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Dear colleagues, I am pleased to offer an exciting PhD opportunity at UNSW’s Interactive Media Lab in Sydney, Australia. Please share with any potential candidates you know, and/or circulate amongst your communities. The Project A PhD candidate is sought to investigate the user experience of distributed sonic interaction for social robotics. Sonic interaction concerns the use of sound in digital interaction. Distributed sound is the use of multiple sound sources distributed in space, supporting: directional sound to guide users; spatial audio effects that can create calming and immersive effects; and localised audio that can be better suited to sonic interaction. Affordable micro-computers now enable effective distributed sonic interaction design. The research will investigate the user experience of distributed sonic interaction design, particularly in the creation of positive experiences of trust, affinity, and companionship in human robot interactions. Keywords: Sonic interaction design, Distributed audio, Social robotics, Experimental design, Interactive media. Supervisory team: Dr Oliver Bown, Dr Mari Velonaki, Dr Katherine Moline. Benefits AUD$40k annual stipend for 4 years plus up to $10k annual project support. Based at UNSW Faculty of Art & Design, Australia’s largest community of researchers in art and design. The research will take place at both the Interactive Media Lab and the Creative Robotics Lab, making use of the new National Facility for Human Robot Interaction Research. Application Project information / application page: https://www.2025.unsw.edu.au/apply/scientia-phd-scholarships/improving-human-robot-interaction-through-spatial-sonic-interaction Scientia PhD studentships page: https://www.2025.unsw.edu.au/apply/?interest=scholarships Please make contact if you intend to apply: send an email to both Dr Oliver Bown ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) and Prof Mari Velonaki ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>). The successful candidate must be eligible to study a PhD at UNSW (see scientia studentships page above) and will exhibit the following qualities and experience. Essential: * Excellent academic record, at least 2:1 honours or equivalent. * Experience with aesthetic sound practice, as in sound design or music. * Knowledge of programming and microelectronics required to create the digital and physical aspects of new sonic interaction deign systems. * Knowledge of key principles of acoustics, signal processing and audio synthesis. * Knowledge of interaction design principles and design research methodologies from the fields of interaction design or human computer interaction. * Ability to design effective experiments following sound principles in ethics and health and safety. * Critical thinking. Desirable: * Industry experience in an area related to interactive media technology. * Experience with digital fabrication techniques. * Experience with robotics. * Demonstrable experience with academic publications. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CAS list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CAS&A=1