[info] PhD position in Oldenburg, Germany: communication behaviour research in interactive virtual reality

[Ignatius S. Condro Atmawan B.]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Stefan Debener  
Date: Tue, 14 May 2024 at 15:32

Dear all,


The Auditory Signal Processing Group at the Department of Medical
Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg,
Germany, seeks a motivated

*
*

*Research associate (m/f/d) in the field**of communication behaviour
research in interactive virtual reality
*(salary according to TV-L E13, 75 %)

The position is limited to three years and can be used to carry out a
Ph.D. project.

Interpersonal communication involves interactive loops of audio cues as
well as visual cues such as body movements, gestures, facial expressions
and eye blinks. Traditional laboratory experiments that treat subjects
as passive listeners fail to capture these dynamics. Interactive virtual
environments (VEs) provide reproducible, realistic audiovisual scenarios
that enhance the study of interactive communication and its underlying
cues. VEs allow specific control over features that balance
reproducibility with the complexity of everyday communication. Our goal
is to improve the understanding of audiovisual speech processing through
VEs that mimic the complexity of natural communication and actively
engage listeners.

The aim of this project is to use measures of interpersonal synchrony
and communication behavior to assess novel interactive speech
communication paradigms in virtual reality. For this, interactive VEs
will be further developed, and novel communication tests will be
investigated. The findings will be used to improve the ecological
validity of virtual reality-based communication tests. In particular,
interpersonal synchrony and the underlying behavioral characteristics
will be used to predict communication effort.

This project is a collaboration between the Auditory Signal Processing
Group (Prof. Dr. Volker Hohmann, Dr. Giso Grimm, Dr. Hendrik Kayser) and
the Neuropsychology Lab (Prof. Dr. Stefan Debener). It is part of
Priority Program AUDICTIVE - SPP2236: Auditory Cognition in Interactive
Virtual Environments, see https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.spp2236-audictive.de/__;!!Mih3wA!CspPGphiA6fvxIY89RYy-MF9RUcef4AvBoO5UF2htiYydjA_DlkjZI2yKxqkL8JcOfyqLOk3EzAYzpPxcBCqSSRa0vDyZG6fj1UMolY$ , funded by
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The groups offer an international
scientific environment as well as access to world-class research
facilities. For more information about the groups
seehttps://uol.de/en/auditory-signal-processingandhttps://uol.de/en/neuropsychology.

Applicants for this position have a Master's degree (or equivalent) in
Physics, Engineering, Hearing Technology & Audiology, Psychology or a
related discipline or the candidate has to be close to obtaining their
academic university degree. In addition, applicants should have a solid
background in hearing acoustics, a strong interest in interdisciplinary,
application-oriented work, and programming experience with Matlab. Basic
experience with 3D modeling and game development as well as audio
technology is an advantage. Good written and spoken English and at least
basic knowledge of German are required. You are willing to work in a
team and with technically complex equipment. A small contribution to the
group’s teaching activities is invited.

We offer:

  * Payment in accordance with collective bargaining law (special annual
    payment, company pension scheme, asset-related benefits) incl. 30
    days annual leave
  * Support and guidance during your onboarding
  * A family-friendly environment with flexible working hours
    (flexitime) and the possibility of working from home on a pro-rata basis
  * Benefits from the university's health promotion program
  * An extensive free further education program as well as our own
    scientific promotion of young academics
    (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://uol.de/en/school6/early-career__;!!Mih3wA!CspPGphiA6fvxIY89RYy-MF9RUcef4AvBoO5UF2htiYydjA_DlkjZI2yKxqkL8JcOfyqLOk3EzAYzpPxcBCqSSRa0vDyZG6fsyD7K2g$ )

The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increase the percentage of
female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates
are strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance to § 21 Section 3 NHG,
female candidates with equal qualifications will be preferentially
considered. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in
case of equal qualification.

Applications including a CV, a motivation letter, copies of the most
important certificates and the name and contact details of at least one
person who is willing to give a reference should be sent*until
21.06.2024*tovolker.hohmann@uni-oldenburg
<mailto:volker.hohmann@uni-oldenburg>.de with a cc
tonicole...@uni-oldenburg.de <mailto:nicole....@uni-oldenburg.de>

For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Volker Hohmann.

Don't know Oldenburg yet? You can get a first impression under the
following link:https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.moin-in-oldenburg.de__;!!Mih3wA!CspPGphiA6fvxIY89RYy-MF9RUcef4AvBoO5UF2htiYydjA_DlkjZI2yKxqkL8JcOfyqLOk3EzAYzpPxcBCqSSRa0vDyZG6fd9mIsSY$ .



--
Prof. Dr. Stefan Debener
Department of Psychology
Neuropsychology Lab
University of Oldenburg
D-26111 Oldenburg
Germany

Office: A7 0-038
Phone: +49-441-798-4271
Fax:   +49-441-798-5522
Email:stefan....@uni-oldenburg.de
___