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Dear List,
We are recruiting a PhD candidate to join a newly funded research project at the Laboratoire de Tribologie et Dynamique des Systèmes at ENTPE near Lyon, France. The project investigates the perceptual evaluation of realism in Audio Augmented Reality. Context and objectives Audio Augmented Reality aims to integrate virtual sound sources into a real environment using binaural reproduction over headphones. Although spatial audio technologies have progressed considerably, assessing whether these virtual sources are perceived as convincingly real remains a major scientific challenge. The PhD will focus on developing and validating perceptual methods for evaluating realism in auditory scenes that combine real and virtual sound sources. The candidate will examine how the reliability and sensitivity of these methods depend on the complexity of the scene and on the properties of the sounds being evaluated. A second part of the thesis will investigate how visual information influences the realism of virtual sound sources. The experiments will examine the effects of temporal and semantic coherence between visible anchors and virtual sound sources. The aim is to determine when coherent visual information can compensate for limitations in binaural rendering and when audiovisual inconsistencies make these limitations more noticeable. The candidate will contribute to the development of the experimental protocols, design and conduct psychoacoustic experiments, recruit participants, analyse perceptual data, and disseminate the results through international conferences and scientific publications. The thesis will primarily focus on static and head tracked listening situations and will provide a methodological basis for subsequent studies involving free navigation. Supervision and research environment The PhD will be co-supervised by Vincent Martin, Assistant Professor, and Mathieu Lavandier, Research Director, at ENTPE/LTDS. It is expected for the PhD to collaborate/supervise research interns. The candidate will also benefit from scientific exchanges with Julie Meyer, Lecturer at King's College London and Virginia Best Research Associate Professor at Boston University. Research visits and participation in international conferences are planned. Candidate profile Applicants should have:
Experience with psychoacoustic experiments, statistical analysis, spatial audio rendering, Max/MSP, Unity, or real time audio systems would be an advantage but is not essential. Practical information
Application procedure Applicants should send a curriculum vitae, a short cover letter, academic transcripts and coordinates of 2 referees to vincentyong.martin@xxxxxxxx and mathieu.lavandier@xxxxxxxx Informal enquiries about the position and the research project are very welcome and may be sent to the same addresses. Best regards, Vincent Martin |