PhD Student: Design Guidelines for displays in military missions

What you can expect

The interdisciplinary Human-Machine Interaction group within the Department of Military Aircraft focuses on future human-machine interfaces (HMIs) for manned and unmanned military aircraft as part of its applied research. A key focus is the integration of new technologies for information display and interaction, such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality (AR, VR, MR).
In complex network-centric warfare of the future, a clear and intuitively usable presentation of relevant information is a central element. The space for displays is significantly more limited in fighter cockpits compared to ground control stations; furthermore, additional information in modern fighter aircraft cockpits is often presented using Augmented Reality (AR) in helmet-mounted displays, which introduce their own specific challenges. Standards exist for many of these presentation methods in both civilian and military contexts; however, they lack uniformity across different application scenarios and are frequently disregarded in modern systems in favor of proprietary manufacturer symbols.
Within the framework of a doctoral research project, various concepts for unified design guidelines for future military aviation displays will be developed. These guidelines are intended to be applicable in both cockpits and ground control stations as well as in helmet-mounted AR/VR display systems. The thesis aims to identify gaps and inconsistencies in existing display design standards, particularly within the aviation and military sectors. Furthermore, the participation in international working groups is expected in order to contribute to the development of improved standards. The design guidelines will be tailored to address the specific information requirements of military fighter and drone pilots. Their usability and effectiveness will be evaluated in studies involving military personnel, e.g. by using our fighter aircraft simulators and other assets.

Your tasks

• Analysis of existing standards regarding the design of human-machine interfaces relevant to military aviation (e.g., EASA CS-23, EASA CS-25, NATO APP-6, MIL-STD-2525) and beyond.
• Expert interviews / surveys to identify user requirements.
• Development of multiple concepts for harmonizing the visual design of human-machine interfaces for military missions (e.g., color schemes, symbols).
• Technical integration of the visualization concepts into the department’s simulators as well as other simulators where applicable, and into aircraft where feasible.
• Conducting evaluation studies with military personnel to assess the visualization concepts.
• Supervision of student theses related to the doctoral research.
• Writing and publishing scientific papers at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals, along with participation in international working groups related to the doctoral topic.

Your profile

• Completed, accredited Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Human Factors, Mechanical Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science or a comparable field
• Practical experience in several of the following areas: Requirements engineering, User-Centered Design (UCD), user surveys and testing
• Practical experience in military aviation or Augmented / Virtual Reality (AR / VR)
• Practical experience in software development using at least one object-oriented programming language (e.g., C#, C++, Python, JavaScript) or a game engine (e.g., Unity, Unreal)
• Excellent command of English (both written and spoken)
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (primarily within Europe)
• Sense of responsibility regarding military matters and willingness to undergo an enhanced security clearance check (Ü2) in accordance with the German Security Investigation Act (SÜG)