School of Engineering and Built Environment

Self-Funded PhD Research Project

Project Title:

Social Signal Processing and Affective Computing to enhance Perceptual Learning in Enhanced Amblyopia Treatment

Project Reference Number: SEBE_SELF_GM1

Key words: Social Signal Processing, Affective Computing, Vision Science

Background

Social Signal Processing and Affective Computing are emerging research areas which have similar overlapping goals. Social signal processing has the ambitious goal of bridging the social intelligence gap between computers and humans, while affective computing aims to develop human-computer interaction in which a device has the ability to detect and appropriately respond to its user's emotions and other stimuli. Amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, is an eye condition which is noticed by reduced vision. It is not correctable by glasses or contact lenses and is not due to any eye disease. The brain, for some reason, does not fully acknowledge the images seen by the amblyopic eye. Usually, amblyopia is a correctable problem if it is treated early in childhood. The classical treatment involves forcing the amblyopic (lazy) eye to work harder to see by blocking the vision in the good eye with a patch. Recently within GCU, a perceptual learning paradigm has been developed where children wear special gaming goggles while playing the game for an hour a day for up to 10 days. The goggles feed a clearer image to the lazy eye, forcing the brain to retrain with the lazy eye. Yet it has been found that while this process has been shown to successfully improve vision of participants, results have been unpredictable in that it isn’t clear which amblyopes will improve and which will not. A current hypothesis is that this improvement is directly related to the engagement of the participants during gameplay.

Aims

The aim of this proposal is to develop novel methods in social signal processing and affective computing which can be utilised to assess the engagement of participants while playing a game which utilises the above GCU perceptual learning paradigm. There will be three main components of the project.
1.  The first is to investigate measures of emotional engagement with the stimuli from biomedical responses (e.g. EEG using the Emotiv system, galvanic skin response, facial monitoring for eye tracking and heart rate from video, head movement).
2.  The second will be to develop a tool to investigate correlations between user engagement and improvement in vision.
3.  The final stage is to provide a feedback loop which aims to maximise the users engagement with process to try and maximise the improvement in vision.

Example References

1.  Mark David Jenkins, Peter Barrie, Tom Buggy, and Gordon Morison, Selective sampling importance re-sampling particle filter tracking with multi-bag subspace restoration, IEEE Trans on Cybernetics, (2016)
2.  Ryan Gibson, Scott G. McMeekin, Ali Ahmadinia, Niall. C. Strang and Gordon Morison, A reconfigurable real-time morphological system for augmented vision. EURASIP J. Adv Signal Processing 134 (2013)
3.  P J. Knox, Anita J. Simmers, Lyle S. Gray, Marie Cleary An exploratory study: prolonged periods of binocular stimulation can provide an effective treatment for childhood amblyopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. (2012)
4.  Naeem Ramzan, Sebastian Palke, Thomas Cuntz Gibson, Ryan Gibson and Abbes Amira. Emotion Recognition by Physiological Signals. Electronic Imaging, (2016)

Research Supervisor(s)

Candidates are encouraged to contact the following researchers for further details:

·  Dr Gordon Morsion

·  Dr Ryan Gibson

·  Professor Anita Simmers anita.simmers @gcu.ac.uk

Mode(s) of Study

This project is available as a:

·  PhD: 3 years full-time

·  PhD: 4-6 years part-time (provided UK Visa eligibility criteria are satisfied)

·  1 + 3 route to PhD: Undertaking MRes [1 year full-time] + PhD as above

APPLICATION DETAILS

Eligibility

Applicants will normally hold a UK honours degree 2:1 (or equivalent); or a Masters degree in a subject relevant to the research project. Equivalent professional qualifications and any appropriate research experience may be considered. A minimum English language level of IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent) with no element below 6.0 is required. Some research disciplines may require higher levels.

Specific requirements of the project:

The candidate is expected to have a solid mathematical background, strong programming skills (in C++/Python/Matlab), and keen interest in undertaking high-impact research work. Due to the nature of the project the candidate should also possess the ability to work cooperatively in a multi-disciplinary setting.

How to Apply

Candidates are encouraged to contact the research supervisor(s) for the project before applying. Applicants should download and complete the GCU Research Application Form (available from: http://www.gcu.ac.uk/media/gcalwebv2/study/postgrad/GCU-Postgrad-Research-App-Form-Oct%2014.pdf stating the Project Title and Reference Number (listed above). Or they may attach an alternative research proposal (see Guidance on writing a research proposal) that is related to the themes and expertise of the School (http://www.gcu.ac.uk/ebe/research/phdopportunities/). The completed GCU Research Application form should be sent with copies of academic qualifications (including IELTS if required), 2 references and any other relevant documentation to: . Applicants shortlisted for a PhD will be contacted for an interview.

Application Deadlines

The PhD programmes commence in 01 October, 01 February or 01 May of each year. The application deadlines are as follows:

Start Date / Application Deadline
October 2017 / 1 July 2017
February 2018 / 1 October 2017
May 2018 / 1 January 2018
October 2018 / 1 June 2018
February 2019 / 1 October 2018

Research Degree Fees

Current fee information: http://www.gcu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/feesandfunding/tuitionfees/