PhD Studentship in
Powerwall Visualization for 3D Seismic Data Analysis
at the University of Leeds, UK
A three-year PhD studentship is available to develop novel methods for analysing
and visualising 3D seismic data on very large, ultra-high resolution “Powerwall”
displays. The goal of the project is to improve the ability of geoscientists to
understand and analyse the geology revealed by large scale seismic surveys.
Significant potential exists for industrial involvement during the project.
The student could be from a:
 Computer science background, with an interest in scientific visualization
and/or human-computer interaction.
 Geoscience background, with some software development experience.
 Mathematical background, with some software development experience and
an interest in scientific applications.
Figure 1: The School of Computing’s 54 million pixel Powerwall, showing an 8 gigapixel image of cancerous tissue (left) and air pollution data (right).
The PhD student will be co-supervised by Dr Roy Ruddle & Dr Hamish Carr
(Visualization & Virtual Reality research group, School of Computing) and Dr Douglas
Paton (Centre of Integrated Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience (CiPEG), School
of Earth and Environment). Roy Ruddle specialises in navigation and real-time
interaction with 3D worlds (http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/royr). Hamish Carr
specialises in geometric and topological analysis of spatial data sets
(http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/scshca). Douglas Paton specialises in using 3D
seismic to understand tectonic and geological processes in the sub-surface
(http://homepages.see.leeds.ac.uk/~eardap/index.shtml).
The PhD studentship is worth a total of approximately £66,000, and includes full fees
for a UK student and a three and a half year stipend that is initially £13,490 per
annum. The student must start and register by 30 April 2011.
Project outline
10 December 2010
3D seismic data analysis is central to the petroleum industry’s discovery of new oil
and gas fields. Current analysis methods are very time consuming and labour
intensive, and the sheer size of the datasets (80 gigabytes is common) makes
visualization difficult. Efficient analysis of 3D seismic data presents fundamental
computing and application challenges, which we will address in the following ways.
1) How can we harness the huge display space of Powerwalls, to dramatically
reduce the time that human experts need to analyse 3D seismic data (this
draws on Ruddle’s expertise)?
2) What new algorithms can we develop, to allow efficient exploration of
complex data sets (e.g. to reduce visual clutter due to occlusion) and
automate the extraction of significant features (topological, geometric, etc.)?
This draws on Carr’s expertise.
The results will be put into a geoscience/hydrocarbon industry context, drawing on
Paton’s expertise. Several 3D seismic data sets are available to the project, ranging
from 6 Gb to 80 Gb in size.
Knowledge & skills required
The student will have a 1st or upper second class degree or MSc in a discipline such
as Computer Science, Geoscience or Mathematics. The key knowledge and skills
required for this PhD are listed below. The student will already have some of these,
and should acquire the others during their PhD (e.g., by participating in Computing
and Geoscience taught modules):
 Software development (C++/C)
 Interactive 3D computer graphics (OpenGL)
 Human-computer interaction (interface design & user evaluation)
 Good mathematical ability (seismic analysis algorithms)
 Aptitude for understanding geophysics domain problems
 Excellent verbal and written communication skills
How to apply
Potential applicants are encouraged to make informal enquiries to Roy Ruddle
(r.a.ruddle@leeds.ac.uk) or Hamish Carr (h.carr@leeds.ac.uk). Please see the
studentship web page for application details.
Training and Career Prospects
The project will involve an innovative collaboration between the School of Computing
and the School of Earth and the Environment. Depending upon the PhD student’s
background appropriate training will be given to ensure sufficient knowledge in both
disciplines. As it is likely that the student will have a computing background a variety
of modules from relevant undergraduate and MSc modules within the Earth Sciences
will be available. At the end of the project the student will have a solid understanding
of large-scale scientific visualization in addition to a solid grounding in
Geophysics/Geosciences and therefore be well placed for a career either in research
or in the petroleum industry.
10 December 2010