Recruitment for PhD Position - MsCA Doctoral Network DECADOCS – Decadence and Haptic Virtual Re[...]

COFAC; Portugal; Híbrido; EUR 30 000 - 40 000; Tempo integral

Resumo da oferta

A prominent academic institution in Portugal seeks a PhD candidate for a fully-funded position focusing on haptic virtual reality and historical stereoscopic media. The position involves conducting archival research, collaborating on VR development, and engaging in network activities. A Master’s degree in a related field is required, along with strong analytical skills and proficiency in academic writing. The candidate will reside in Lisbon and Dijon, participating in graduate training and research activities.

Serviços

Living allowance

Mobility allowance

Training events and workshops

Qualificações

• Prior research experience involving archives or image-based collections.
• Familiarity with interactive or immersive technologies.
• Solid programming experience.

Responsabilidades

• Conduct archival research and analyze stereoscopic materials.
• Collaborate on developing a VR environment.
• Prepare and submit scholarly articles based on project findings.

Conhecimentos

Strong analytical and critical skills

Good communication and collaboration skills

Proficiency in academic writing

Basic familiarity with VR or immersive technologies

Formação académica

Master’s degree in a relevant field

Ferramentas

Digital tools for media analysis

3D modelling software

Descrição da oferta de emprego

Overview

Organisation/Company COFAC Department Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias Research Field Communication sciences » Media studies Communication sciences » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Portugal Application Deadline 20 Oct 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Reference Number 101227176_DECADOCS_HAPTIC Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101227176 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Lusofona University and the Université Bourgogne Europe are recruiting a PhD candidate for a fully-funded PhD position within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network DECADOCS – Decadence for doctoral studies.

DECADOCS is the first European doctoral network dedicated to the study of decadence, bringing together 27 partners—including 10 leading universities, museums, and archives—across 8 countries. The network rethinks decadence beyond traditional associations with decline, exploring new dimensions such as sustainability, transnationalism, and sensoriality across fields like architecture, fashion, food, tourism, and immersive media.

The successful candidate will be enrolled in a joint doctoral programme, leading to a double doctoral degree awarded by Lusofona University, Portugal, and University of Burgundy Europe, France. The candidate will be required to reside in Lisbon for the initial 24 months of the project (from October/November 2025 to September 2027), during which they will participate in graduate training as part of the Ph.D. in Media Arts and Communication programme and have assigned research space at the Early Visual Media Lab – CICANT. After this period, the candidate will move to Dijon to complete the next 24 months of the project and participate in graduate training as part of the Ph.D. in Physical Engineering and Microtechnology programme and develop their research at the Imaging and Artificial Vision Lab - ImViA. During this period, the candidate will also undertake secondments at the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy in England and the Nicéphore Niépce Museum in France, gaining hands-on experience with over 300,000 historical stereoscopic images and devices, while exploring their sensory, technological, and cultural dimensions through direct interaction with collections and archival publications.

PhD Project: Decadence and Haptic Virtual Reality: Testing Visual and Audio Stereoscopic Compositions

The term haptic refers to the transmission of tactile sensations through vibrations, force feedback, visual, and acoustic information. VR remains visually dominant yet sensory-limited. While most haptic studies focus on vibrations to enhance virtual interactions, more research is needed on how stereoscopic 3D and 3D sound affect user perception in VR. This PhD project focuses on the haptic potential of historical stereoscopic compositions and their application in virtual environments. It addresses two main research questions:

• Which photographic compositions historically enhanced haptic perception when viewed through stereoscopic devices?
• Can visual and audio haptic compositions improve interaction in VR and serve as viable alternative feedback mechanisms?

Research Activities:

The successful candidate will conduct archival research and undertake secondments at two major European collections—The Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy (UK) and The Musée Nicéphore Niépce (France)—to select and analyse 100 historical stereoviews noted for their strong tactile visual effects. This analysis will focus on categorising key visual elements such as composition, form, and texture that contribute to perceived hapticity. Building on these findings, the candidate will help develop a virtual reality environment featuring ten historically significant haptic compositions, with technical support from the Early Visual Media Lab – CICANT at Lusófona University (Portugal). To enhance user immersion, this VR space will be further enriched with 3D audio cues in collaboration with the ImViA Laboratory and the Cognitive Psychology Laboratory (LEAD) at the Université Bourgogne Europe (France).

The selected PhD candidate will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Conduct Archival Research
  • Conduct archival research and analyse stereoscopic materials from The Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy (UK) and The Musée Nicéphore Niépce (France), selecting a corpus of 100 still life stereoviews known for their strong haptic visual effects.
  • Identify and categorise recurring haptic compositions while assessing their perceptual intensity.
• Collaborate on Virtual Reality Development
• Design a VR environment featuring the ten most prominent historical haptic compositions, in collaboration with a programmer and designer from CICANT at Lusófona University.
• Work with the ImViA Laboratory and Cognitive Psychology Laboratory (LEAD) at Université Bourgogne Europe to incorporate 3D audio cues into the VR experience.
• Assist in developing and implementing a user testing protocol to evaluate immersive and tactile perception.
• Produce High-Quality Research Outputs
• Develop and present a working VR haptic prototype at academic research labs and media art exhibitions.
• Prepare and submit two conference papers based on project findings.
• Write and submit a scholarly article to an open-access, peer-reviewed journal.
• Engage in Network Activities
• Actively participate in DECADOCS training events, workshops, and seminars.
• Experience or strong interest in stereoscopic media, photography, or visual culture, ideally with knowledge of historical image archives or photographic collections.
• Basic familiarity with VR or immersive technologies—not necessarily technical mastery, but an understanding of their application in research or creative contexts.
• Solid programming experience.
• Strong analytical and critical skills for categorising and interpreting visual materials.
• Good communication and collaboration skills to work across disciplines (media, psychology, technology) and with external partners (e.g. archives, labs).
• Proficiency in academic writing and research dissemination—e.g., papers, presentations, articles.
• Availability to work in Lisbon and Dijon.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Specific Requirements

• Prior research or project work involving archives or image-based collections, VR/AR environments, sensory studies or affective computing, or 3D audio or spatial sound design
• Experience working in collaborative or interdisciplinary research settings
• Familiarity with digital tools for media analysis, interaction design, or 3D modelling

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Additional Information

The EU provides support for each recruited researcher in the form of

• a living allowance
• a mobility allowance
• if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants can be of any nationality;
• Applicants must hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Media Studies, Digital Humanities, Visual Culture, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Cognitive Psychology (with a focus on perception or sensory studies), Immersive Media / Virtual Reality, History of Photography or Cinema, or a related field;
• Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the host country (Portugal) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date (MSCA mobility rule);
• Applicants must be eligible to enrol in a doctoral programme at the host institution;
• Applicants should not be enrolled in another doctoral programme during the project:

Selection process

What to send: A single PDF labelled with your name and including:

• a cover letter stating your motivation to apply for the position and your key competencies relevant for this position
• an up-to-date CV, including details of your BA and MA degrees
• published articles (when applicable)
• copies of your diplomas and transcripts of records (BA and MA)
• contact information of two academic references
• evidence of proficiency in academic English (a sample of academic writing from your MA)
• the names and contact details of two referees
• a sample of academic writing
• proof of ID (passport, identity card)
• a declaration of Honour stating that you fulfil the eligibility criteria.

DECADOCS network is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments for applicants with specific needs.

The scientific environment in both host universities and in secondments

Lusófona University is the largest non-public university in Portugal and is organized around 10 schools that offer 40 undergraduate Degrees, 44 Master’s Degrees and 10 PhD programs. Lusófona University is the leader of FilmEU, one of the European University Alliances dedicated to the cultural and creative industries, which includes eight leading Higher Education Institutions across Europe. The project will be hosted by CICANT and will be co-developed by the Early Visual Media Lab. The Early Visual Media Lab is also the publisher of the International Journal on Stereo and Immersive Media, a Scopus-indexed and open-access journal specialized in historical and new immersive media.

At Lusófona the PhD student will receive specialized training in the PhD in Media Arts and Communication, including courses such as Media Arts and Immersion and Media Archaeology, and will have access to VR and Sound studios. The Université Bourgogne Europe offers 400 degrees across all levels, 950 PhD students in 6 doctoral schools, employs 3,000 staff, and enrolls 34,000 students, including international students. The University is a member of FORTHEM alliance. ImViA is a laboratory working in vision, embedded electronics, signal and image processing for imaging systems. The partnerships of this project will enable early-stage researchers to interact with historical collections of stereoscopic photography.

The Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy is based in England with over 200,000 photographs and 500 stereoscopes. The Nicéphore Niépce Museum in France provides access to over 100,000 stereoviews. For more information about DECADOCS and other available positions, please visit: decadocs.blog/