EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence (IGGI)
11 fully-funded studentships to start September 2017
Covers fees at Home/EU rate and a stipend for four years
IGGI is an exciting opportunity for you to undertake a four-year PhD in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence, working with top games companies and world-leading academics in games research. We currently have 34 students conducting research in areas such as:
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create interesting, fun, believable game agents,
• emotion and immersion in games,
• interaction design for games,
• Machine Learning (ML) to understand player psychology
• using games for learning and wellbeing,
• game audio, graphics and animation
• game design, citizen science and gamification,
• procedural content generation.
IGGI is a collaboration between the University of York, the University of Essex and Goldsmiths College, University of London. The programme trains PhD researchers who will become the next generation of leaders in research, design, development and entrepreneurship in digital games.
We have 11 studentships available for 2017/18 entry, which will fund full fees (for UK/EU students) plus a tax-free living stipend, for a 4-year PhD programme. Could you join our large and growing group of games researchers in the world’s largest games research programme?
Why IGGI?
IGGI gives you the opportunity to work with our industry partners, allowing you the possibility to contribute directly to the future of games. You will have the opportunity to undertake industrial placements during the IGGI programme, giving you first-hand experience of the games industry. These placements will contribute to your research, ensuring its relevance, as well as giving you the skills needed to succeed in a career in the games industry or games research.
Our students have completed placements with partner companies such as Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, Bossa Studios, Google, MediaMolecule, SplashDamage, and MindArk. Other partners include organisations such as Creative Assembly, Rebellion, UKIE, the Digital Catapult, BT and over 50 games companies and organisations which use games in creative ways (see http://www.iggi.org.uk/industry-partners/)
Your research work with partners like these will advance the creation of more fun and profitable games that exploit research advances, and help to increase the use of games as a tool for scientific research and societal good.
You’ll also learn through teamwork and inspiring events such as:
• the IGGI Game Jam, a 48 hour Game Development Challenge to enhance your skills in game design and development, and teamwork. This is part of the Global Game Jam, so you will be jamming alongside teams from all over the world;
• the IGGI Symposium, a student-led event that showcases student research alongside industry and academic speakers;
• industry days, where practitioners from industry share insights into their business and present real-world problems for teams to solve.
You’ll receive focused skills training from a range of academic research leaders, covering topics including: Games Development, Games Design and Research Skills as well as a range of optional topics in areas such as AI, HCI, graphics, audio and design.
Apply for IGGI
We have 11 fully-funded studentships to award to outstanding students that cover fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £14,296 (or £15,726 with London weighting if studying at Goldsmiths) for four years (at 2016/17 rates – this is likely to increase slightly for September 2017 starters).
An IGGI application should consist of a CV, a covering letter explaining your motivation and suitability for the IGGI programme, and a statement of your planned research and proposed supervisor(s). You will also be asked for evidence of your programming skills during the application process, either through your qualifications, previous employment or examples of games you have developed.
You can contact potential supervisors directly (see http://www.iggi.org.uk/supervisors/ for a list), or contact us at the email address below and we can help you to choose a principal supervisor from York, Essex or Goldsmiths based on your interests and background.
We expect substantial competition for IGGI studentships and we encourage good students to submit applications as early as possible. The deadline for applications is midnight (GMT) on Friday 27th January 2017. Interviews will take place at Goldsmiths, University of London on Friday 10th March 2017.
Your CV, covering letter, supervisor information and statement of planned research should be emailed to apply@iggi.org.uk. Please send enquiries to the same email address.
