Research Fellow in Advanced Audio Systems
An exciting opportunity to join the CoSTAR National Lab’s audio team to pioneer future tools, interaction, immersive technologies and AI for the creative industries.
The role
The Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI (PAI) is a core partner leading AI research and development for the new CoSTAR National Lab for R&D in Creative Technology. The CoSTAR National Lab, led by Royal Holloway, University of London, is a £51m investment by the UK Government in applied research to ensure that the UK's screen and performance industries have the research infrastructure and innovation skills to compete globally.
The aim of CoSTAR is to put the UK at the forefront of applied research in advanced technologies for the creative sector. PAI will lead the CoSTAR Creative AI research and development to realise the next generation of AI-enabled storytelling experiences and technologies. This builds on Surrey’s track-record of over 35 years of fundamental advances in AI research in computer vision and spatial audio leading to ground-breaking technologies for the creative industries.
The post will advance knowledge in the use of audio systems for virtual production and contribute to both research publication and novel demonstration of creative technology as part of the CoSTAR National Lab. The post will initially be offered for a fixed-term of 3 years, which may be extended for the duration of the partnership.
This position is based at the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP) at the University of Surrey, which forms the core foundational AI expertise of PAI. CVSSP is ranked first in the UK for computer vision and recognised worldwide for pioneering new technologies in audio and vision. The centre leads ground-breaking research in audio-visual AI and machine perception for the benefit of people and society through technological innovations in healthcare, security, entertainment, robotics and communications. Over the past three decades, CVSSP has pioneered advances in 3D and 4D computer vision and spatial audio which have enabled award-winning technologies for content production in TV, film, games and immersive entertainment.
About you
We are seeking to appoint an experienced Research Fellow to seed collaborations and lead R&D activities at the forefront of audio technology for virtual production. The role gives equal emphasis to research outputs and creative industry impact. The successful applicant should be qualified to PhD level in a technical research area, and have relevant experience in more than one of the following:
1. Audio production workflows (e.g., DAWs and plugins for audio effects)
2. Immersive audio formats (e.g., ambisonics, binaural and object-based audio)
3. Programming (e.g., real-time audio, games engine, machine learning toolboxes, git)
4. Physical acoustics (e.g., sound properties, room modes and reverberation)
5. Participatory research methods (e.g., formal listening tests, statistics and ethics)
6. Practical experience (e.g., acoustical measurements, listening tests, practical demonstrations, performance capture, musical training)
Applicants should have excellent software engineering and technical writing skills, alongside motivation to work with others to develop and deploy tools for the creative industries. Professional communication and collaboration skills are essential.
What we can offer
The University of Surrey is a global community of ideas and people, dedicated to life-changing education and research. We are ambitious and have a bold vision of what we want to achieve - shaping ourselves into one of the best universities in the world, which we are achieving through the talents and endeavour of every employee. Our culture empowers people to collaboratively achieve this aim and to make a real difference. The University has a world-class research profile and an enterprising spirit, located in one of the safest counties in England, nestled within the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and yet only 35 minutes from central London by train.
We can offer a generous renumeration package, which includes relocation assistance where appropriate, an attractive research environment, well-equipped laboratories, the latest computing facilities and access to a variety of staff development opportunities.
To apply please upload your CV and a cover letter via our website.
Interviews are expected to be held w/c 5th May.
The University of Surrey is committed to providing an inclusive environment that offers equal opportunities for all. We place great value on diversity and are seeking to increase the diversity within our community. Therefore we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities.
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