From: awm@vorpal.hitl.washington.edu (Andy MacDonald) Subject: JOBS: Graduate Positions available at the HITLab Date: 10 Mar 93 11:48:38 Organization: Human Interface Technology Lab Graduate Student Opportunities at the Human Interface Technology Laboratory University of Washington Seattle WA 98195 The Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITL) at the University of Washington has several positions available for graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows for 1993. Graduate Program HITL is a technology transfer branch of the Washington Technology Center and is affiliated with all academic departments at the University of Washington and other universities throughout the state. HITL's mission is to empower humans by creating better ways of interacting with advanced computers. Students wishing to pursue graduate studies at UW in the field of Virtual Reality and Virtual Interface Design must first obtain admission to UW and to an academic department. Students can then apply to HITL for graduate project work and for economic support. Funded support is highly competitive. HITL teaches a three quarter sequence in VR as part of the course offering in Industrial Engineering. A limited number of Masters-level graduate research assistantships are available within Industrial Engineering, for Fall 1993. Post-doctoral Positions HITL will support selected post-doctoral candidates for one year to work on current and future projects. Applicants for graduate studies, and post-doctoral positions should submit a letter of interest and a resume to: HITL Attn: Kymerie Riggs Fluke Hall, FJ-15 University of Washington Seattle WA 98195 or send an electronic version to position@hitl.washington.edu. There are a limited number of positions available; early applicants will get the most consideration. Applicants will be notified by June 15 of acceptance. Graduate candidates must also apply for admission to the University of Washington in the College of Engineering (e.g. Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Technical Communication and Industrial Engineering), the College of Arts and Sciences (e.g. Psychology, Art, Communications, Physics), or the College of Education. The University of Washington is an equal opportunity employer. ===== Research Areas Current HITL research projects focus on the development of hardware and software systems for advanced human-computer interfaces with a focus on virtual interfaces and virtual reality, and on performing human factors studies to evaluate the effectiveness of hardware and software designs. Ideal applicants in all areas will be self-starting with experience in collaborative construction of complex prototype systems. HARDWARE Specific hardware projects include: An ongoing research project researching a novel optical head tracking system; The Virtual Retinal Display, a laser scanned head-mounted display; Other virtual input/output devices for allowing participants to interact with a virtual world, including the wand, a 6D pointing device. Candidates interested in hardware projects should have backgrounds and interests in several of the following areas: electronics engineering, including video scan conversion, solid-state device engineering and construction, E-M/microwave system design, mechanical design (especially scanning systems), high-bandwidth analog and digital systems, optical system design, (electro-)optical materials and devices, eye-tracking technology, mathematical modeling, and human factors of visual displays. HUMAN FACTORS Specific projects requiring human factors research include: the use of virtual environments to communicate and train situation awareness; psychophysical, perceptual, and ergonomic studies in the development of innovative visual displays (including the virtual retinal display), and; the use of virtual environments in training damage control management personnel aboard naval vessels under attack. Human factors candidates with strengths in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply: general behavioral research methods, including measurement and validation methods, experimental and quasi-experimental design, and both factorial and multivariate analysis techniques research skills in perceptual and cognitive psychology, with specific experience in visual and auditory processes human factors and ergonomics skills as applied to human-computer interaction, and in particular to immersive virtual environments physiological measures of visual behavior and of affective state during high-level task performance, and spatial and situation awareness assessment methods In addition, all human factors researchers will be expected to contribute to the development of the Laboratory's research software tool infrastructure and to employ on-line data collection and analysis techniques wherever possible. Programming experience in Lisp and C in X windows/UNIX environment will be most helpful. SOFTWARE Specific software projects include: Supporting development of the Virtual Environment Operating System (VEOS) and Mercury, the fast virtual body by writing innovative networking, database and device driver code; Supporting development of three-dimensional graphical and audio renderers; Building world and entity construction tools, including scientific visualization tools, L-system construction techniques, generalized sweep construction techniques, semi-autonomous entities, and spacial representations of mathematics; World building, including embedded narrative (characterization, story, and dramatic tension), and multiple participant worlds; and supporting hardware and human factors projects. Software candidates should have skills in several of the following areas: computer graphics, real-time programming, C, Lisp, spacial audio, DSP, computer modeling, Linda-like database systems, artificial life, X windows, UNIX, mathematical modeling, device drivers, network programming, and simulation. There are also opportunities for investigating applications in the following fields: primary and secondary education, medicine, manufacturing and entertainment.