ABOUT LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY IN LONDON INSTITUTE FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

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1 ABOUT LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY IN LONDON INSTITUTE FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES EARLY STAGE RESEARCHER MARIE-CURIE FUNDED CLOUD MEDIA PROCESSING AND NETWORKING RESEARCH (4 POSITIONS, FIXED-TERM FOR 36 MONTHS) JOB REF: REQ14386 FEBRUARY 2015 Marie-Curie funded Media Processing and Networking Research (Funding to cover full University PhD registration fees with living and mobility allowances of 51k and 13k per year approximately based on the Euro exchange rate) The Institute for Digital Technologies in London, UK, is looking for four full-time postgraduate Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) to work on media clouds, with particular research interests in media cloud processing, spatial audio processing and personal audio environment generation, media networking and quality of experience modelling, user interfaces, content and network security. All four positions are funded by the European Commission under the FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN Programme. The advertised positions are based at Loughborough University in London (UK), but time will also be spent with the other project partners in the Netherlands (Irdeto B.V. and Eindhoven University of Technology), as part of a European collaboration. Under the terms of the EC funding, aimed at promoting mobility within the research community, the candidates are expected to adhere to the eligibility criteria of the ITN Programme; further details can be found at the following link: A good honours first degree or relevant master degree in Science or Engineering and experience in media processing and communication systems with the ability to work independently, to plan and carry out complicated tasks, and to be part of a dynamic group with both local and geographically remote international team members is essential. Candidates for the required positions should be confident and organised individuals with good communication skills. Experience in cloud media services, user experience modelling and assessment, and in fixed and mobile communication systems is desirable. Candidates with analytical thinking and knowledge of numerical programming skills in C/C++ and MATLAB are particularly encouraged to apply.

2 Project Background Funded by the European Science Foundation, this is a Marie Curie Initial Training Networks CLOUDSCREENS project, which is a collaboration between the Institute for Digital Technologies (IDT) at Loughborough University in London (LUiL) and Irdeto B.V. in the Netherlands with involvement from Technical University of Eindhoven. Four full-time Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) are required with research interests in media cloud processing, spatial audio processing and personal audio environment generation, media networking, quality of experience modelling, intelligent user interfaces, and content and network security. The successful candidates will work at the Institute for Digital Technologies, Loughborough University in London and in close participation with colleagues from Irdeto B.V. The advertised ESR positions are closely attached to 4 research and training projects offered under this programme, with the following objectives: The first objective is to research and design a network layer responsible for managing resources and network capabilities to act as a mediator between a client application and multiple clouds to provide the user with the best media service. The second objective is to research and design a generic cloud service responsible for modelling personal audiovisual media spaces in a multi-user environment to control multimedia delivery to a highly personalised user experience. The third objective is to research and develop a cloud service capable of enhancing delivery of the multimedia services with context aware support services. The fourth research objective is to research and design a multi-platform multidevice user interface that runs as a cloud service with support for natural speech as input. In addition to these topics, security and privacy related to each objective are considered. Post duration: These are 3 year positions with parallel enrolment for PhD study. The researchers will have placements at Irdeto B.V. in the Netherlands 50% of their time. Eligibility Criteria The applicant should satisfy eligibility criteria for early stage researchers as defined by the EC: they should still be within the first four years of their scientific career and should not have a PhD degree already. Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the UK for more than 12 months, in the 3 years immediately prior to the date of selection. It will be a condition of your offer that you also secure full acceptance as a PhD student to study at LUiL before commencing work.

3 JOB DESCRIPTION Job Grade: Other, Grade 6 Job Purpose: The Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher will be required to develop new methods and algorithms which will be simulated in order to first validate and then demonstrate the advancements over and above the state-of-the-art in the four objective areas listed above. Duties & Responsibilities: Undertake research and design algorithms, methods and their enabling tools in line with the relevant project objective. Develop simulations for the above outputs to validate and demonstrate advancements. Submit progress reports and attend regular project progress meetings to present results to the consortium. Publish findings in reputable journals and conferences, and present the published work. Interact with both internal and external group members and enable effective and efficient collaboration. Spend half of their time at Irdeto B.V. to continue their research work. Help raise the profile of their research and research institutes. Undertake such other duties as may be reasonably requested and that are commensurate with the nature and grade of the post. All staff have a statutory responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves, others and the environment and to prevent harm by their acts or omissions. All staff are therefore required to adhere to the University s Health, Safety and Environmental Policy and Procedures. Organisational Responsibility: Reports to Director, Institute for Digital Technologies Other All staff have a statutory responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves, others and the environment and to prevent harm by their acts or omissions. All staff are therefore required to adhere to the University s Health, Safety and Environmental Policy & Procedures. All staff should hold a duty and commitment to observing the University s Equality & Diversity policy and procedures at all times. Duties must be carried out in accordance with relevant Equality & Diversity legislation and University policies/procedures.

4 PERSON SPECIFICATION Job Title: Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher Job Grade: Other, Grade 6 Qualifications Experience Skills & Abilities Essential A good honours first degree and/or good master degree in Science or Engineering (1) Recent experience in an academic or industrial environment Experience in media processing and communication systems Previous experience in working on your own as well as in a team Knowledge and ability to carry out theoretical investigations of the process Ability to convert the theoretical design into computer programmes for simulations and demonstration purposes Ability to develop a research programme and to publish in international journals Ability to develop and use analytical and numerical tools to analyse models Good verbal and written communication skills (3) Ability to integrate into a multidisciplinary team (3) Desirable Willingness to apply for a PhD Experience in cloud media services Experience in presenting research, orally and in published papers Experience in either spatial audio or 3D video systems Experience in fixed and mobile communication systems Experience in user experience modelling, assessment Experience in interacting with multi-national and multicultural environments Experience with C/C++ and MATLAB Skills to assist supervising undergraduate and MSc projects

5 Ability to plan and carry out complicated tasks Ability to work independently (3) Training Other Demonstrate evidence of having undertaken further training Commitment to observing the University s Equal Opportunity Policy at all times (3) Stages in Assessment: 1, Application Form, 3, Interview. Conditions of Service The remuneration will be made up of a living and mobility allowance broken down into a living allowance of 51,072 euros and mobility allowance of 13, euros per year in accordance with the guidelines for the Marie Curie Work-programme FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN. The remuneration will be inclusive of NI and pension payments. A further mobility allowance may be applicable dependent on the status of the Researcher. An exchange rate of Euro 1.3=Eq. 1 will be used from the start of the project which will be reviewed at the end of the project period. (see: tml ) The position falls within the Research job family and is for a fixed term period of 36 months and is available from as soon as possible. The appointment will be subject to the University's normal Terms and Conditions of Employment for Academic and Related staff, details of which can be found at: Informal Enquiries Informal enquiries are welcome and can be made to Professor Ahmet Kondoz, mailto:a.kondoz@lboro.ac.uk Application The closing date for receipt of applications is 1 April 2015.