PhD Opportunity in Fire Engineering: Exploring Extended Reality (XR) as a Supplement to Traditional Firefighter Training

About the Project

Applications are invited for one fully funded (three years maximum) PhD scholarship in the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury (Christchurch - New Zealand), to explore the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality for firefighting training (supervisors: Dr Aatif Khan, Prof. Daniel Nilsson, and Prof. Jose Torero).

Firefighters encounter numerous challenges during fire incidents. If not handled appropriately, these challenges can pose significant risks to life and cause severe injuries or death. Each fire incident is unique, making it difficult to be fully prepared for every possible scenario. Real-world training of these high-risk scenarios can help increase firefighter preparedness, but this type of training is costly and potentially dangerous. Extended reality (XR), which includes both Virtual and Augmented Reality, can offer unique benefits by familiarizing firefighters with high-risk fire events with a high degree of control and flexibility at reduced costs and involving less risk. XR training of firefighters on high-risk fire events is expected to help firefighters approach real-world fires with greater confidence and better assess the potential risks in dynamically changing situations.

The student will work on this project, which involves:

• Collaborating with firefighters
• Conducting surveys and focus groups
• Building fire scenarios in Virtual and Augmented Reality (Extended Reality)
• Analysing the effectiveness of training in extended reality compared to real-world training
• Publication of research outcomes

The selected candidate will attend technical conferences and symposia to present their research results.

Funding Notes

Scholarship

Provided by: Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ)

Amount: NZD $32,000 per annum, plus full tuition fees, for both domestic and international students.