Position: Postgraduate Research Assistant (temporary, £15.52/hr, 7 hours/week, 9 weeks/56 hours total)
Start Date: January 2022 (flexible)
End Date: March 2022 (flexible)
Application Deadline: 24 January 2022 5 pm
Paid temporary internship: Using Unity & VR for Immersive Experiences of a Medieval Islamic Villa (The Digital Munya Project 2.0)
The Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Cultures & Collections at the University of Edinburgh is looking for a postgraduate Research Assistant with experience in Unity and an interest in mixed reality to collaborate on a project using Unity video game engine for historical visualization. Based in the School of History of Art and the Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh, the Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Cultures & Collections is exploring mixed reality technologies to create new experiences of Islamic spaces, objects, and histories.
Timescale and Pay
The internship will run for 56 hours total at £15.52/hr. We aim to run the internship from the end of January to the end of March but have some flexibility on start/end dates if necessary.
This phase of the project focuses on updating existing project Unity files for web accessibility and experimenting with VR to further develop the immersive experience of the space, ideally by adding 3D models of artefacts from the time period and auditory elements that convey the villa’s function as a space of musical performance.
The internship will involve:
-updating existing project Unity files to ensure they are compatible with the current versions of the Unity game engine and VR platforms, and configured for web accessibility
-working with History of Art researchers to creatively experiment with integrating 3D models of cultural heritage artefacts for haptic user experiences, and sonic elements reflecting the villa’s functions as a space of musical/poetic performance
Qualifications
-Experience with Unity game engine and game development
-Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical parties
-Be currently enrolled at the University of Edinburgh or Edinburgh Napier University
-Demonstrated interest in video games and emerging technologies
-The ideal candidate will also have an interest in Islamic art/history/civilization
TO APPLY: To apply please email a CV, a paragraph describing why you are interested in this role, and a short portfolio of your work to glaire.anderson@ed.ac.uk. We may ask to meet with you for a via video call for an informal chat in the week following the deadline to better understand your interests and background. Informal questions about the internship may be emailed to Glaire Anderson at the same email address.
