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The Tampere University, 3D Media Group (https://research.tuni.fi/3dmedia/), is seeking a highly motivated PhD student to work on a doctoral studentship project, entitled “Immersive displays maintaining ultra-realism and 3D visual cues”, as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) “AErial RObotic TRAINing for the next generation of European infrastructure and asset maintenance technologies” (AERO-TRAIN). 

The AERO-TRAIN project is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN project carried out by a consortium of 14 academic and industrial organizations from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. AERO-TRAIN aims to close the gap between the Infrastructure Operations & Maintenance industry and aerial robotics, with the ambition to keep our invaluable assets operational and safe. The project addresses the fundamental challenges of human-machine interface (e.g., immersive technology, augmented reality) and of precise and robust aerial manipulation for enhanced remote manipulation and inspection evaluation. 

This position is one out of 15 Early-Stage Researcher (ESR) positions offered within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) “AErial RObotic TRAINing for the next generation of European infrastructure and asset maintenance technologies” (AERO-TRAIN; www.aerotrain-etn.eu).

The 3D Media Group investigates methods for capture, processing and display of 3D visual data based on extensive knowledge about the human perception of depth and 3D visual cues. By employing advanced signal processing methods, it tackles specific problems related to the huge amount of data to be processed and the optimal way of visualization using state-of-the-art 3D displays. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

The ESR job position is for three (3) years and requires conducting research on an individual project at a doctoral student level and studying toward completing a doctoral degree.  We are looking for candidates who have a suitable background and motivation to work on highly innovative projects and be trained in competitive yet collaborative research and study environment.

The PhD project will be hosted at Tampere University, in the 3D Media Group and the doctoral student will be supervised by Prof. Atanas Gotchev and Dr. Erdem Sahin. The research will have access to comprehensive set of equipment available at The Centre for Immersive Visual Technologies (CIVIT: http://www.civit.fi/), which is directed by Prof. Gotchev and run by the 3D Media Group. CIVIT has been founded as a national-wide infrastructure facility in the sectors of visual content creation, advanced displays, and user experience. Besides working on their project at Tampere University, the successful candidate will participate in network-wide training events like summer schools and retreats. Moreover, the PhD student will conduct secondments at other network partners. 

The successful candidate will receive an employment full time contract and a competitive gross salary. The expected starting date is as soon as possible, as mutually agreed upon by both parties.  

ESR Project: Immersive displays maintaining ultra-realism and 3D visual cues

Class requirements require the remote system to guarantee a level of realism that implies the development of new immersive technologies and algorithms. 

Objectives:  (i) to  develop  a  visualization  platform  for immersive  visualization in remote aerial manipulator control;  (ii) to optimize the amount of information given the limited sensing and imaging resources at the manipulator side; (iii) to design a display system capable to seamlessly deliver visual cues in an ergonomically appropriate manner; (iv) to determine the ways how potentially non-visual information can be localized and integrated into the visual feedback. 

Expected Results: The ESR is expected to deliver the following results: (1) Priority of depth cues in the design of the visual for the remote inspection system; (2) Design parameters for preferred visualization system; (3) Prototype of the visualization system with virtual inputs defining the sensing paradigm; (4) Prototype of integrated sensor-visualization system working with live data; (5)Prototype visualization system with information augmentation.

Outcome: 3 conference publications, 3 journals, 3 workshop presentations; Innovation: a method for providing ultra-realism with floating cameras

REQUIREMENTS

The ESR applicants should have: 

• An outstanding academic record, excellent skills and ideally proven experience in the fields of electrical engineering, optics, communications engineering, information technology, computer science, or a closely related field, completed with good grades. Experience in the field of vision science is beneficial.
• Excellent methodological skills and an analytical mind-set, ability to work both independently and as a member of a research team. 
• Outstanding communication skills in English, both oral and written. 
• High motivation, ambition and enthusiasm about research in immersive 3D displays, which is to serve, in particular, for remote control and manipulation of aerial robots.
• Excited to work and collaborate with a diverse team of imaging researchers and engineers.

Eligibility Criteria:

• At the time of their recruitment, candidates must be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.
• Applicants can be of any nationality. However, applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Finland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the appointment. Short stays, such as holidays are not taken into account.
• Applicants must have Master’s degree or equivalent that qualifies for PhD studies at the time of recruitment.
  
  All interested applicants meeting the eligibility requirements, irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

WE OFFER

We offer highly innovative training that will help you to build a solid fundamental of the area and will put you in an extremely good position in your future career endeavours in a rapidly growing sector.

The salary will be set in accordance with MSCA ESR rates.

We offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities on campus and several restaurants and cafés on campus with staff discounts. Please read more about working at Tampere University.

Tampere is one of the major academic hubs in the Nordic countries and offers a dynamic living environment. Tampere region is one of the three most rapidly growing urban areas in Finland and home to a vibrant knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial community. The city is an industrial powerhouse that enjoys a rich cultural scene and a reputation as a centre of Finland’s information society. Tampere hosts the Tampere Imaging Ecosystem, one of the top 5 imaging clusters worldwide. For more information on Tampere and Finland, please visit:

• https://visittampere.fi/en/
• https://www.visitfinland.com/
• https://www.infofinland.fi/en/frontpage

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system.  Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. 

The closing date for applications is the 30th of September (23:59 EEST / UTC+3). Interviews with prospective candidates can start already before the submission deadline, so we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible!

Please write your application and all the accompanying documentation in English and attach them in PDF format.

• An up-to-date CV according to the TENK template
• A cover letter describing your motivation for applying for the position and the relation to your prior experience.
• Degree certificates and academic transcripts of studies
• The position for which you apply is part of a call for 15 candidates within the AERO-TRAIN project. If you have applied or are planning to apply to any of the other positions, please provide a statement containing all the positions you applied for and rank them according to your preferences.

Optional:

• A list of scientific and technical publications, awards and certifications that are relevant for the vacancy. 
• Up to 3 relevant publications in related scientific fields.
• Up to 3 reference letters.

Candidates will be selected based on their merits in the fields related to the expected ESR area of expertise. The board of the network will evaluate all applications, and the top-ranked candidates will be invited for interviews. Note that your data will be made available to the AERO-TRAIN partners for the purpose of conducting the assessment of all candidates.

For more information, please contact:

Prof. Atanas Gotchev (atanas.gotchev@tuni.fi) 

Dr. Erdem Sahin (erdem.sahin@tuni.fi)

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Tampereen yliopisto ja Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu muodostavat yhdessä Suomen toiseksi suurimman monitieteisen, innostavan ja vaikuttavan tutkimus- ja oppimisyhteisön. Korkeakouluyhteisömme osaamiskärjet ovat tekniikka, terveys ja yhteiskunta. Lue lisää: www.tuni.fi 

Tampereen yliopistossa on haettavana  väitöskirjatutkijan (Early Stage Reseracher, ESR) määräaikainen 3-vuotinen tehtävä Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) projektissa “AErial RObotic TRAINing for the next generation of European infrastructure and asset maintenance technologies” (AERO-TRAIN).  

Tehtävät edellyttävät tutkimuksen tekemistä ja opintoja kohti tohtorin tutkinnon suorittamista. 

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