[Infovis] 2 Full-Time Research Associate Posts in ESports Data Visualization and Intelligent Content Creation Tools at the University of York

[Jonathan Hook]

2 Full-Time Research Associate Posts at University of York:

Research Associate in Esports Data Visualisation (http://bit.ly/esportsvis <http://bit.ly/esportsvis>)
Research Associate in Intelligent Content Creation Tools for Esports (http://bit.ly/esportstools <http://bit.ly/esportstools>)

Salary range: £32,236 - £39,609
Apply by: 16/06/2019 (extended)

“WEAVR: Pioneering Fully Integrated Cross-Reality Spectator Experiences in Esports and Beyond” is a £5.8 million R&D project aiming to radically transform audience experiences in esports (http://weavr.tv/). It is one of four UK flagship demonstrators, funded from the Industrial Strategy’s Audience of the Future programme, aiming to establish the UK as world leading in the emerging forms of interactive and immersive storytelling (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/audience-of-the-future-launch). It is led by ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and the University of York, which brings world‑class research in digital storytelling, games, AI and data analytics. The other Weavr partners are top UK companies in studio TV production (Dock10), VR content development (Rewind), HD and 360 video (Focal Point VR) and data analytics (Cybula), making up a large interdisciplinary team of researchers, software developers, 2D & 3D artists, TV producers, game developers, designers, and market analysts. Weavr’s research engine is based at The University of York in the Digital Creativity Labs (https://www.digitalcreativity.ac.uk/), a world centre of excellence for impact-driven research.

We invite applications for two exciting roles on this high profile project:

1) Research Associate in Esports Data Visualisation

We seek an outstanding data visualization researcher for a fixed-term position as a Research Associate on the Weavr project. As the successful candidate, you will conduct research for collaborative projects and develop interactive visualizations of esports player data. These visualizations will include: i) audience-facing visualizations of player behavior that can be included within live broadcasts and second-screen experiences; ii) visualizations that help commentators and pundits tell more nuanced and engaging stories during live broadcasts and post-game analysis; and iii) visualizations that assist other members of the research team in understanding complex data sources during the development of machine learning and game analytics algorithms. You will also write up research results and disseminate them through publications, seminar and conference presentations; contribute to the identification of possible new areas of research; and undertake appropriate administrative activities.

You will have a PhD (or equivalent experience) and record of excellent research in data visualization, reflected in high quality publications. You will also have good programming skills (e.g. C, C++, C#, Python, Java, Unity) and knowledge of frameworks for creating data visualizations, accompanied by a passion to develop working research prototypes of visualizations that can be applied in real-world environments.

More info: http://bit.ly/esportsvis 
Contact: jonathan.hook at york.ac.uk

2) Research Associate in Intelligent Content Creation Tools for Esports

We are seeking an enthusiastic researcher to lead the development of tools and techniques to support interactive esports narrative experiences, in collaboration with a significant team of researchers, software developers, and esport producers. As the successful candidate, you will conduct research for collaborative projects and oversee the development of authoring tools that allow production teams to create new forms of immersive and data-driven esports narrative content. This will allow customisation of viewers’ experiences, either through their direct interaction (such as by selecting which character to follow in a battle, which depth of explanations to receive from commentators, or which aspects of the game to replay) or automatically (for example by taking into account their proficiencies, using their own game data). You will also write up research results and disseminate them through publications, seminar and conference presentations; contribute to the identification of possible new areas of research; and undertake appropriate administrative activities.

You will have a PhD in a programming-related field of Computer Science or Electronic Engineering or related qualifications. You will also have expertise in one of the following two areas: authoring tools in multimedia, games, e-learning, sound/music or related areas; or knowledge representation and reasoning, for example for interactive narratives, personalisation, automated content generation, or related areas. You will have a record of excellent research, reflected in high quality publications, and will bring an appetite for innovation across discipline boundaries and application domains. Good programming skills (e.g. C, C++, C#, Python, Java, Unity) accompanied by passion to develop working research prototypes is another essential requirement.

More info: http://bit.ly/esportstools
Contact: marian.ursu at york.ac.uk

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.


Jonathan Hook
Senior Lecturer in Interactive Media
Department of Theatre, Film and Television
University of York, Baird Lane, YO10 5GB
+44 (0)1904 325238
www.jonhook.co.uk <http://www.jonhook.co.uk/>