Open Positions

If you are interested in doing research in the VVISE lab under the supervision of the lab director and his team members, this page contains some helpful information.

PhD and MSc Positions

Please refer to the Graduate Program in the School for Interactive Arts + Technology about the application process and other helpful information. The deadline for September admission is typically on January 15, which applies to all international students. Accepted full-time students will receive funding as specified in the graduate program, which is typically enough to cover tuition and living costs.

The research in the VVISE lab focuses on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User Interfaces for 3D (3DUI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Visual Analytics (VA). Current research funding enables the lab director to financially support students doing their theses in these areas only. All students joining the group must be motivated individuals with strong English and strong programming skills. A background in related subdisciplines of Computer Science, such as Human-Computer Interaction, Visual Analytics, Spatial and 3D User Interfaces, or Virtual Reality will be seen as positive, ideally documented by a thesis (or equivalent) or by successfully completed projects in the area. Most of our 3DUI and VR projects require knowledge of Unity 3D and C#. Most VA and HCI projects require knowledge of HTML/CSS and Javascript. We evaluate our research work with user studies to verify the effectiveness of the developed technologies from a human viewpoint.

Motivated students interested in apply are welcome to contact the lab director via email, but must include at least a CV, an inofficial transcript, and PDF copies of, or links to, previous publications. For acceptance, submitting a full application with references through the graduate program is required. Once a file makes it through the initial review by the graduate admissions committee, the lab director interviews promising applicants over Skype.

For non-Canadian applicants: Your application must show that you meet the SFU English requirement. Waivers to this requirement are rarely granted. See also the minimum admission requirements applicable for your country.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

  • As there are usually many more applicants who want to work in the lab compared to the numbers that can be funded, applications may be rejected even though you do fullfil the criteria.
  • Faculty members cannot accept new graduate students directly at SFU. That means, any e-mail communication around potential admission with the lab director or the team members is just informal and should be treated accordingly. To be admitted, you must send your application through the offical channels mentioned above. The admission process uses a standardized conversion of grade scales. Subsequently, applications are screened by a Departmental admissions committee, which also looks at your reference letters and other information. Individual faculty members only get to comment/decide on files that have passed this process.
  • The information listed here is based on experience and opinions. It may deviate from official (and thus more definitive) requirements.

Undergraduate Internships & Volunteers

Undergraduate students are typically not funded in the VVISE lab. One of the main issues is that the local bureaucratic and financial overhead for international students with visa status is large. Hence, we can only offer internship positions without any form of financial compensation, and you are welcome to express you interest in such a volunteer internship position. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are encouraged to apply for NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs).

As part of our volunteer program you will have access to the resources in the VVISE lab, gain experience, experience a world-leading city, and have the opportunity to engage and collaborate with our members. We are looking for motivated individuals with solid programming skills. For VR/AR projects, knowledge of C# in Unity 3D and/or Computer Graphics is a plus. We will support your internship by providing you with appropriate infrastructure, such as computing, software, desk, and network, and also with supervision by a member or the director of the lab. Many of our volunteers have gone on to become students in the lab or elsewhere, or became involved with an academic or industrial collaborator of the lab. Several volunteers even became co-authors on scientific papers.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail to the lab director. Describe your skills, your interest for any particular project in the lab, and any relevant information about what you would love to do in our lab.