Doctorant F/H Perception et interaction via des Avatars en réalité virtuelle

The Inria Rennes - Bretagne Atlantique Centre is one of Inria's eight centres and has more than thirty research teams. The Inria Center is a major and recognized player in the field of digital sciences. It is at the heart of a rich R&D and innovation ecosystem: highly innovative PMEs, large industrial groups, competitiveness clusters, research and higher education players, laboratories of excellence, technological research institute, etc.

This PhD thesis is part of a large‑scale national project dedicated to the development of a digital twin of the territory, bringing together several Inria teams as well as French industrial partners. The work carried out during the thesis will directly contribute to the project’s demonstrators and use cases, thus offering a research environment that is ambitious, structured, and strongly connected to real‑world applications.

The topic lies at the intersection of virtual reality, 3D interaction, and immersive metaverse‑type environments. The PhD candidate will work on 3D data reconstructed from digital twins representing a site, a city, or an entire territory. The overall objective is to explore how to facilitate the immersive exploration of these complex environments, particularly when the user interacts through an avatar, that is, a first‑person anthropomorphic virtual representation.

The thesis aims to analyse and understand the impact of using an avatar on perception and interaction within a virtual environment derived from a digital twin. The first objective is to study how the presence of such an avatar may influence the perception of the characteristics of the virtual site, including scales, spatial properties, or ambiance. The challenge is to determine to what extent the users’ virtual embodiment in a given avatar modifies their relationship to space and the way they apprehend it.

In a second phase, the thesis will examine how the avatar can improve direct interaction with the 3D content, as well as with other users present in the same virtual environment. The objective is to understand how the avatar can make these interactions more efficient, more natural, or more expressive, and how it can contribute to a better appropriation of the digital twin.

The PhD work will combine design, development, experimentation, and scientific dissemination. It will include in particular:
• A comprehensive state of the art on perception and interaction in VR through an avatar.
• The design of new 3D interaction techniques enabling the exploration of a digital twin through an avatar in virtual reality.
• The design and execution of user studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the interaction techniques, the influence of the avatar on the perception of the environment, and the overall user experience.
• The statistical analysis of experimental data and the modelling of the observed effects.
• The writing of scientific articles and their submission to international conferences and journals.
• The communication of results at scientific conferences, workshops, and seminars.
• Participation in the team’s activities: internal seminars, meetings, collaborative projects, etc.

– Master of Science (or equivalent) in Computer Science (computer science, visualization, virtual reality, computer graphics)
– Strong programming skills: C/C++/C#, Unity
– Motivation for human perception or neuroscience

• Subsidized meals
• Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
• Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
• Possibility of teleworking (after 6 months of employment) and flexible organization of working hours
• Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
• Social, cultural and sports events and activities
• Access to vocational training

monthly gross salary 2300 euros