PhD Studentship: Realistic Computer Vision

About the role

Funded PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia’s School of Computing Sciences, supervised by Prof Graham Finlayson. The project develops computer vision algorithms that produce outputs matching realistic lighting and imaging conditions: tasks include removing strong directional shadows through relighting, and recovering colour and detail from underwater footage degraded by light scattering. The student joins the Colour and Imaging Lab (over 10 PhDs and postdocs) and will spend a planned 3-month visit at the Computer Vision Center at Universitat Autonoma Barcelona. Tax-free stipend is GBP 20,408 per year (2026/27 rate) for up to 3 years, plus GBP 2,000 annually for research training. UK home tuition fees are covered. International applicants pay the difference between home and international fee rates. Start date: 1 October 2026. Deadline: 2 July 2026.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement relighting algorithms to remove directional illumination artifacts from images.
• Develop pre-processing pipelines for underwater video that correct for light-scattering degradation.
• Combine AI-based and classical image processing methods.
• Evaluate results using both objective metrics and psychophysical/subjective assessment methods.
• Publish at CVPR, ICCV, or similar venues; 3-month research visit to Barcelona planned.

Requirements

• Minimum 2:1 Honours degree or Master’s qualification in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology (psychophysics), or a related quantitative discipline.
• Strong mathematical background in linear algebra, statistics, and optimisation.
• Fluent English, written and spoken.
• Full-time study required.

Nice to have

• Prior experience in computational colour science, image formation models, or underwater optics.
• Familiarity with PyTorch or similar deep-learning frameworks.
• Experience with psychophysics experimental design.

How to apply

Apply through the UEA postgraduate research portal at the link above. Cite reference FINLAYSONG_U26CMP in your application. Include a personal statement, transcripts, and two academic reference contacts. For informal enquiries, contact Prof Finlayson through the UEA School of Computing Sciences. Deadline is 2 July 2026.