[Imageworld] EngD Research Studentship - Edinburgh/Glasgow

[Sian Williams]

VACANCY: Engineering Doctorate Research Studentship

EMBEDDED PROCESSING: AUTOMATIC IMAGE AND SCENE ANALYSIS

SPONSOR: Thales Optronics, Glasgow 

START DATE: immediate


Project
The project is in the technical area of digital image processing and computer vision. The aim is to research and develop techniques for easily implementing novel automatic image analysis algorithms for scene understanding. The output of the project will be a real-time technology demonstrator. This will be built using appropriate hardware which may include SoC, GPU and FPGA. The main focus of the project is hardware implementation and not algorithm development, which is being explored in a concurrent EngD with the VISP Laboratory at Heriot-Watt University and Thales Optronics. 
Automatic image and scene analysis algorithms involve automatically decomposing a video stream into "threat areas". Specific processing and decision-making is then independently applied to each area depending on the nature of the threat. These context-driven scene analysis algorithms automatically select the appropriate sensor and processing algorithms for each threat area. This project will research the appropriate software and hardware required to implement the algorithms in real-time. The project will explore the intelligent allocation of the individual algorithms to software and firmware with an emphasis on the real-time implementation in hardware. 

Academic Supervision: Dr Neil Robertson, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

About Thales
Thales Optronics, Glasgow is part of a large multinational company. Approximately 700 staff are employed at Thales Optronics covering many disciplines including EO modelling, software engineering, systems, algorithm development and firmware. The products developed by Thales include thermal imagers, periscopes, sighting systems and laser products. 

General
This project will lead to the award of Engineering Doctorate in System Level Integration, a degree awarded jointly by the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde. See www.sli-institute.ac.uk/education/engd-sli/index.php for details. 

Graduates from this course will have a thorough understanding of the implementation of digital image processing techniques. They will acquire an understanding of state-of-the-art techniques in computer vision and how these techniques are applied in the military thermal imaging industry. 

Funding and Entry
Applications are welcome from new graduates and engineers with work experience. The minimum entry qualification is a First or Upper Second class Honours degree in EEE or CS (or equivalent). For eligible students, the project attracts a stipend of c£19,500 pa (tax-free) for each of the four years of the degree. IMPORTANT: Funding for this post is restricted to candidates fulfulling EPSRC residency criteria - see www.epsrc.ac.uk/PostgraduateTraining/StudentEligibility.htm 

How to Apply/Further Information
Please contact Siân Williams, EngD Centre Manager, ISLI, Alba Centre, Alba Campus, Livingston EH54 7EG, sian.williams at sli-institute.ac.uk, 01506 469312 


Siân Williams
EngD Centre Manager
Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI)
Alba Centre, Alba Campus
Livingston EH54 7EG

T: 01506 469312    F: 01506 469301
E: sian.williams at sli-institute.ac.uk
W: www.sli-institute.ac.uk