Applying for a PhD

I am keen to hear from students who wish to study for a PhD in the general topic area of 3D Computer Graphics and Animation. However, you can find out more about my specific current interests and projects by following the links in the menu above.

I have supervised 23 PhD students to completion (16 as the primary supervisor and 7 as a second supervisor). I am currently involved in the supervision of 6 PhD students.

Applying for a PhD - Department information
Choosing a topic - You will need to submit a research proposal as part of your application. Please contact me to discuss your proposal before submitting your application so that I can help you make sure it's suitable. Note that a proposal does not commit you to a specific project - with discussion, it is possible to change the direction of your PhD after you have started.
Funding a PhD - information on funding opportunities
Centre for Doctoral Training in speech and language technologies - a potential opportunity for Visual Speech projects

Some ideas for PhD projects

The following are two possible projects on computer facial modelling and animation:

Sketching the human face - Models of human or human-like faces for use in computer graphics applications can be produced using a range of techniques, from capture of real people to use of software to sculpt new faces. Work at Sheffield has established that sketching offers a novel approach to producing models of the face. The aim of this PhD will be to investigate sketching techniques for the creation of detailed models of specific faces.
Editing facial animation - Performance-based facial animation involves capturing the movement of a human face and transferring it to a synthetic character. Both gross and subtle facial movements need to be transferred and also adapted to the dimensions of the synthetic character's face. If the animation needs to be subsequently altered, then an animator either has to capture new movement or edit the existing captured motion. The aim of this PhD is to investigate the techniques to provide an animator with flexible editing control over captured motions.