[visionlist] two PhD studentships at Delft University of Technology

[Sylvia Pont - IO]

Two PhD studentships in perception of materials and light as part of the EU-funded PRISM network

Job description
The full-time PhD fellowships are linked to a European project on the perceptual representation of illumination, shape, and material (PRISM: https://sites.google.com/site/prismitn/opportunities) that links nine European research groups, coordinated by Roland Fleming. Planned, multidisciplinary work includes psychophysical experiments, developing methods for experimenting in real environments (instead of on screens), developing datasets, photometry and computational modelling, with a focus on visual qualities of materials (position 1) or visual qualities of light (position 2). The materials project (position 1) will include studies into characterisations and descriptions of real material appearances, and psychophysical measurements to test which dimensions underlie perception of material appearance differences. The light project (position 2) will include studies into characterisation and descriptions of real light fields, and psychophysical measurements to test which dimensions underlie light perception. Successful candidates will be offered a temporary, one-year contract, with the possibility of extension to four years after a positive evaluation.

Requirements
Applicants should have a recent MSc degree (within four years of contract start date) in experimental physics, experimental psychology, computer science, industrial design, or a similar field - with a clear interest in experimental perception research, computer graphics, ecological optics, and experimental setups / methods design. Other requirements are: social skills (to work with human observers), teamwork skills, experimental research experience, programming skills, mathematical skills (e.g. calculus at the bachelor’s level), good scientific writing skills in English and good (English) verbal communication, eligibility according to Marie Curie's rules (there are rules regarding your nationality; put simply: you should move here from outside the Netherlands).

Industrial Design Engineering
The Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft offers the world's largest university programme in design. Since it was founded in 1968, it has prepared 4500 designers. The faculty offers one bachelor degree and three master degrees and has a current total enrolment of around 2200 students.

In its education and research, the Department of Design Engineering focuses on functional, material, manufacturing, environmental and technical aspects of product design. In this process, the staff of Design Engineering works together with teachers and researchers of other departments and disciplines. Design Engineering has 60 full-time staff members and accommodates four sections:
1) Product Engineering, with research into embodiment design, personal energy systems and fast preliminary modelling of technical/physical product concepts.
2) Computer-Aided Design and Engineering, directed towards new methods and applications to mix virtual and physical product models for joint analysis, evaluation, simulation, manipulation and communication, in remote collaboration.
3) Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Technology, focusing on methods for material selection and the development of technical guidelines for better product quality.
4) Design for Sustainability, with research topics around application of existing and new technologies to design, with an emphasis on sustainability, at the level of the product itself and on the strategic level, from a product-service perspective.

The positions are within the Perceptual Intelligence Lab. This lab is a collaboration between the Industrial Design Engineering Department and the Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science Department. The research focuses on visual and auditory perception, design of applications such as intelligent lighting solutions, material visualisations for design, and collaboration at a distance in computer-mediated settings. Other principal investigators are Huib de Ridder, Ingrid Heynderickx, Maarten Wijntjes, Andrea van Doorn, Harold Nefs, Judith Redi and Jan Koenderink.

Conditions of employment
TU Delft offers an attractive benefits package, including a flexible work week, free high-speed Internet access from home, and the option of assembling a customised compensation and benefits package (the 'IKA'). Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Salary scale: €2042 to €2612 per month gross.

Information and application
For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Sylvia Pont, phone: +31 (0)15-2781791, e-mail: s.c.pont at tudelft.nl<mailto:s.c.pont at tudelft.nl>. To apply, please send a letter of application, a detailed CV, a statement of research interests and the names of three people who could furnish a letter of reference. Please submit your materials by 1 March 2013 to Dr. Pont, afdelingID-personeelszaken-IO at tudelft.nl<mailto:afdelingID-personeelszaken-IO at tudelft.nl>.
When applying for this position, please refer to vacancy number AT/IO-0678.

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