Research Assistant (f/m/d) - Doctoral Candidate for Investigating Gaze Interactions in Real and Virtual Crowds

Weitere Informationen

The successful candidate will be employed under a regular employment contract.
The position is to be filled by 1/1/2026 and offered for a fixed term of 3 years.
The fixed-term employment is possible as it constitutes one of the fixed-term options of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Fixed-term Scientific Contracts).
This is a full-time position.
The successful candidate has the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in this position.
The salary is based on the German public service salary scale (TV-L).
The position corresponds to a pay grade of EG 13 TV-L.

Unser Profil

The research & teaching area “Virtual Reality and Immersive Visualization” is part of the Computer Science department of RWTH Aachen University and is a founding member of the Visual Computing Institute. We develop new methods for direct, multimodal interaction in Virtual Reality (VR) in fundamental research, with a particular focus on collaborative and social environments, as well as algorithms for exploratory visual analysis of technical-physical processes in three-dimensional space.

In close collaboration with institutes at RWTH, the Jülich Research Center, international research institutions, and industrial partners, we create innovative applications and comprehensive solutions for VR-supported data analyses across various application areas.

As an integral part of the "Computational Science & Engineering" division in the IT Center of the University, we also support institutes and external cooperation partners in integrating techniques of immersive visualization and Virtual Reality into their research projects both infrastructurally and methodologically.

We are looking for support in the project 'CrowdGaze: A Dual Approach to Studying Gaze Interactions in Stationary and Moving Crowds Using Eye Tracking in Real and Virtual Environments,' within the DFG Priority Program 'Understanding Gaze' (SPP UGAZE, SPP 2481). This project is being carried out in a close collaboration with interdisciplinary teams from the Jülich Research Center and the University of Rennes 2, IRISA/Inria, VirtUS team, France. Together, we will investigate gaze interactions in real and virtual crowd environments, focusing on how individuals use gaze to communicate intentions and navigate social interactions. Combining social psychology, movement science, and computer science, the project aims to enhance our understanding of non-verbal communication in dense crowds. The VR component will explore how gaze behavior adapts in immersive settings through simulations of various crowd scenarios with virtual agents, utilizing eye-tracking technology and motion capture systems to create realistic populated space simulations.

Ihr Profil

• University degree (Master’s or equivalent) in computer science, movement science, or a related field.
• Experience with VR development platforms especially Unreal Engine, along with profound programming skills in C++.
• Experience with eye-tracking technology and motion tracking is preferable.
• Analytical skills for interpreting experimental data and contributing to scientific publications.
• Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate within an interdisciplinary team environment.
• High proficiency in written and spoken English (German and/or French is a plus).

Ihre Aufgaben

• Developing and implementing VR environments to simulate crowd interactions, ensuring ecological validity and user engagement.
• Integrating eye-tracking data and motion capture information into VR.
• Conducting user studies in VR, analyzing gaze behavior together with walking trajectories and body motion, and interpreting results to enhance our understanding of social navigation dynamics.
• Designing and refining virtual agents that can realistically mimic human gaze behavior and interactions.
• Contributing to research publications and presentations at international conferences based on findings from both real-world and VR experiments.
• Mentor younger scholars (bachelor’s and master’s students).
• The doctoral candidate will spend the first one and a half to two years in Aachen, followed by a relocation to Rennes for the remainder of the project.

Über uns

RWTH is a certified family-friendly University. We support our employees in maintaining a good work-life balance with a wide range of health, advising, and prevention services, for example university sports. Employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements and civil servants have access to an extensive range of further training courses and the opportunity to purchase a job ticket.
RWTH is an equal opportunities employer. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates, particularly from groups that are underrepresented at the University. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability or age. RWTH is strongly committed to encouraging women in their careers. Female applicants are given preference if they are equally suitable, competent, and professionally qualified, unless a fellow candidate is favored for a specific reason.
As RWTH is committed to equality of opportunity, we ask you not to include a photo in your application.
You can find information on the personal data we collect from applicants in accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at http://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbung.

Besoldung / Entgelt

EG 13 TV-L