Post-Doc position – Eye Movements in 3D Sketch Mapping

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100%, Zurich, fixed-term

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. It is renowned for its excellent education, its cutting-edge fundamental research and its efforts to put new knowledge and innovations directly into practice. The Institute of Cartography and Geoinformation is looking for a highly motivated post-doctoral researcher at the Chair of Geoinformation Engineering , starting at the earliest possible date.

Project background

The 3D Sketch Maps project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation in the scope of the Sinergia funding program, investigates 3D sketch maps from a theoretical, empirical, cognitive, as well as tool-related perspective, with a particular focus on Extended Reality (XR) technologies. Sketch mapping is an established research method in fields that study human spatial decision-making and information processing, such as navigation and wayfinding. Although space is naturally three-dimensional (3D), contemporary research has focused on assessing individuals’ spatial knowledge with two-dimensional (2D) sketches. For many domains though, such as aviation or the cognition of complex multilevel buildings, it is essential to study people’s 3D understanding of space, which is not possible with the current 2D methods.

The 4-year project will be carried out jointly by the Chair of Geoinformation Engineering (Prof. Dr. Martin Raubal), the Chair of Cognitive Science (Prof. Dr. Christoph Hölscher), and the Spatial Intelligence Lab at University of Münster, Germany (Prof. Dr. Angela Schwering).

Job description

The post-doctoral researcher will be responsible for the eye tracking-related research activities of the project, which include the development and evaluation of a toolbox and measures for the analysis of eye movements and cognitive processes involved in 3D sketch mapping. He or she will support the doctoral student working on the same project and collaborate with external project partners.

The postdoctoral researcher will develop his or her own research questions in the scope of the project and will also be involved in current and future projects within the geoGAZElab . The research will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Martin Raubal (Chair of Geoinformation Engineering) and Dr. Peter Kiefer. The candidate will also contribute to the teaching activities at the Chair of Geoinformation Engineering.

Your profile

The ideal candidate must have a doctoral degree in Geomatics, Computer Science, Information Science, Data Science or related fields, with an excellent record of relevant research publications. Candidates will be considered if they have a background and skills in one or more of the following areas:

• Human-Computer-Interaction, in particular extended reality and gaze-based interaction
• Eye tracking and eye movement analysis
• Spatial Cognition

Strong programming skills are required, as well as experience with performing human participant studies. We expect a candidate with excellent communication skills in English (oral and writing), who is team-oriented and eager to work in an interdisciplinary and international environment. Knowledge of GIS, 3D visualization, and German language skills are a significant plus. We explicitly encourage female candidates to apply.

ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.

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