auditory modelling and machine learning.

You will have a chance to work in close collaboration with researchers at the Institute of Sound Recording (IoSR) at Surrey, as well as academic and industrial partners in the EPSRC-funded project CIAT (Challenges in Immersive Audio Technology), including King's College London (UK), University of Southampton (UK), Stanford CCRMA (USA), BBC (UK), SONOS (UK), National Gallery (UK). The IoSR is home to the Tonmeister degree in Music and Sound Recording, which produced a stream of highly successful graduates (including two Oscar winners, ten Grammy winners, and twelve BAFTA winners), and is a leading centre for research in acoustic engineering.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Open to any UK or international candidates. Starting in January 2025 (slightly later start dates can be accommodated for an exceptional candidate). You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for our PhD programme. You will have a strong interest in audio and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement in relevant subject areas and a clear aptitude for research. We will need to be happy that you have the necessary background subject knowledge and the necessary research skills to begin your doctoral training. 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, deep 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 about working in a team.

At Surrey we are committed to providing an inclusive environment that offers equitable opportunities for all, in the pursuit of Surrey’s vision to be a leading global University. We are seeking to increase the diversity within our community and would particularly encourage applicants from underrepresented groups.

HOW TO APPLY
Applications should be made online via the Audio Engineering PhD programme page (https://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/audio-engineering-phd#apply). Under "Intended Research Area" please indicate “Immersive Audio Technology”. Interviews will be carried out shortly after the deadline. Informal inquiries are welcome and should be made to Dr Enzo De Sena (e.desena@surrey.ac.uk). Please use the “Research Proposal” section of the application to explain (a) why you want to pursue a PhD, both in general and specifically in the field of immersive audio and (b) how your skills and previous experiences meet the Candidate Profile specified in this ad.

If you can not produce the necessary paperwork in time (e.g. translated degree certificates or English language test results), please get in touch with Dr Enzo De Sena and make sure to still submit your application by for the 6 October deadline, using placeholder evidence if necessary. When you apply, please also send an email to Dr Enzo De Sena to enable us to more easily track applications.

FUNDING
The funding is for 3 years and includes:

Standard UKRI stipend for 36 months (currently £19,237 per year) Tuition fees at national or international level for 36 months (currently £22,500 per year) Research Training Support Grant (£1,750)

See here for more details: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DJW684/phd-studentship-phd-in-immersive-audio...

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Dr Enzo De Sena (e.desena@surrey.ac.uk).

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Enzo De Sena
Associate Professor (Reader)
Director, Institute of Sound Recording
Department of Music & Media
University of Surrey
Stag Hill, University Campus, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK

Office: 08aBC03
Email: e.desena@surrey.ac.uk
URL: desena.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/enzodesena