12 fully-funded PhD studentships to start September 2018
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 46 students conducting interdisciplinary 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,
- AI-assisted game design and testing.
IGGI is a collaboration between the University of York, the University of London (Goldsmiths and Queen Mary) and the University of Essex. The programme trains PhD researchers who will become the next generation of leaders in research, design, development and entrepreneurship in digital games. We have 12 studentships available for 2018/19 entry, which will fund full fees (at a Home/EU rate) 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, or are currently on, placements with partner companies such as Sony Interactive Entertainment, Bossa Studios, Google, Bloomberg, Prowler.io, MediaMolecule, BT, SplashDamage, and MindArk. Other partners include organisations such as Electronic Arts, Creative Assembly, Rebellion, Revolution, AI Factory and over 50 games companies and organisations which use games in creative ways.
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 tools for research in behavioural science and for societal benefit.
You’ll also learn through teamwork and inspiring events such as:
- the IGGI Game Jam, a 48 hour game development challenge as part of the Global Game Jam, enhancing your skills in game design, development, and teamwork;
- the IGGI Conference, showcasing student research alongside industry and academic speakers;
- student-led events such as the IGGI Game Creator’s Club, research seminars, games evenings.
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 12 fully-funded studentships to award to outstanding students which cover fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £14,553 (or £16,000 with London weighting if studying at Goldsmiths or Queen Mary) for four years (at 2017/18 rates – this is likely to increase slightly for September 2018 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, Goldsmiths, or Queen Mary 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 23:59 (GMT) on Wednesday 31st January 2018. Interviews will take place at University of York on Friday 16th March 2018. 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.
IGGI students are a diverse group, and admission judgements are made exclusively on the basis of experience and potential to do excellent research and contribute to IGGI’s goals. We especially welcome applications from female and minority ethnic candidates as well as other groups that are under-represented in areas related to IGGI.