Cache-enabled semantic immersive video delivery

Overview

The School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at the University of Essex, United Kingdom, in partnership with NexCache Ltd, is offering a fully funded PhD studentship at International rate in the area of cache-enabled semantic immersive video delivery.

The project

The project aims to revolutionise the delivery of immersive content over networks by exploiting content semantics. The successful candidate will join the vibrant community of the 6G Lab and the Network Convergence Laboratory at the University of Essex and will be supervised by Professor Nikolaos Thomos and Dr Eirina Bourtsoulatze, together with the NexCache’s team.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on real-world problems and gain experience working across both academic and industrial research environments.

Funding

The funding for this studentship consists of:

• Home or Overseas tuition fees.
• Living costs stipend at the UK Research and Innovation recommended level per year. The stipend amount for 2026-27 is £21,805.

In addition you will receive a training bursary via Proficio funding, which may be used to cover the cost of advanced skills training including conference attendance and travel.

Criteria

We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual capable of thinking and working independently, with a background in networking, machine learning and a good understanding of signal processing.

Applicants should have obtained Distinction or high 2:1 MSc degree from a UK university, or an equivalent qualification from an overseas university, in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or relevant field.

How to apply

You can apply for this postgraduate research opportunity online.

Guidance for applicants

When you apply online you will be prompted to fill out several boxes in the form:

• For "Course title" please select "PhD Computer Science" or "PhD Electronic Engineering".
• For "Proposed research topic or area of research" please put the title of this studentship "Cache-enabled semantic immersive video delivery".
• For "If you have contacted a potential supervisor..." please state the names of the supervisors, Professor Nikolaos Thomos and Dr Eirina Bourtsoulatze).

When asked for a research proposal in the applicant portal, please upload one side of A4 with your motivation for applying for the studentship, your relevant skills, what you hope to achieve if appointed, and long-term career aspirations.

Application closing date: 1 November 2026

Informal enquiries about the project are welcome and should be directed to Professor Nikolaos Thomos (nthomos@essex.ac.uk).