Today, complex development tasks often require close collaboration in distributed interdisciplinary teams. Such teams share information on common workspaces such as interactive tables or electronic whiteboards. Tables or boards are typically combined with voice and other nonverbal communication such as gaze, posture, or gestures. However, state-of-the-art videoconferencing systems are not powerful enough to transfer both communication layers simultaneously with sufficient temporal and spatial alignment. Therefore, team meetings are still often face-to-face, causing travelling overheads.

To tackle this problem systematically, the international project MERCO will research and develop remote collaboration systems capable of bringing net-based collaboration to a new level of performance. Our project consortium consists of the two research institutions ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), joining forces with the companies Ericsson, Semcon, Touchtech, AVS, and Intelliconcept. Now, we seek excellent candidates for two PhD student positions (place of residence at the location of the corresponding research institute):

The PhD student will we responsible for the application programming, as well as for the empirical evaluation of the system. This will require expertise in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW), strong programming skills, as well as in design and performance of mixed-presence user studies, data analysis, empirical evaluation methods, statistical analysis and presentation.

Major responsibilities
On a systems level, major responsibilities will relate to hands-on integration of both hardware and software components. Application level functions include, development, installation, and configuration in industrial contexts. This will be paired with designing mixed-presence collaboration studies involving data analysis, using statistical tools to visualise and understand the data gathered. A successful candiate will actively engage in the Ph.D education activites within their own research group, the department, the research school, and within the project.

Position summary
Aiming to design and examine novel mixed-presence collaborative tools and concepts, this position is geared towards research-oriented design, development, and validation. There will be an important component of application design followed by empirical studies. A part of the project's intended novelty will be related to the use of multi-device solutions, including large, medium, and small screen apps, with another part being image segmentation of gestures and postures in front of multitouch devices. Realtime gesture/multitouch integration for mixed-presence collaboration will be a key focus area.

A maximum of four years of PhD education can be offered. From these four years, two years and eight months are foreseen to take part in the project described here. Thereafter, research tasks may come from another related project. Typically, teaching assistance duties of 20% are expected from PhD-students. When teaching 20% the position will be for 5 years.

Application:

Please submit your application online by using the "Apply Through Website" button.

We look for a candidate with a M.Sc. in Computer Science, in Computer Engineering, or in a related analytic/engineering discipline. Our candidate is already familiar with core concepts of Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Graphics, or Computer-Supported Collaborative Work; deep insights and skills in one of these is strongly prefered. Familiarity with Graphical User Interface (GUI) design and prototyping methods is an asset; empirical methods and skills will be a strong asset. While strong skills and background in the design and development of user interfaces is central, effective use of IR-sensors and 3D graphics will also be an asset. Valued soft factors will be work-experience from a research group (e.g. internship), project management experience, and a readiness to collaborate with international research groups. We will clearly appreciate some leadership experience, strong language and communication skills, and a good portion of "can-do" attitude. Our preferred candidate will take on their given tasks with strong commitment and deliver expected results in time. You can stay focused and be productive in a complex setting with multiple goals and expectations. You have the ability to work closely and stay engaged with members of a team/group. Finally, you come with a readiness to contribute to the functioning and growth of the research group you will be part of. 

To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in Swedish and English. If Swedish is not your native language, you should be able to teach in Swedish after two years. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

The Department of Applied IT is carrying out research and education within the complete milieus Informatics, Learning and Visualization. As part of both Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg the research is encompassing many different disciplines with high relevance for the community. The education is characterized by the interplay between people, people and technology as well as technology’s relation to organizations and the surrounding community. 

Just over a hundred members of staff work at the department in one of the research and educational milieus. The department is located at Campus Lindholmen and has close co operations with industry and the public sector.

Apply here: http://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/vacancies/Pages/default.aspx?rmpage=job&rmjob=2168&rmlang=UK