Fully-Funded Doctoral Studentship in Indoor Positioning Systems for Emergency Responders

Supervisors: Professors Niki Trigoni and Andrew Markham

Start Date: January 2018

Oxford University’s Sensor Networks Group is offering two fully-funded D.Phil. (PhD) studentships in the Department of Computer Science, funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

This project is in the area of location based services for emergency responders. It aims to develop pervasive methods that work everywhere - from high rise buildings to deep basements - and which can locate responders in 3D with meter level accuracy. The focus will be on reliability even in adverse conditions, e.g. smoke, fire and wall collapse. A variety of sensor modalities will be combined, ranging from inertial and visual odometry to 3D localisation using low frequency magnetic fields. Within this scope, the exact directions pursued in the research will be flexible, to suit the background and interests of the candidate appointed.  Examples of areas of background experience that are relevant to the project include, but are not limited to, the following:

• vision/inertial/magnetic/radio localisation systems
• probabilistic state estimation, map matching and simultaneous localisation and mapping
• machine learning approaches to localisation (e.g. deep neural networks)

The project will involve real system trials in firefighter training facilities, and is aiming ultimately at building practical and robust location based systems. Further information about the project is available to potential applicants with a serious interest and suitable background. 

The successful applicant will be working within Oxford's Sensor Networks group, with Profs Niki Trigoni and Andrew Markham, and will benefit from close collaboration with two fire service departments (in the UK and in the US). 

We will consider students with strong computer science, information engineering or electrical engineering background.  Candidates must also have good writing, communication, presentation, and organisation skills.  Applicants must in addition satisfy the  usual requirements  for studying for a doctorate at Oxford.

The studentship is funded at a level that will cover University and College fees at home/EU student rates, together with a stipend of at least £14533 per annum.  Students eligible for overseas fees will need to be able to fund the difference.  There will also be provision for some funds to support research travel during the doctorate.  The studentship will be funded for three years and will start in October 2018.  

Please apply online by 10th October,  2017  quoting studentship reference code CS-NT-AM-2017 Interviews will be held on 12th October

If you have any questions about the studentship please email Niki Trigoni or Andrew Markham . 

If you have any questions about the formal application process please email  Julie Sheppard .