PhD in Computer Science: AI for modulating human time perception (# of pos: 2)

Time is our important fourth dimension. It is essential for a wide range of our daily activities ranging from motor activity to planning. Time is also crucial in our decision-making processes. Nevertheless, humans perceive durations mostly subjectively. There are a number of variables that can affect this, including experience (a good experience makes time go faster). Our perspective of time is also influenced by our physical environment (e.g., temperature or having moving objects surrounding us).

Based on evidence from psychological studies, visual, auditory and tactile stimuli can affect our perception of time. In this PhD position, we aim to exploit these findings in order to design AI-enabled agents which can influence and modulate human time perception. The goal of modulating time perception is to improve human well-being and performance in a wide range of tasks where time is a key factor.

The process of modulating time perception includes two main phases: (i) being able to predict in which time state (i.e., which perception of time) the user has; and (ii) being able to modify this time state (i.e., perception) as desired. Therefore, we aim to develop a set of models for predicting the current subjective perception of time from a set of inputs (e.g., physiological and cognitive measures). Based on the output of these models and the desired state, we aim to develop a set of modulation strategies that help in reaching the goal perception state.

The hired candidate will work on this topic in the context of a EU H2020 project in collaboration with project partners from Greece, Luxemburg, Germany and Belgium. The hired candidate is responsible for the design of the computational models, and for the integration in a working prototype. The candidate will collaborate with students with a background in psychology to evaluate the models in experiments with volunteers, and with students with a background in VR/AR to design the environments.

Main tasks

• Review literature on predictive models that can be exploited to predict subjective time state.
• Design and implement predictive models encapsulated in the AI-enabled agents.
• Design and implement modulation strategies encapsulated in the AI-enabled agents.
• Validate the AI-enabled agents in user experiments, and interprete of the results in tight collaboration with psychologists.
• Cooperation with technical partners to integrate these models into a working prototype consisting of VR/AR glasses and robots. You also assist in the evaluation of the prototype, in cooperation with partners who have expertise in psychology.
• Independent work on a diverse set of tools and methods (mainly machine learning and computational modelling)
• Collaboration on publications and presentations at international conferences
• Supervision of master theses related to the subject of this PhD

The PhD position is a fully funded position. After successful evaluation of the progress in the first year, the contract can be extended with 3 more years (4 years in total).