Visiting PhD Opportunities in Multimodal & Generative AI

I am looking for 3-4 visiting PhD students to join my research team at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) for a period of 6-12 months, with a strong preference for candidates able to visit for 12 months (there will be the possibility of extending the visit beyond one year). The expected starting date is January 2027 or shortly thereafter.

Research topics

Potential research topics include:

• Talking-head and digital avatar generation

• Deepfake detection

• Generative modelling

• Multitask affect prediction

• Contextual affect recognition and generation

• Cross-modal transfer learning

• Task generation

• Database generation
  
  

Eligibility

You must already be enrolled as a PhD student at another university. Candidates may be enrolled at a university in the UK or internationally. Please note that this is a visiting PhD opportunity, rather than admission to a new PhD programme at Queen Mary.

Duration and financial support

Duration: 6-12 months
Preferred duration: 12 months
Starting date: January 2027 or shortly thereafter

Financial support will include:

• £20,000 per year stipend, pro rata for visits shorter than 12 months

• QMUL bench/visiting fees will be waived

• The relevant UK visa application fee can be covered

Candidates should check separately whether other immigration-related charges apply to their individual circumstances.

Important: please consider the cost of living in London before applying

London is an expensive city, particularly in relation to accommodation. Before applying, please make sure that you have considered whether the £20,000 annual stipend is suitable for your circumstances.

In particular, please research accommodation options and their costs in advance.

When renting privately in London, landlords or letting agents may request requirements such as a deposit, references, a UK-based guarantor, a commercial guarantor, or several months of rent in advance, depending on the property and your circumstances.

Please therefore investigate accommodation carefully before applying rather than assuming that the stipend will necessarily cover your preferred accommodation and all of your other living costs.

Visa and immigration considerations

International candidates should check the UK immigration requirements applicable to them before applying.

For visiting PhD students, the appropriate immigration route depends partly on the duration and circumstances of the visit. A research visit of up to six months may in some circumstances be possible under the Visitor route, whereas research forming part of a PhD and lasting more than six months would normally require a Student visa.

Financial requirement for a Student visa

International applicants should check carefully which UK visa route applies to them and what supporting documents will be required before applying.

For visits requiring a Student visa, applicants may need to demonstrate that they have a minimum amount of money available in a bank account for a specified period of time, in addition to meeting any other UKVI requirements.

As visa rules and financial requirements can change and may depend on individual circumstances and nationality, please check the latest UK Government Student visa guidance and make sure you would be able to meet the requirements before applying.

English-language requirement

Candidates whose first language is not English should also check QMUL's English-language requirements.

For non-credit-bearing postgraduate research associate study lasting more than six months QMUL currently requires a minimum of:

IELTS 5.5 overall, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, or an accepted equivalent qualification.

For non-credit-bearing postgraduate research visits of less than six months this requirement may be waived.

How to apply

If you:

• are currently enrolled as a PhD student at another university;

• work in, or have a strong background relevant to, the research areas above;

• are interested in spending 6-12 months at QMUL; and

• have considered the practical financial, accommodation, visa and English-language requirements,

please email me (d.kollias@qmul.ac.uk) your CV.

Candidates whose profiles appear to be a good match will normally be contacted within two weeks to arrange an interview.

I expect to receive a substantial number of applications and unfortunately will not be able to respond individually to every applicant. If you have not received a response within two weeks, this means that your application has not been taken forward on this occasion.