Fully Funded PhD Scholarship - Artificial Intelligence for Character Animation, Human Motion Analysis and Serious Games
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This is a fully funded PhD position provided by the Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Artificial intelligence equips computers with the power of automatic reasoning and problem solving. This research aims at applying artificial intelligence in the areas of character animation, human motion analysis and/or serious games (i.e. games with specific objectives), such that processes in those areas can be performed with greater accuracy and less human effort.

This fully funded PhD position will last for 3 years, and the student is expected to receive a PhD degree from the Northumbria University in Newcastle when the study is finished.

The PhD student will identify a problem statement (as known as research gap) and research on the topic throughout the study. Some examples of problem statements could be:

• Automatically synthesizing character movement using motion capture systems
• Enhancing the accuracy of motion sensing devices such as the Microsoft Kinect
• Using multi-touch devices such as tablets to generate an animation of a crowd
• Creating intelligent non-player characters (NPC) in a virtual reality environment
• Generating realistic mesh deformation for characters in computer animation
• Synthesizing controllable facial animation using captured facial expression samples
• Identifying the behaviour of a human user based on movement information
• Any other problems in the project domain

The PhD student will be supervised by Dr Hubert P. H. Shum, who is a Senior Lecturer and the Programme Leader of BSc (Hons) Computer Animation and Visual Effects. The student may utilize the Motion Capture and Virtual Reality Laboratory managed by Dr Shum, which consists of more than £60,000 worth of equipment, including a 20 camera optical motion capture system, a 12 sensor wireless magnetic motion capture system, as well as various virtual reality equipment such as head-mounted displays and 3D scanners.

Applicants should hold a first or upper second class honours degree (in a relevant subject) from a British higher education institution, or equivalent. Students who are not UK/EU residents are eligible to apply, provided they hold the relevant academic qualifications, together with an IELTS score of at least 6.5.

More information about Dr Shum’s previous research projects can be found in his YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/hubertshum
and his research website:
http://hubertshum.com

If you have an interesting research idea, or if you would need some help to formulate yours, you are welcome to contact Dr Shum (hubert.shum[at]durham.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.