Design of VR environments

This PhD project is self-funded, so candidates applying for a full-time project need to have access to funds of their own to cover the university fees as well as living and accommodation expenses in London for the duration of the project (3 years full time).

About the Project

Immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality are a topic of fast-paced research, and knowledge boundaries are being pushed by design research on inclusive immersive social environments, among others. Similarly, haptic technologies have witnessed significant developments, including progress driven by large-scale private organisations worldwide. In particular, the concept of Tactile Internet, i.e. of a network with ultra-low latency and high availability, reliability, and security, has received increased attention in recent years. Further development in this area is expected to be facilitated by the availability of new wireless communication technologies. This project will explore the convergence between immersive and haptic technologies. It will fill a knowledge gap by identifying and understanding opportunities and barriers towards design of equitable multimodal experiences, both individual and social, within virtual environments. One potential incarnation of the research addresses the role that the Tactile Internet can play within the Metaverse, a future immersive virtual world envisaged as a hypothetical iteration of the Internet.

The research will be carried out in a stimulating interdisciplinary environment in the Brunel Design School. The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Federico Colecchia, Health and Wellbeing Lead of the Brunel Centre for AI and Senior Lecturer in the Brunel Design School, who specialises in emerging technologies and innovation at the intersection between technical development and user-centred design. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the Brunel Centre for AI, and the successful applicant will therefore have an opportunity to become a Member of the Centre and to interact with a multidisciplinary team of Brunel academics, postdocs, and PhD researchers across Brunel Engineering, Computer Science, Design, Brunel Law School, and Brunel Business School, among others. They will have access to a broad network of stakeholders and will benefit from a range of support services that Brunel University of London offers to their Doctoral Researchers, including professional skills and career development support.

Researcher's profile and responsibilities

The ideal candidate's profile combines proficiency in user-centred design processes with technical competency in relation to immersive technologies, with an emphasis on virtual and augmented reality. Familiarity with haptic technology is preferred. A Masters' degree is desired but not essential. The successful candidate will take responsibility for designing, running, and evaluating a programme of activities with end users, with a view to understanding their attitudes towards tactile and multimodal interaction within immersive environments. They will play a key role in understanding opportunities and barriers towards inclusive multimodal immersive experiences.