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University of Reading

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PhD in Computer Vision and Immersive Technologies for Consumer-Centric Food Evaluation University of Reading in United Kingdom

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Fully funded for four years by Food Consortium IDLA and pladis. The studentship covers UK tuition fees plus an enhanced annual UKRI stipend of £23,303 tax free. International students may apply but must cover the difference between Home and International fees, currently around £20k per year, increasing annually.

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United Kingdom

University

University of Reading

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Keywords

Computer Science
Data Science
Food Science
Psychology
Information Technology
Nutrition
Virtual Reality
Human-computer Interaction
Computer Vision
Mixed Reality
Applied Behavior Analysis
Immersive Technology
Statistics
ML

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About this position

PhD opportunity at the University of Reading in Computer Vision, Immersive Technologies, Human-Computer Interaction, Data Science, and Food Sciences.

This funded PhD project, titled Happiness by Design: Computer Vision and Immersive Technologies for Consumer-Centric Food Evaluation, explores how virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), immersive rooms, computer vision, and behavioural analytics can be used to create more realistic consumer testing environments for food products. The research sits at the intersection of sensory science, computer science, behavioural science, and consumer research.

The successful candidate will investigate how contextual factors influence consumer behaviour, emotional responses, enjoyment, and wellbeing. The project includes designing immersive testing environments, collecting behavioural and sensory data from participants, and developing analysis pipelines for signals such as movement patterns, facial behaviour, and verbal responses.

The project is sponsored by pladis, the global snacking company behind brands such as McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s, Go Ahead, BN, Flipz, and GODIVA. An industrial placement with pladis is included, offering the chance to apply research outputs in a real-world food innovation setting.

Supervision and training are provided by an interdisciplinary team including Dr L Wilkinson, Dr Rebecca Ford, Dr Paul Tennent, and Dr A Jones. The researcher will also join the University of Nottingham’s Sensory Science Centre and benefit from access to immersive facilities, including a 360° projection room, VR/MR tools, and behavioural tracking technologies.

Funding: fully funded for four years. The award covers UK tuition fees and provides an enhanced annual UKRI stipend of £23,303 tax free. International applicants may apply, but they must pay the difference between Home and International fees.

Eligibility: applicants should have a first or upper-second UK honours degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Vision, HCI, Data Science, or a related field. Experience with Unreal, Unity, XR technologies, programming, and participant-based research is desirable. A relevant Master’s degree or industry experience is also welcome.

Start date: February 2027. Applications: accepted all year round.

Funding details

Fully funded for four years by Food Consortium IDLA and pladis. The studentship covers UK tuition fees plus an enhanced annual UKRI stipend of £23,303 tax free. International students may apply but must cover the difference between Home and International fees, currently around £20k per year, increasing annually.

What's required

Applicants should hold a first or upper-second UK honours degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Vision, Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), Data Science, or related disciplines. Experience or enthusiasm for virtual, mixed or augmented reality (Unreal, Unity) and working with participants to collect data is particularly valued. Programming experience in Python, R, MATLAB, C++, JavaScript or similar would be advantageous but is not essential. Candidates with a relevant Master’s degree or significant industry experience are welcome.

How to apply

Register your interest through the FindAPhD enquiry form on the project page. The university will respond directly to your enquiry. Use the page’s application/register-interest form to submit your details and questions.

More information can be found here

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