Job Description

Early Stage Researcher (ESR) in FP7-PEOPLE Marie Curie ITN DREAMS (Dereverberation and Reverberation of Audio, Music, and Speech)

The DREAMS Initial Training Network will investigate the problem of modeling, controlling, removing, and synthesizing acoustic reverberation with the aim of enhancing the quality and intelligibility of audio, music, and speech signals. The ITN will host 12 Early Stage Researchers and 4 Experienced Researchers, each performing an individual research project around one of four themes that reflect the most challenging open problems in the area of (de-)reverberation. The research training will be organized and supervised by an international consortium of 12 leading institutions from academia and industry.

This job opening covers a 3-year research position in the frame of a 4-year doctoral program (resulting in a PhD degree awarded by KU Leuven). The main part of the research work will be carried out at KU Leuven, Belgium (Supervisors: Dr. Toon van Waterschoot, Prof. Marc Moonen), and will include two 5-month research secondments at Televic, Belgium (Co-supervisor: Dr. Piet Verhoeve) and Aalborg University, Denmark (Co-supervisor: Prof. Søren Holdt Jensen).

Parametric models of room transfer functions are of crucial importance in the design of acoustic signal enhancement algorithms such as artificial reverberation synthesis and dereverberation. These models should be accurate yet efficient, which implies a trade-off in the number of model parameters. The objective of this research project is to develop parametric models and identification algorithms resulting in a modeling accuracy comparable to the traditional all-zero model yet requiring a significantly smaller number of model parameters. The research methodology will rely on recent advances in system identification and convex optimization, and on the physical understanding of room acoustics.

Required Degree: Master Degree in Engineering (or equivalent). A solid background in signal processing and/or room acoustics, as well as experience with Matlab programming is absolutely required.

Required Languages: English (Excellent)

Marie Curie ITN Eligibility Conditions:
1) Early-Stage Researchers must, at the time of recruitment by the host organization, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not yet been awarded a doctoral degree.
2) At the time of recruitment by the host organization, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of their host organization for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date.

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