Fully Funded PhD in Reimagining Music Venues: Spatial, Digital & Experiential Innovation in Live Music University of Liverpool in United Kingdom

Applications are invited for a fully funded UK PhD at the University of Liverpool within the MusicFutures programme. The project is titled Reimagining Music Venues: Spatial, Digital & Experiential Innovation in Live Music and sits in the Department of Architecture, with strong interdisciplinary links to Music and Computer Science.

This studentship is aimed at a highly motivated candidate interested in an academic or practice-based career in creative technologies, live music, spatial design, immersive environments, AI, and real-time systems. The research explores how emerging tools can reshape music venues and performance spaces, including adaptive hybrid physical-digital environments, responsive digital environments, digital twins, interactive audience experiences, and sustainable and inclusive venue models.

Two broad thematic pathways are highlighted: (1) spatial, digital, and experiential innovation in live music venues; and (2) technology and product development for future live music venues. The project welcomes proposals that move from concept to prototype and real-world testing, including hardware, software, integrated systems, and creative practice-led approaches. The studentship is formally based in CAVA | Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts and connected to the School of Music’s Institute of Popular Music.

Eligibility notes: applicants should normally hold an MA or equivalent, preferably with distinction, in a creative industry field such as Architecture, Music, Communication Studies, or a cognate field including Computer Science. The successful candidate will work with the MusicFutures team and delivery partners, contribute to reports and public-facing materials, and ensure ethical approvals, risk assessments, and safeguarding requirements are in place. The PhD can be completed as a standard thesis or as a research-by-design thesis.

Funding: fully funded studentship; no stipend amount is stated in the provided text. Deadline: 10 July 2026. How to apply: submit an online application to the Architecture PhD/MPhil programme at the University of Liverpool and indicate that you are applying for the named MusicFutures studentship.