HCI PhD position at University of Rochester

Dr. Zhen Bai, who co-leads the ROCHCI group (http://roc-hci.com/), is welcoming PhD applicants to join the Department of Computer Science at University of Rochester. I seek talented students with a research passion that intersects HCI and AI, with a special focus on Augmented and Virtual Reality, Embodied Conversational Agent, and Human-AI collaboration to shape the future of learning, communication, and quality of life. The PhD position will be fully funded and there is no application fee to apply for the program.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Information Systems or related fields
• Solid computer programming skills
• Experience in user interface design and/or evaluation
• Experience or strong interest in one or more of Augmented and Virtual Reality, game development, machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision
• Excited about interdisciplinary research
• Strong English writing and speaking abilities

ROC-HCI Group
ROC-HCI strives for technical novelty in advancing scientific discovery and addressing real-life challenges in learning (e.g. K-12 AI literacy, socio-emotional learning, scientific inquiry), social interaction (e.g. collaboration, communication, credibility), and wellness for people with diverse abilities and needs (e.g. Autism, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, severe anxiety, ageing). ROC-HCI offers an inclusive and collaborative learning environment that respects diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.

AR/VR initiative
The University of Rochester has launched a multi-faceted initiative to establish world-leading AR/VR research across the campus. In 2020, the university received a 5-year National Science Foundation award to offer interdisciplinary educational traineeships and fellowships to prepare PhD candidates for transformative research in AR/VR across CS, Brain and Cognitive Science, Optics, Electronics and Computing Engineering and related fields. More information can be found at https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/new-training-in-ar-vr-tech-gives-rochester-doctoral-students-an-edge-397062/. 

University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private institution that was founded in 1850. It is one of the smallest and most collegiate schools among the nation's top research universities. According to US News and World Report 2019, the University of Rochester's ranking in the Best National Universities is 29th. It is also one of 25 schools named a "New Ivy" in the 2007 Kaplan/Newsweek.

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Rochester is a research-oriented department with a distinguished history of world-class research, especially in artificial intelligence/human-computer interaction, software systems, and the theory of computation. We provide a collegial, interactive environment in which faculty directly mentor students. All faculty and PhD students, regardless of their area, are familiar with each other’s work. This is possible only in a relatively small, close-knit department.

To Apply
Please contact Dr. Zhen Bai (zbai@cs.rochester.edu) to discuss research opportunities. Guidelines for PhD programs and applications can be found at: https://www.cs.rochester.edu/graduate/how-to-apply.html. For full consideration, interested applicants should submit the application before December 15th.