Doctoral Researcher (Spatial Audio Processing for Wearable Devices) / Väitöskirjatutkija (Tila-ä�

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational, and high-impact research and education. Our universities community has its competitive edges in technology, health, and society. Read more: http://www.tuni.fi/en 
 

We are looking for a highly motivated doctoral researcher to work on spatial audio processing and audio enhancement of recordings from wearable devices. The position is situated in the Audio and Speech Processing Research Group of Tampere University at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences (ITC). 

JOB DESCRIPTION 

The successful candidate will pursue a doctoral degree in the Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering (DPCEE). The offered contract at TAU is for 24 months with possible extension. The position has received funding by Meta Reality Labs (MRL) and researchers from MRL will be involved in co-supervisory and advisory roles. The candidate will additionally be part of a multidisciplinary team in the Audio Research Group of TAU and will be expected to push the boundaries of current knowledge and technology in this field, publishing research findings in reputable journals and presenting them at international conferences. There can be also opportunities for research visits at MRL headquarters in Seattle, WA, USA.

The doctorate’s area of research is on data-driven and context-driven spatial audio processing of real sound scenes, captured by microphones mounted on wearable devices, such as head-mounted displays or smart glasses. The research can involve, among other possibilities, acoustic scene analysis, source separation, spatial and semantic audio enhancement, and personalized spatial audio rendering of the captured recordings. The methods that will be developed are expected to contribute to the next generation of technologies involved in immersive media recording and reproduction, augmented hearing, and mixed reality experiences. The doctoral candidate will focus on investigating specific problems in the above research topics and push the current state-of-the-art. Collection and curation of recordings of natural scenes that can serve the above research tasks is also expected to be conducted during the doctorate.

The Doctoral student will be supervised by Assistant Professor Archontis Politis.
 

REQUIREMENTS

• The applicant needs to have a master’s degree or equivalent in a field related to the position, such as computer science, signal processing, machine learning, media or communications technology, and have demonstrated (during their studies towards the master’s degree or otherwise) the competence and motivation to pursue postgraduate studies. The degree must be completed before the end of the application period. 
• The successful candidate needs to apply for and be granted a study right for a doctoral degree in the Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering (DPCEE) at Tampere University. Please visit the admissions webpage for more information on eligibility requirements. Please pay special attention to the language requirements.
• The applicant should have experience with Python and deep learning frameworks such as Pytorch or Tensorflow.
• Additional knowledge about acoustics, audio signal processing, and spatial audio is highly desirable.
• Specific knowledge or experience in research tasks such as sound source localization, sound event detection, sound source separation, spatial audio coding, and spatial audio reproduction, are also preferred qualifications.
• Additional skills that are highly appreciated in this position are the willingness to work hard in a cross-sector and multi-cultural environment, ability to work both independently and in a team, and interest in a research career.

Tampere University is a unique, multidisciplinary, and boldly forward-looking, evolving community. Our values are openness, diversity, responsibility, courage, critical thinking, erudition, and learner-centeredness. We hope that you can embrace these values and promote them in your work. 

WE OFFER
 
 We offer a research-inspiring work environment with an excellent up-to-date infrastructure and a collaborative work community in the Tampere Hervanta campus, as well as high-quality support services for researchers. The University also offers a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working schedule, as well as a personal fund to spend on sports and cultural activities in your free time. The University additionally provides versatile research infrastructure, modern teaching facilities and a safe and inviting campus area, excellent sports facilities, and several restaurants and cafés on campuses. Please read more about  Working at Tampere Universities. You can also find more information about us and working and living Tampere by watching our video: Tampere Higher Education Community – our academic playground. 

We offer a fixed term contract for 24 months. The starting date of the employment is expected to be at earliest March 1^st 2025, or as soon as possible after that but no later than April 30^th 2025. A trial period of six (6) months applies to all new employees at TAU.

Salary will be based on both the job requirements and the employee’s personal performance in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System. The position of a Doctoral Researcher is placed at level 2-4 of the job requirements scale, with a starting salary of approximately 2700€ – 2900€ per month. The salary increases based on experience and the progress of doctoral studies.

We are inviting you to be a part of a vibrant, active, and truly international research community. We value interdisciplinarity, as it allows you to expand your research network and exposes you to new perspectives and ideas to solve complex research problems and pursue novel research findings. We are strongly committed to the highest level of scientific research and the provision of high-quality doctoral education.

Tampere, located between two big lakes, is Finland’s second largest city area and the biggest inland city in the Nordic countries. The nature is close everywhere you turn your head in Tampere. This together with a strong tradition in industry make Tampere a unique environment for living and working. At present the region hosts a great deal of industry and service businesses, and the City of Tampere is a major hub for the Finnish ICT industry. For more information on Tampere, please check VisitTampere, Welcome to Tampere and International House Tampere.

Finland provides one of the most advanced and comprehensive social security in the world. It includes for example sickness benefits, various family benefits and a comprehensive healthcare system. For more information on Finland, please check infoFinland, Visit Finland, and This is Finland.

HOW TO APPLY
 
 Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is 31st January 2025 (at 23:59 EET / UTC+2). Please write your application and all accompanying documentation in English and attach them in PDF format only.

• Please attach only the following documents (in PDF format) to your application:
• A letter of motivation and description of your research interests (max. 2 pages). Named “Surname_Motivation_Letter.pdf”. The selected applicant will have to apply and be admitted to the doctoral programme prior to the start of the work. The student needs to write a more detailed research plan at that stage.
   
• Curriculum vitae according to the TENK template. Named “Surname_CV.pdf”
   
• PDF copies of your Master’s and Bachelor’s degree certificates, including transcripts of all university records in original language. If original language is other than Finnish, Swedish or English, please provide an official translation in one of those languages.
   
   
• Either two recommendation letters [preferably] OR the contact details of two referees [if the first option is not possible, and with explained reasoning], e.g., your Master’s supervisors / employers. Named “Surname_Reccomendations.pdf”

After the recruitment process, the successful candidate needs to apply for and be granted a study right for a doctoral degree in the doctoral program of the discipline at Tampere University. Please visit the admissions webpage for more information on eligibility requirements. 

Additional documents:

• Preferred if available, a certificate of language proficiency, named “Surname_Lang.pdf”. A language certificate will be necessary to be enrolled in the doctoral programme (see above “Requirements”).
  • Exemptions to the language requirements: It is possible to be exempted from submitting a language test score if you have completed a higher education degree in English in certain countries. If you apply without a valid language test result, carefully examine the exemptions that your studies fulfil the requirements.”

INQUIRIES

Archontis Politis, Assistant Professor archontis.politis@tuni.fi

For questions about enrolment in the doctoral studies, check DPCEE doctoral programme contacts.

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