PhD offer : sparse models for the reconstruction of incomplete audio data

Deadline for applications: April 30, 2007

Title: Sparse models for the reconstruction of incomplete audio data

Details and online application here

The ideal candidate will have a taste for the mathematical aspects of signal processing / acoustics, as well as expertise and interests in one or more of the following areas:

• General signal / image processing: time-frequency and time-scale representations; sampling theory; compressed sensing; beamforming; statistical modeling and estimation;
• Numerical analysis and optimization: inverse problems; large-scale optimization; convex optimization;
• Theoretical acoustics : wave field synthesis; multichannel audio formats; binaural models;

About the project :

Standard audio recording amounts to converting a recorded acoustic field into a set of digital data thanks to microphones and analog to digital converters. Compared to the richness of the original acoustic field, frequency and spatial information can be lost in the digitized field, depending on the sampling rate and the placement of the microphones. The goal of this PhD is to explore new ways of recovering the missing information in order to improve the resolution of audio recordings, with a particular emphasis on approaches based on sparse models of the acoustic field, such as Compressed Sensing. Ideally, the objective is to propose a common framework for bandwidth extension, interpolation of missing audio data, and the construction of digital "virtual microphones" which estimate the acoustic field at times/frequencies/spatial locations where it was not explicitly observed.

About INRIA:

INRIA is at the leading edge of research and its scientific themes are innovative. You can meet there scientists of international stature or work with them. Novel ideas are considered with interest. INRIA maintains special relations with industry and fosters the emergence of startups founded by its research scientists (80 such companies founded in 20 years). At least 80 different nationalities are present at INRIA and activities are regularly organized in order to ease the integration of newcomers. The ambiance is relaxed and everyone can contribute to the social life of the community.