Reimagining Music Venues: Spatial, Digital & Experiential Innovation in Live Music
- Funding
- Funded
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Apply by
- Start date
- Subject area
- Architecture, Building and Planning
Meet us online on Wednesday 17 June 2026 to find out more about postgraduate study at the University of Liverpool.
As part of the AHRC MusicFutures Creative Custer programme at University of Liverpool, this PhD is a focus on creative technologies and the transformative potential of emerging tools to reshape the music sector. The project will explore how technologies such as AI, real-time systems, and responsive digital environments can enable the development of new, imaginative, and economically impactful products, services, and experiences. By foregrounding innovation and scalability, the PhD will contribute to models of growth that support a more sustainable and future-facing music ecosystem.
Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship in the Department of Architecture at the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with MusicFutures. The studentship will commence on a full-time basis from 1 October 2026. While the PhD will be formally based within CAVA | Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts, it is inherently interdisciplinary in scope, with strong links to the School of Music’s Institute of Popular Music (IPM).
MusicFutures is a £7.2m AHRC-funded programme (2025–2030), led by the University of Liverpool, that aims to build a world-leading, sustainable, and inclusive R&D ecosystem for music, creativity, and technology in the Liverpool City Region and beyond. Bringing together academic and industry partners, the programme delivers innovation-led R&D, skills and talent development, and entrepreneurship initiatives.
Operating from a dedicated hub at LEX, the Liverpool Experience Campus (formerly Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool), MusicFutures brings together over 27 regional and national partners, including UK Music, LIVE, and the UK Intellectual Property Office. This extensive partnership network enables the programme to operate at the intersection of research, industry, and policy, supporting innovation across the UK music ecosystem.
Across all of its activities and funding programmes, MusicFutures is committed to championing inclusivity. Central to this commitment is a focus on increasing diversity and
representation, ensuring that both current and future artists, as well as music sector professionals, can access opportunities, resources, and pathways to sustainable careers.
At the heart of this PhD is a focus on creative technologies and the transformative potential of emerging tools to reshape the music sector. The project will explore how technologies such as AI, real-time systems, and responsive digital environments can enable the development of new, imaginative, and economically impactful products, services, and experiences. By foregrounding innovation and scalability, the PhD will contribute to models of growth that support a more sustainable and future-facing music ecosystem.
Crucially, the research positions music at the convergence of multiple creative industries, including film, gaming, and extended reality (XR). These sectors increasingly share common technological infrastructures and creative methodologies, from real-time production pipelines to ethical, AI-driven content creation. By operating within this convergent space, the PhD will examine how cross-sector collaboration and shared tools can unlock new forms of value, audience engagement, and industry development.
The PhD studentship will be awarded based on the strength of the individual candidate and their proposed research. However, we are particularly interested in research that explores the following:
Thematic Pathway 1: Spatial, Digital & Experiential Innovation in Live Music
From ABBA Voyage, Outernet London, to Depot Mayfield, the UK is home to some of the world’s most innovative live music venues, combining advanced sound, lighting, and projection technologies with elements of gaming, virtual production, and immersive brand worlds. We seek proposals from applicants interested in spatial design and creative technologies to reimagine music venues and performance spaces. This may include developing adaptive, hybrid physical-digital environments; designing sustainable and inclusive venue models; and exploring how architectural interventions can support new forms of live music engagement, audience interaction, and community participation.
Thematic Pathway 2: Technology and Product Development for Future Live Music Venues
From real-time spatial audio engines that respond to live data and inputs, to AI-driven lighting systems that respond to crowd energy, and hardware that enhances and supports artist performance, a new generation of products is redefining the live music experience. This research path focuses on the design, prototyping, and commercialisation of next-generation technologies for live music venues, performances, and audience experiences. We are particularly interested in proposals that move beyond concept towards tangible product development, spanning hardware, software, and integrated systems deployable in real-world environments. Proposals should demonstrate how emerging technologies can transform the creation, distribution, experience, and monetisation of sound within live contexts.
Your Experience
Above and beyond both thematic pathways, we particularly welcome applications from individuals who have worked in one or more of the following areas. Applicants are not expected to cover all domains; rather, we are interested in proposals that demonstrate depth in a particular area or explore connections across them.
The candidate will need to fulfil the following expectations:
Given the dynamic and evolving nature of MusicFutures, the commitment to either pathway can be determined and finalised in discussion with the supervision team in the first year of study. Applicants should normally hold an MA (or equivalent), preferably with distinction, in any creative industry field (e.g. Architecture, Music, Communication Studies, or a cognate field including Computer Science.
The MusicFutures studentship comes with an expected commitment of research assistance work across relevant MusicFutures workstreams and engagement with the delivery team at the LEX offices. The main supervisor will be Prof Richard Koeck, director of MusicFutures.
Studentship holders are also to take a full role in their department(s) and the School more broadly, including attending staff meetings as required, participating in research activities, and undertaking training as necessary. All research students are encouraged to gain a qualification in teaching in Higher Education during their studies and will likely be offered relevant teaching opportunities.
To apply for this studentship, you must submit an online application to the PhD programme in Architecture Architecture PhD / MPhil | Courses | University of Liverpool, by Friday 10th July 2026. In the relevant section of the application form that asks about funding, please include that you will be applying to the ‘Reimagining Music Venues: Spatial, Digital & Experiential Innovation in Live Music’ studentship.
Supervisors:
| Supervisor title and name | Email address | Staff profile URL |
| Prof Richard Koeck | r.koeck@liverpool.ac.uk | https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/richard-koeck |
| Dr Mathew Flynn | matf73@liverpool.ac.uk | Dr Mathew Flynn | Our people | University of Liverpool |
You may need the following documents to complete your online application:
To support your application, you will need to submit:
Positive Action
Data shows that Women, Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority students are currently under-represented on the School of the Arts doctoral programmes and within the wider Music industry. We strongly encourage applicants from these groups and will use the Positive Action provision (Equality Act 2010) on selection decisions between candidates of equal merit.
To discuss the content of your proposal, please contact Prof Richard Koeck – r.koeck@liverpool.ac.uk.
Finally, register and apply online. You'll receive an email acknowledgment once you've submitted your application. We'll be in touch with further details about what happens next.
A successful UK only applicant will receive a stipend towards living expenses at the UKRI rate (currently £21,805 per year) in addition to tuition fees (£5,238), £27,043 in total.
The holder of the award will be expected to reside in the Liverpool City Region and participate in the research culture of MusicFutures, the Department of Architecture and Music. Both departments are part of the School of the Arts, which actively engages with the University of Liverpool’s commitment to diversity and equality, including Athena Swan (gender equality) and Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter.
Have a question about this research opportunity or studying a PhD with us? Please get in touch with us, using the contact details below, and we’ll be happy to assist you.