Project Dates: October 2026 – March 2027
Commitment: Up to 8 hours/week for 21 weeks
Format: Hybrid, with required in-person work in Vancouver
Positions Available: 2 Student Research Assistants (RAs)

Shumka Centre is seeking two qualified Student Research Assistants (RAs) interested in 3D capture, materiality, emerging technologies, and digital heritage to join an industry research project in collaboration with the BC Society for the Museum of Original Costume (SMOC). 

Titled ‘Digitizing the Historic Dress: Developing 3D Capture Workflows for Preservation, Access, and Knowledge Transfer’, this project explores how historic garments with varied materials, textures, construction, and forms can be effectively captured through 3D digitization. Working with ECU faculty/research leads Heather Young and Asad Aftab, RAs will get hands-on experience testing 3D scanning and image-based capture methods on historic garments, troubleshooting technical challenges, processing 3D assets, and helping develop a repeatable digitization workflow. 

The resulting workflow and digital assets will contribute to SMOC’s Digital Museum of Historic Dress and help build the organization’s capacity to continue digitizing its collection beyond the project. 

This opportunity is particularly suited to students interested in the intersection of 3D technology, industrial and interaction design, textiles and materiality, museums and cultural heritage, and emerging digital practices. 

View the full call on The Leeway

Deadline to Apply: 11:59 PM PCT on October 13, 2026

Role

As part of the research team, RAs will:

• Meet regularly with the Research team including SMOC staff and volunteers to establish project deliverables and working processes, and work collaboratively to solve creative and technical challenges;  
• Conduct hands-on capture testing and evaluating 3D scanning and image-based capture methods across historic garments with varied materials, textures, construction, silhouettes, and surface characteristics; 
• Support garment preparation, equipment setup, digital capture, and troubleshooting during testing and production; 
• Process, clean, optimize, and prepare 3D garment assets for archival and web-based use; 
• Help develop and refine a repeatable 3D digitization workflow based on project testing and findings; 
• Support metadata, file organization, version control, archival storage, and management of digital assets; 
• Document technical processes, testing outcomes, challenges, and recommendations; 
• Help develop workflow guides, training materials, and other resources that enable SMOC staff and volunteers to continue digitization beyond the project; and 
• Contribute to final research documentation and knowledge-mobilization activities in March 2027, including a potential public-facing exhibition at ECU developed with SMOC. 

Eligible undergraduate students may also apply to receive work experience credit for participating. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the project, RAs should be able to: 

• Safely handle, prepare, and position historic garments for 3D digitization; 
• Set up and use 3D capture equipment and software to digitize historic garments; 
• Assess how material, texture, construction, lighting, silhouettes, and surface characteristics affect 3D capture quality; 
• Evaluate capture results, identify technical limitations, and troubleshoot common scanning and processing challenges; 
• Process and refine 3D assets through mesh cleanup, texture and colour retention, and optimization; 
• Prepare high-resolution archival masters and web-optimized 3D assets for digital access; 
• Apply effective practices for file organization, metadata, version control, storage, and digital asset management; 
• Develop and document repeatable technical workflows; 
• Translate technical research processes and outcomes into accessible documentation, training resources, and public-facing materials; 
• Manage time efficiently and work effectively in teams or individually, as required; 
• Collaborate with faculty, researchers, and an external cultural heritage organization in a professional applied-research environment.

Eligibility Criteria + Required Qualifications

Candidates must possess the following to be considered for this position:  

• Be currently enrolled at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (3rd + 4th year Industrial Design (INDD) or Interaction Design (INTD), or MDes/MFA graduate program) with a GPA of 3.0 or higher; 
• Reside in British Columbia throughout the project and hold valid work authorization; 
• Have experience with 3D scanning techniques such as Photogrammetry or Gaussian Splatting; 
• Demonstrate strong attention to form, proportion, surface detail, silhouette and material characteristics;  
• Be curious about learning new technical tools and comfortable with hands-on experimentation and troubleshooting; 
• Ability to interpret conceptual direction and respond constructively to iterative feedback; 
• Have basic experience with photography and lighting set-ups;  
• Possess strong organizational, communication, and time-management skills; 
• Be able to work both independently and collaboratively as project needs evolve; 
• Have access to their own laptop/computer; 
• Be available for required in-person project work in Vancouver as well as remote meetings with the research and partner teams as needed; 
• Must be available to participate in a final in-person (TBC) project presentation/exhibition in March 2027.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience or knowledge of Digital Twin & 3D reconstruction workflows; 
• Experience with software such as Polycam, RealityScan, or MeshLab; 
• Familiarity with LiDAR, structured-light scanning, or other 3D capture technologies; 
• Experience working with physical archives, museums, cultural collections, or heritage objects; 
• Basic knowledge of textiles, garment construction, patternmaking, or fabrication 
• Familiarity with accessibility considerations for digital content and experiences. 

We encourage applications from students of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences.