DESCRIPTION :
The general objective of this postdoctoral project is to investigate how visual self-motion feedback, FOV constraints, and avatar characteristics shape embodiment, locomotor control, and social navigation in immersive populated virtual environments. Through close collaboration between VR engineers and computer scientists at Inria VirtUs and neuroscientists and researchers at the University of Waterloo's Multisensory Brain and Cognition Lab, the project seeks to model and experimentally validate the multisensory computations underlying a coherent sense of self and presence in VR when navigating through crowded environments.
By developing experimental paradigms that manipulate congruency between real and virtual self-motion, avatar identity, and sensory field limitations, the project aims to:
* Understand the neurocognitive mechanisms of avatar embodiment and multisensory integration in VR.
* Quantify how these mechanisms affect movement coordination, obstacle avoidance, and social interactions with other agents or avatars.
* Contribute to the design of more ecologically valid and perceptually robust VR experiences, particularly in constrained or minimal-sensing setups.
Ultimately, this research will help to define computational and behavioral signatures of virtual embodiment, enabling predictive models of user behavior under varying sensory and representational constraints. These models may also inform therapeutic VR, performance enhancement, or training in sensorimotor-disruptive environments.
Principales activités
The main activities of the post-doctoral fellow will be:
* To develop and run immersive VR experiments manipulating visual FOV, avatar fidelity (e.g., biological sex, realism), and self-motion congruency using motion capture and real-time animation systems (e.g., Immersia and Immermove platforms).
* To design cross-site experimental protocols that allow for comparisons between real and virtual environments and between constrained and unconstrained perceptual conditions.
* To analyze behavioral and perceptual data, including locomotor trajectories, kinematic markers of avoidance or hesitation, gaze behaviour and self-identification responses.
* To model the relationship between sensory congruency and the sense of embodiment using computational and statistical techniques.
* To contribute to the development of shared datasets and tools for modeling self-identification and interaction behaviors across labs.
* To collaborate closely with interdisciplinary teams in both France and Canada, including participation in project meetings and co-supervision of student assistants or interns when appropriate.
* To contribute to the dissemination of results through conference presentations, journal publications, and potentially open-source experimental tools.
Code d'emploi : Chargé de Recherches (h/f)
Domaine professionnel actuel : Scientifiques
Niveau de formation : Bac+8
Temps partiel / Temps plein : Plein temps
Type de contrat : Contrat à durée indéterminée (CDI)
Compétences : Unity 3d, Animation par Ordinateur, Analyse des Données, Analyse de la Variance, Programmation Informatique, Python (Langage de Programmation), MATLAB, Motion Capture, Technologie Open Source, Réalité Virtuelle, Technologies Informatiques, Unreal Engine, Anglais, Français, Sens de la Communication, Sens de l'Organisation, Esprit d'Équipe, Recherche, Biologie, Processus Cognitifs, Neuroscience Cognitive, Collecte de Données, Conception d'Expériences, Expérimentation, Psychologie, Recherche Post-Doctorale, Modélisation Prédictive, Etudes et Statistiques, Capacités de Démonstration, Publication / Edition
Courriel :
olivier@inria.fr
Téléphone :
0299847100
Type d'annonceur : Employeur direct