Please pardon cross-posting, The new Kinetic Immersion and Extended Reality (KIX) Labhttps://mediaschool.indiana.edu/about/facilities/rtv/kix-lab.html at Indiana University-Bloomington’s Media School is seeking highly motivated and tech-savvy creatives for the Ph.D. in Media Arts & Scienceshttps://mediaschool.indiana.edu/academics/graduate/phd.html program. The KIX Lab is looking to fill two 12-month renewable graduate assistantships beginning in Fall 2026. We are particularly interested in students whose research and creative activities explore creative technologies and immersive experiences and who wish to take advantage of the Lab’s forthcoming $2M immersive infrastructure, expected to be completed by the end of Spring 2026. Potential areas of interest include (and are not limited to):
* Creative technologies and immersive experiences * Immersive storytelling (broadly defined) * Virtual production, XR, immersive cinema, data visualization * Immersive installation, projection mapping, video art, experimental media, interactive media * Immersive audio, acoustics and psychoacoustics, sound design, and data sonification * Embodied interaction * New interfaces for creative expression (physical prototyping, additive manufacturing, Arduino, Raspberry PI, circuit bending, etc.) * Artificial intelligence and human creativity * Human–computer interaction * Human health and the study of the human condition * Human-centered design
KIX Lab graduate assistants will help support day-to-day operations, research and creative production, and curricular activities. Depending on their focus and interests, students will also have opportunities to pursue their own research and/or contribute to ongoing Lab projects. Students working in the KIX Lab will have the opportunity to shape their own educational trajectory by leveraging world-class immersive infrastructure to conduct cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research. We particularly welcome applicants interested in combining immersive technologies with AI and other emerging fields.
About the KIX Lab The Kinetic Immersion and Extended Reality (KIX) Lab is a major new initiative at Indiana University-Bloomington focused on the design and implementation of a state-of-the-art immersive multipurpose space. The $2M infrastructure housed within the centrally located Radio-Television Building will feature a co-located virtual production wall, a high-density immersive loudspeaker array, and a hybrid motion capture system. The KIX Lab is a collaborative effort among eight founding schools and units:
* College of Arts and Sciences * Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design * Jacobs School of Music * Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering * The Media School * School of Optometry * School of Public Health * University Information Technology Services (UITS)
Housed within the Media School with over 2,500 students, the Lab is scheduled for completion in early 2026. It is supported by additional facilities such as the Immersive Audio Studio (featuring a 34.2 fully enveloping spatial audio system) and the Projection Mapping Studio. The Lab has two core faculty members, including the founding Director, and is supported by dedicated staff and a growing network of faculty affiliates across multiple IU campuses.
Important Dates The deadline to apply for the fall 2026 admission is:
* International applicants: December 1, 2025 * U.S. citizens: December 15, 2025
Questions?
* Dr. Ivica Ico Bukvic, KIX Lab Director, Professor of Media Arts and Production ibukvic@iu.edumailto:ibukvic@iu.edu * Prof. Katina Bitsicas, KIX Lab Faculty, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Production kbitsica@iu.edumailto:kbitsica@iu.edu
-- Ivica Ico Bukvic, D.M.A. Director, Kinetic Immersion and Extended Reality Lab Professor, Media Arts and Production Media School Indiana University +1 812.856.0193 ibukvic@iu.edu ico.bukvic.net