Various Countries: Asian Development Bank (ADB)-Japan Scholarship Program

Asian Development Bank Japan Scholarship Program, Funded by the Government of Japan

Qualified citizens of developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), who intend to pursue postgraduate studies in economics, management, science and technology, and other development- related fields, are invited to apply for scholarships under the Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program.

Upon successful completion of the graduate program, the scholars are expected to return to their countries and contribute to its socioeconomic development. Scholar-ships are awarded for graduate studies at designated institutions in courses of study approved by ADB. The Program especially welcomes qualified women applicants who have limited financial means to obtain university education.

The Scholarships
Level of Education: postgraduate (diploma, masters, and doctorate degrees)
Duration: from 1 to 2 years
Coverage: tuition fees, books, subsistence and housing allowance, insurance, economy airfare, and research subsidy

Academic Institutions

Australia-National Centre for Development Studies/Australian National University, University of Melbourne , University of Sydney
China, People’s Republic of-University of Hong Kong
India-Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Japan-International University of Japan, Nagoya University (Graduate School of International Development) , Kelo University (International Graduate Programs on Advanced Science and Technology), National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Ritsumeikan University (Master in
Economics), Saitama University (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering) , University of Tokyo (Department of Civil Engineering, School of International Health, Institute of Environmental Studies, and Department of Urban Engineering)
New Zealand-University of Auckland
Pakistan-Lahore University of Management Sciences
Philippines- Asian Institute of Management, International Rice Research Institute/University of the Philippines in Los Banos
Singapore-National University of Singapore
Thailand-Asian Institute of Technology, Thammasat University
USA-East-WestCenter
For more information, please visit: http://www.adb.org/JSP/

Portugal: Postdoctoral Fellowships in in Economics and Management, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and

CEFAGE-UE offers two research positions in Economics and Management, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Successful candidates will integrate one of the following CEFAGE-UE’s research groups:
- Econometrics and Finance
- Industrial, Labour and Spatial Economics
- Management.

The hired researchers would join CEFAGE-UE’s ongoing research projects and are expected to develop independent research aimed at publication in leading international scientific journals. The contract offered will have the duration of up to 5 years, renewed yearly based on mutual agreement and subject to FCT approval. The annual income, before taxes, will be around 43,500 Euro.

To obtain more information about these job openings, please visit CEFAGE-UE’s website at http://www.cefage.uevora.pt/ or contact CEFAGE-UE by e-mail (cefage[ at ]uevora.pt).

Application deadline: 30 September 2008

Ireland: PhD Positions in Data Mining, Waterford Institute of Technology

Department: TSSG (Telecommunications Software & Systems Group)
Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland

Minimum Qualification Required:

Possess a Master degree in Computer Science or a related discipline.
Have strong programming skills of Java and experience of implementing numerical algorithms with Java
Have a good understanding or some experience in the following areas: database, statistics, machine learning, or data mining.
With good written and spoken English, and ideally some existing publications

Major Duties:
Develop the novel algorithms and systems of distributed data mining

Applications should include:- a curriculum vitae with a list of publications,
- a cover letter and a statement of research interests,
- the names and e-mail addresses of two references.

Applications should be sent by e-mail with Subject “PHD Position” to: hfu[ at ]tssg.org

For further details regarding the research project, please contact Dr. Huaiguo Fu (hfu[ at ]tssg.org ).

Closing Date : 01/09/2008

Belgium: Open PhD Positions in Scheduling Algorithms, Department Maths & Computer Science, University of Antwerp

The department of Maths and Computer Science at the University of Antwerp, Belgium has an open position for a PhD student (full-time) in the PATS research group of Prof C. Blondia and B. Van Houdt.

In principle, it concerns a four year position (with an initial one year contract).

The topic of the open position is located within the area of scheduling algorithms and more specifically mainly concerns designing fast scheduling solutions for loading container vessels in the port of Antwerp.

The project is in cooperation with PSA-HNN, the second largest port operating group worldwide, and COSMOS.

Interested individuals should send an email with their (detailed) CV before September 1st, 2008 to

benny.vanhoudt[ at ]ua.ac.be

Prof. B. Van Houdt
PATS research group
Dept. Maths and Computer Science
University of Antwerp
Belgium

USA: Postdoctoral Fellow in Vascular Biology in Liver Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine

A postdoctoral position is available, effective immediately, in the Section of Digestive Diseases at Yale University School of Medicine. Projects include studies of molecular mechanisms involved in vascular abnormalities observed in liver diseases.

This position is supported by an NIH training grant, and the applicant must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Preference will be given to a highly motivated individual with a background in basic biochemical and molecular biology as well as vascular biology.

For further information and to apply, send a CV, statement of interests, and the names and contacts of 3 references to: yasuko.iwakiri[ at ]yale.edu

Yale University School of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Germany: PhD Studentships in Ultra High-Speed Mobile Information and Communication, RWTH Aachen University

Research Assistant - PhD Candidate
(wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin/wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter)

Our profile
The research group Information Theory and Systematic Design of Communication Systems has been established in context with the Cluster of Excellence, “UMIC - Ultra High-Speed Mobile Information and Communication” and is associated with the Chair for Theoretical Information Technology. The main research areas of the group are in the ?eld of information theory, game theoretical applications in communication systems and modelling, planning and optimisation of modern wireless networks. A new ?eld of the research group is the application of information theory to molecular biology, e.g., gene mapping. A survey of current pro jects is given on the web at http://www.ti.rwth-aachen.de and http://www.umic.rwth-aachen.de

Your profile
The ideal candidate will have an excellent degree (Diploma, MSc or equivalent) in electrical engineering, mathematics, computer science, or physics. A strong background and special interest in information theory, analytical modelling, and engineering applications is expected. Fluency in English is required, in German bene?cial. Interested candidates are invited to send their complete application (including motivation letter, curriculum vitae, score records and, if available, a recommendation letter or names of two references, and their TOEFL or GRE score) by email or post.

Your duties and responsibilities
Willingness to assist in research projects and teaching is expected. The candidate’s work should lead to a Ph.D. degree in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of RWTH Aachen University.

Our o?er
The position is to be ?lled as soon as possible and is for a ?xed term initially for 1 year. An extension is possible. Regular working hours are 39.83 hours a week. The option of undertaking a PhD is provided. The pay scale classi?cation complies with the labour agreement TV-L.

The RWTH Aachen is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from women. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Your contact person
For further information, please contact Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Schmeink, Tel.: +49 (0) 241 8020658,
Fax: +49 (0) 241 8022640, E-mail: schmeink[ at ]umic.rwth-aachen.de

Please send your application to
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Schmeink, UMIC Research Centre, RWTH Aachen University, Templergra-
ben 55, 52056 Aachen, Germany

USA: Postdoc Positions in Computational Biology, University of California, Los Angeles

Postdoctoral positions are available at UCLA to work in computational biology of pre-mRNA splicing and gene expression. Our lab combines genome-wide computational and experimental approaches in the areas of molecular biology, genomics, systems biology and bioinformatics. Successful applicants should meet some combination of the following aspects: excellent programming/scripting skills, experience in bioinformatics, biostatistics and/or genomic data analysis, and knowledge of basic biology.

We are seeking excellent candidates who are highly motivated and career-oriented. The University of California, Los Angeles, is a preeminent public university in the country. The Molecular Biology Institute building, where the postdoctoral position will be located, is one of the primary loci of biomedical research on campus.

Applicants should send a brief statement of research interest, curriculum vitae, the names and contact details of three references to Dr. Xinshu (Grace) Xiao at gxxiao[ at ]ucla.edu. Please indicate “postdoc application” in the title of the email.

USA: Postdoc Positions in Molecular Biology, University of California, Los Angeles

Postdoctoral positions are available at UCLA to work in the areas of pre-mRNA splicing and gene expression. Our lab combines genome-wide computational and experimental approaches in molecular biology, genomics, systems biology and bioinformatics. Wet-lab experience in molecular biology and/or genetics is required. Previous experience in bioinformatics or computational biology is a plus.

We are seeking excellent candidates who are highly motivated and career-oriented. The University of California, Los Angeles, is a preeminent public university in the country. The Molecular Biology Institute building, where the postdoctoral position will be located, is one of the primary loci of biomedical research on campus.

Applicants should send a brief statement of research interest, curriculum vitae, the names and contact details of three references to Dr. Xinshu (Grace) Xiao at gxxiao[ at ]ucla.edu. Please indicate “postdoc application” in the title of the email.

Australia: PhD Scholarships in Organic Material? Development for Opto-electronic Applications, the University of Queensland

Excellent opportunity for enthusiastic and outstanding students to work with world class researchers in Chemistry (organic semiconductors) to gain a first class postgraduate education working at the state-of-the-art research centre, Centre for Organic Photonics and Electronics, (http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/cope/index.html) at the University of Queensland.

The Role: School of Molecular & Microbial Sciences is offering a PhD scholarship, involving interdisciplinary research projects related to ?organic material? development (synthesis and characterisation) for opto-electronic applications (eg, organic light emitting displays and solar cells).

Spain: Computer Vision PhD Studentship Grant, University of Barcelona

The Color and Texture Group (CAT, http://cat.uab.cat) within the Department of Computer Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, Spain) and the Computer Vision Centre (CVC, http://cvc.uab.es/ ) has an opening position for a PhD Studentship in the field of Chromatic Induction on Human Visual System. This is a four-years grant.

Position:

- The Group on Color and Texture offers a well funded, amicable and very creative environment with 6 PhD members and 5 PhD students. Its main work is related to computational colour and texture representations. We focus on the basis of colour and texture perception in order to automatise the task of labelling the colours and the textures within an image.

- Salaries are €11,832 gross per year during the first two years, and €16,618 gross per year during the last two years. These research grants are funded by UAB.

- Starting date for this position is September 2008

Requirements:

- When the grants are awarded, those receiving a grant must hold a four-year degree (licenciatura), advanced engineering/architecture degree (ingeniería/arquitectura superior) or an equivalent degree
(mathematics, phsysics, etc.). When the grants are awarded, those receiving a grant must enroll in an UAB official master’s degree or UAB doctorate.

Education:

- Strong programming skills (C, C++, or Java) are a plus. Good communications skills, both written and oral, and fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory. Strong motivation for scientific research.

- Further information may be requested via email from xotazu[at]cvc[dot]uab[dot]es

UK: PhD Studentship in Physics, Lancaster University

Lancaster University invites applications for a fully-funded PhD position in its Department of Physics.

The successful applicant will join the largest low temperature group in the UK in one of the best physics departments in the country, graded 5*A in the last national Research Assessment Exercise. He/she will participate in topical studies of critical phenomena in and on liquid helium, including studies of quantum excitations and capillary turbulence on the surfaces of both liquid 4He and liquid 3He in the ultra-low-temperature limit. The work has wide interdisciplinary implications, including e.g. to space science and the mysterious creation mechanism of the giant rogue waves that occasionally appear on the ocean and endanger shipping.

The project involves collaborative research with ISIS at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. It is based on the unique combination of neutron reflection, ultralow temperature sample environment, and the deeply quantum nature of the helium isotopes. The PhD student will be based in Lancaster, but will participate in and help to develop the experiments at ISIS. Thus he/she will conduct low and ultra-low temperature experiments, work with quantum fluids and neutron facilities, gain wide experience in cryogenic engineering, learn the diverse experimental and theoretical methods required by the professional physicist, and be a part of a multidisciplinary research team. There will be opportunities to visit our collaborators at the ISSP in Chernogolovka, near Moscow, and for participation in international conferences.

This studentship, for up to four years, will be available from 1 October 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter. It provides a stipend at the standard EPSRC rate of GBP 12,600 per annum. Full funding is available for UK or EU nationals. Applicants should have a first degree in physics at the 2(i) level or above, or equivalent qualification in physical science.

For further information, contact:

Professor Peter McClintock (p.v.e.mcclintock[ at ]lancaster.ac.uk) or
Dr Andrei Ganshyn (a.ganshyn[ at ]lancaster.ac.uk)

Please include a CV with your enquiry.

UK: PhD Studentships in Chemistry, University of Bristol

Two PhD studentships are available in the groups of Prof Mike Ashfold and Prof Andrew Orr-Ewing in the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol. The studentships are funded by the EPSRC for a period of up to 3.5 years.

Due to funding restrictions, applicants must be citizens of the European Union, and should have a first or upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Chemical Physics or Physics. The positions are available from October 2008.

The research projects involve experimental and computational studies of chemical and photochemical dynamics, using state-of-the-art laser and velocity map imaging techniques. Further details can be found at the website http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/pt/laser/ or by contacting Prof Andrew Orr-Ewing directly (A.Orr-Ewing[ at ]bristol.ac.uk)

The successful candidates will join a large and exciting joint research programme between the Universities of Bristol and Oxford and will have the opportunity to work with the various experimental and theoretical chemistry groups that are part of the research consortium.

The School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol is one of the largest and most successful Chemistry departments in the UK. It prides itself on the high quality of its research facilities, postgraduate training and research opportunities, and has an excellent working environment. Further details about the School are available at http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/

Applications will be considered until the positions are filled. The successful candidates will receive stipends at the standard rates of the UK Research Councils (GBP 12904 per annum for 2008/9) and will have the University fees paid for them at the level appropriate for EU citizens.
Application

To apply, please contact Prof Andrew Orr-Ewing (A.Orr-Ewing[ at ]bristol.ac.uk) directly by e-mail or post (School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK).

Ireland: Research Associate Position in System Identification for Network Anomaly Detection, Hamilton Institute

Research Associate Position in System Identification for Network Anomaly Detection, Hamilton Institute, Ireland.

Applications are invited by well-qualified applicants for a postdoctoral post and a postgraduate position in the development of new system identification/time series analysis techniques for anomaly detection in network devices (firewalls etc).

Supported by a major manufacturer, initial work in the area has made use of linear predictive models and real-time monitoring. This has achieved good success but we now want to extend consideration to monitoring of more sophisticated measurements (including per process discrete state information) in order to encompass a wider range fault and operation conditions. The project will involve the development of new approaches for predictive modelling of measured signals, adaptive learning and inference of fault conditions. The project is supported by a dedicated hardware testbed and as part of the project the developed detection approaches will be implemented in order to evaluate performance in realistic environments.

Good numerate and analytic skills will be essential. Some familiarity with networking and Linux or BSD systems will be helpful.

The Hamilton Institute is committed to research excellence. This post offers an exciting opportunity for successful candidates to tackle fundamental research problems within a stimulating multi-disciplinary research environment with state of the art facilities and strong links to the international research community.

Postgraduate Stipend: €21000 (tax free)
Postdoctoral scale: €45704-63094

To apply, candidates should submit a detailed CV and the names and addresses of two referees for
letters of recommendation to: doug.leith[ at ]nuim.ie

Postgraduate applicants should also include transcipts of undergraduate grades, motivation letter.

Germany: PhD Scholarships in Environmental Economics & Earth System Modelling, Hamburg University

PhD Scholarships (Environmental Economics and Earth System Modelling)

The International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling (IMPRS-ESM), in Hamburg, Germany, is a PhD program jointly offered by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the University of Hamburg. The School comprises institutions and scientists from the broad field of Earth sciences, as well as from the economics and social sciences. The IMPRS-ESM contributes to the development, application and evaluation of a spectrum of Earth system models at different complexity and spatial and temporal scales.

The IMPRS-ESM offers several doctoral positions to outstanding students interested in interdisciplinary studies in the comprehensive field of Earth system research. Detailed information is available on
our internet site www.earthsystemschool.de

The PhD program is open to applicants holding the equivalent of a German Diplom or a Master’s degree (with written thesis) in physics, geophysical sciences (incl. meteorology and oceanography), chemistry, ecology, mathematics, computer science, economics, or political science. Applicants need to register on-line (http://www.earthsystemschool.de/ application.html) and e-mail to us the requested application documents.

Application deadline is September 15, 2008 (online registration closes September 8).

The selection procedure includes an interview of shortlisted applicants. Successful candidates will be offered financial support of about 1,000 Euro monthly to cover living expenses. There are no tuition fees.

Positions will be available starting March 2009 (duration up to 3 years).

The Max Planck Institute for Meteorology seeks to increase the number of female scientists and encourages them to apply. Disabled persons with comparable qualifications receive preferential status.

For questions, please contact: coordinator[ at ]earthsystemschool.de

France: PostDoc Position on Saliency Maps for Video (Saint Etienne, France and Gjovik, Norway)

PostDoc position on saliency maps for video (Saint Etienne, France and Gjovik, Norway)

Title: Extension of the saliency maps to video
Under natural viewing conditions (no tasks assigned to viewers) humans tend to fixate on specific parts of an image that are of interest to them naturally. These regions carry most of the useful information needed for our interpretation of the scenes we encounter in our daily life activities. Therefore, numerous applications in the field of engineering, marketing and art can benefit from understanding the human visual attention mechanisms, such as visual media quality evaluation, advertisement design, graphical user interface design, etc. .

Several models are proposed in the literature for finding visually important regions in still images, based on the notion of saliency. Basically, a saliency map is the map of regions which are more prominent than others in terms of low level image properties such as intensity, color and orientation. This could be a very crude and simplistic way of approximating the human visual attention mechanisms; since it is known that familiar objects and especially faces present in an image are strong factors in drawing our attention to certain regions of an image.

This was the motivation for NCRL’ work on including face detection as an integral part of the new attention model Mr. Puneet Sharma has been working on for his MSc thesis at NCRL. His work on the automatic computation of saliency maps using low-level features such as intensity, color and orientation combined with high-level features was very promising and generated couple of publications. The objective of this research was to understand the factors that influence the saliency and gaze maps and to modify the saliency map extraction algorithm in order to make the obtained saliency maps more similar to the experimental gaze maps. Puneet has shown that we can achieve around 30% on average for the set of images used in the correlation between the automatically computed saliency maps and the experimentally generated gaze maps based on the new model.

An obvious continuation of this work is to extend this model to analyze video content. A straight forward way of doing that is by including a motion analysis module in the modified model. Dr. Marco Carli worked on a related problem, where he analyzed video content for the automatic evaluation of the perceived video quality. In his work he did not investigate in depth the use of low-level features such as color and did not use high-level objects detection as we did for the faces. He did however focus on motion information analysis and their contribution to the saliency of certain objects or regions in video. Therefore, a combination of both NCRL’ model with the face detection module and Dr. Carlis’ motion information processing would create a better modeling of the HVS attention mechanisms.

This PostDoc will be funded by the University of Saint-Etienne (France).

The candidate selected will work in the Laboratory Hubert Curien at Saint Etienne (France) under the supervision of Professor Alain Trémeau and at Gjovik (Norway) under the supervision of Dr. Faouzi Alaya Cheikh (http://www.ansatt.hig.no/faouzic/ ).

Candidacy:
We seek a strong and motivated candidate. Applicants should submit a CV including a brief research statement and a list of publications. Selection will be based on: 1. Excellence of the candidate: outstanding achievement in the applicant’s PhD degree level in imaging science, computer science, or any discipline pertaining to the quantitative description of image processing. 2. Language ability: the candidates must demonstrate sound knowledge of the language. 3. Candidate motivation to undertake the PostDoc and relevance to his/her professional development (explaining the application, the present situation, the interest in the PhD degree, the intentions after this PhD degree, …).

The application deadline is September 8, 2008 .

To get more information contact: Prof. Alain TREMEAU, Alain.Tremeau[ at ]univ-st-etienne.fr

Germany: PhD Studentships at the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research

Open position for a PhD student (IMK-IFU01-08)

Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH is one of the largest natural science and engineering research institution in Europe. Our Atmospheric Environmental Research Division (IMK-IFU) of the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research has a long tradition in atmospheric environmental research, with its main emphasis on studying the impact of anthropogenic activities on the interactions between atmosphere and biosphere, air quality, regional climate, and hydrology. Studies in these research fields are characterised by an interdisciplinary and integrated approach involving field measurements, process studies and numerical modelling. Results obtained in these research fields are used for defining reliable and efficient mitigation and adaptation strategies.

For numerical modelling tasks within the project “Verification of the turbulence parameterization and the description of the vertical structure of the marine atmospheric boundary layer in numerical simulation models for wind analysis and forecasts (VERITAS)” we offer a position for a

PhD student
for a three year term as soon as possible. We seek a person who is interested in numerical simulation strategies in atmospheric environmental research and who has a master (Diplom) degree preferably in meteorology, flow engineering, mathematics or physics. Experience in numerical modelling would be an advantage but is not required. The work will comprise running mesoscale numerical models and the evaluation of offshore turbulence data.

The remuneration will be in accordance to the German public service regulations (TVöD 13/2).

The position is open immediately. Please send as soon as possible (but not later than September 30, 2008) applications with the usual documents to the address below (preferably by e-mail), from where you can get also additional information.

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Stefan Emeis
Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research
- Atmospheric Environmental Research –
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
Kreuzeckbahnstr. 19
82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen

stefan.emeis[ at ]imk.fzk.de

http://kit.gap.fzk.de/

Australia: Undergraduate Scholarships for International Students from The Government of Western Australia

The Government of Western Australia, through the Department of Education and Training (DET), is offering a number of prestigious scholarships for international students to undertake the Western Australian Universities’ Foundation Program (WAUFP) or Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE) program at either Canning College or Tuart College in Perth, Western Australia (WA). Applicants from all countries will be eligible for consideration.

Scholarship winners are selected on the basis of academic results and a reference from the school. Where academic results do not allow for differentiation between applicants, resumes or curriculum vitae will be considered.

Scholarships apply for Year 12 level courses; WA Universities’ Foundation Program and Tertiary Entrance Examination Program.

Year 11 students at Tuart College or Canning College may apply for an award on the basis of their Year 11 results.

The closing date for all scholarship applications will be 31 October 2008. Notifications will be issued within two weeks of the closing date.

Full Scholarships
Six (6) Full Scholarships covering the course fee of A$13,500 will be awarded with three (3) allocated by each College.

To be awarded a full scholarship requires a student to have achieved outstanding academic results. This would normally require the student to have achieved the highest possible grade in at least six (6) subjects. Students will be required to complete an International Student Application Form, an International Scholarship Application Form and pay an A$200 non-refundable fee.

The A$200 fee will be deducted from the student’s tuition fees in the event of not gaining any scholarship but enrolling at one of the Colleges.

College staff will not offer these scholarships during promotional visits.

Additional documentation required:

Reference from the school principal.
Actual or mock/forecast/preliminary results for major examinations equivalent to Year 11 in Western Australia.
Two (2) most recent school reports.
Curriculum Vitae or resume.
Partial $5,000 Scholarships
Twenty (20) scholarships to the value of A$5,000 are being offered with ten (10) allocated to each College.

This award would normally require the student to have achieved the highest possible grade in at least five (5) subjects.

These scholarships may be offered to students at anytime, including during marketing visits. Such students must pay a non-refundable deposit of A$500 within two (2) weeks of the offer or forfeit the scholarship.

Students accepting one of these scholarships will also be considered for a full scholarship and the A$500 deposit will be transferred to the refundable Bond.

There is no application fee for a partial scholarships awarded by College staff during overseas marketing visits.

Any scholarship funds not allocated during overseas marketing visits will be awarded at the same time as the full scholarships.

Any students wanting to be considered in October/November are required to pay the A$200 non-refundable fee as outlined in the conditions for applying for a full scholarship.

Notification of success or otherwise will be by 15 November 2008.

International Scholarship Application Forms
College representatives should use the attached form. A copy can be found at www.unipathway.com

Ireland: PhD Research Opportunities in Micro- and Nano- Engineering, University College Cork

The International Centre for Graduate Education in Micro- and Nano-Engineering (ICGEE) is an inter-university, inter-disciplinary and international organisation providing a student-centric doctoral
research and education experience with a unique international flavor and perspective.

It brings together nine Irish partners, including:

Eight third level higher education institutions
Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT)
Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)
Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)
National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
University College Cork (UCC)
University College Dublin (UCD)
University of Limerick (UL)

One professional engineering accreditation body
Engineers Ireland

Five international partners
Chalmers University of Technology (CTH), Sweden
Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG), France
Northwestern University, IL, USA
University of Edinburgh, UK.

The ICGEE offers:
A global curriculum with a wide spectrum of specialist academic courses from leading experts in Europe, the US and Asia World-class research opportunities. The opportunity to build an international peer network amongst the next generation of young internationally focused global engineering leaders.

Information for Applicants
Currently we are recruiting 1st and 2nd year PhD students. The application procedure and financial support available is different depending on which year of your PhD programme you are in. Please select the appropriate option:

1st Year PhD Candidate
2nd Year PhD Candidate

Information for 1st Year PhD Candidates
ICGEE Scholarships
An ICGEE scholarship of €24,000 per year over 4 years will be offered to all successful applicants to include a stipend (€16,000), travel and the equivalent of an EU Higher Education Institution (HEI) fee.

Application
An application may be submitted to any of the Irish partner HEI’s within the ICGEE. Institutional affiliation is compulsory for admission to the ICGEE programme and the ICGEE admissions process
will run in parallel with that of the selected host institute. The PhD research must fit within the ICGEE key research areas: Micro- & Nano-Engineering Design and Materials & Manufacturing. Potential candidates should have a first class primary degree or a Masters level education. For students whose first language/mother tongue is not English, an IELTS score of minimum 6.0 is required. Your application dossier must contain the following documentation:

A signed ICGEE cover sheet (download the cover sheet here)
Copy of Host University application form
A Personal Statement describing yourself, your scientific interests and why you want to join the ICGEE programme (max 1 page). Your application package should be scanned and emailed to info[ at ]icgee.ie

Information for 2nd Year PhD Candidates
ICGEE Scholarships
Students studying in an Irish HEI can avail of a scholarship of €6000 from the ICGEE programme that will provide for costs relatedto travel over the remaining three years of study for the PhD.

Application
Potential candidates should have a 1H or MSc-level education They must have completed their first year of their current PhD in an Irish HEI. Institutional affiliation is compulsory for admission to the
ICGEE programme. The PhD research must fit within the ICGEE. For students whose first language/mother tongue is not English, an IELTS score of minimum 6.0 is required. Your application dossier must contain the following documentation:

A signed ICGEE cover sheet (download the cover sheet here)
A Personal Statement describing yourself, your scientific interests and why you want to join the ICGEE programme (max 1 page)
A CV
Reference letter from your supervisor.
Your application package should be scanned and emailed to info[ at ]icgee.ie

DEADLINE
Only applications received before 1 September 2008 will be considered.

MORE INFORMATION
For any additional queries, please contact:

Patricia Hegarty,
ICGEE Administrator,
Department of Microelectronic Engineering,
University College Cork,
Ireland
Tel:+ 353 21 490 4575

Download a (printer friendly) PDF with this information from http://www.icgee.ie

UK: PhD Studentships in Biophysical Science, University of Manchester

Applications are invited for PhD studentships in Biological Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, the University of Manchester in the following areas:

(1) Biophysical modelling to investigate the functional impacts of gene mutations on cardiac arrhythmogenesis.
(2) Biophysical investigation of effects of surfactant nanostructural environment on the uptake of drug molecules.
(3) Interfacial nano-structure and solution self-assembly of designed peptide surfactants
(4) Controlled interfacial assembly of nanoparticles from nano-fluids

Each studentship cover 3 year tuition fees and living expenses. Applicants should hold or are expecting a 1st or 2(i) degree (or equivalent) in a relevant physical/biological or computing science subject.

Application
The first project is funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and only UK or EU nationals are eligible to apply. Please contact Dr Henggui Zhang (henggui.zhang[ at ]manchester.ac.uk / Tel: 0161-306-3966) or Professor Jules C. Hancox (jules.hancox[ at ]bristol.ac.uk / Tel: 0117-928-9028) for further details.

Studentships in projects 2-4 are partially funded by leading international companies and the close collaboration with them will provide unique training opportunities and will benefit future career development. In the case of overseas applicants for projects 2-4, enquiries should be made to discuss how to arrange for overseas tuition fee coverage. Please contact Professor Jian Lu (jian.lu[ at ]manchester.ac.uk / Tel: 0161-3063926) for further details.

The studentships are open until filled.

USA: Abe Fellowship in Policy-relevant Topics

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announce the annual Abe Fellowship competition. The Abe Fellowship is designed to encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern. The Abe Fellowship Program seeks to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics.

The Abe Fellowship Research Agenda
Applicants are invited to submit proposals for research in the social sciences and related fields relevant to any one or combination of the following three themes:

1) Traditional and Non-Traditional Approaches to Security and Diplomacy
Topic areas include transnational terrorism, internal ethnic and religious strife, infectious diseases, food safety, climate change, and non-proliferation, as well as the role of cultural initiatives in peace building.

2) Global and Regional Economic Issues
Topic areas include regional and bilateral trade arrangements, globalization and the mitigation of its adverse consequences, sustainable urbanization, and environmental degradation.

3) Role of Civil Society
Topic areas include demographic change, immigration, the role of NPOs and NGOs as champions of the public interest, social enterprise, and corporate social responsibility.

Research projects should be policy relevant, contemporary, and comparative or transnational.

Fellowship Terms
Terms of the fellowship are flexible and are designed to meet the needs of Japanese and American researchers at different stages in their careers. The program provides Abe Fellows with a minimum of 3 and maximum of 12 months of full-time support over a 24 month period. Part-time residence abroad in the United States or Japan is required.

Eligibility

This competition is open to citizens of the United States and Japan as well as to nationals of other countries who can demonstrate strong and serious long-term affiliations with research communities in Japan or the United States.
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or the terminal degree in their field, or equivalent professional experience. Applications from researchers in professions other than academia are encouraged.
Contact Details
For further information and to apply, go to:
http://fellowships.ssrc.org/abe

Contact SSRC staff at
abe[ at ]ssrc.org
212-377-2700 x423

Deadline: September 1 annually

UK: PhD Studentship in Game Based Technology in Construction Engineering, University of Salford

The Salford Centre for (Construction) Research and Innovation Research (SCRI), which is 6* at the School of the Built Environment at University of Salford and Salford Think Lab are sponsoring a doctoral studentship in order to explore game based technology to support construction design and engineering.

The doctorate will explore game based technologies, such as virtual world, game artificial intelligence, to support construction design and engineering in a collaborative environment.

Research topics include:

Application of artificial intelligence in construction simulation
Human behavioural modelling in construction and building design
Construction design and engineering in virtual world
Digital prototyping and construction simulation
Project Supervisors:
The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr. Song Wu and Prof. Terrence Fernando. The candidate will work with SCRI team and research team in Think Lab and will be able to use the state of art equipment, such as high end workstation and virtual reality facility Think Lab.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr. Song Wu, Email: s.wu[ at ]salford.ac.uk

Details of Studentship:
Applications are invited for a fully funded studentship in the area of visualization and simulation in construction. Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, an upper second class or higher degree in computer science, information technology together with a strong interest in 3D modelling and game technology research.

This studentship provides a tax-free full maintenance grant of GBP 12,800 per annum, plus payment of UK home student tuition fees. Overseas student are also welcome to apply, but the international student fee will not be covered in the studentship.

Salford Think Lab
The Salford Think Lab’ provides state of the art facilities in a futuristic environment enabling researchers to engage in research that harnesses the leading developments related to Information and Communication Technologies providing new solutions to current and future challenges faced by industry, commerce and the community. It is designed for Interaction and Collaboration equipped with the best virtual environment facilities of any university in Europe.

SCRI
The Salford Centre for Research & Innovation (SCRI) was established in January 2002. SCRI brings together a diverse group of leading international academics from the Schools of the Built Environment, Computing Science & Engineering, and Art & Design. The Centre is funded by the Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC), in recognition of the leading role the University of Salford has played in construction and built and human environment research excellence. SCRI is positioned within the only, and most highly rated 6* Built and Human Environment (BuHu) research institute in Britain.

BuHu
BuHu is an internationally recognised centre for research in the Built and Human Environment. It has been the top rated research institute in the UK since 1992 and focuses its research on three themes; ICT, Management and the Environment. It comprises 90 research active academic staff, of whom 20 are internationally leading Professors, more than 35 research assistants and over 170 research students. BuHu collaborates with over 500 companies and clients around the world and make significant contributions to innovations and improvements in industry and the Environment.

The Institute is very active and in recent times it has attracted research funds and support totalling more than GBP 30M. It has produced more than 300 journal articles, 600 conference papers, 50 major project reports and supported 200 research events, including its annual International Research Week (IRE), which incorporates a two day international conference, an industry day and a two day international postgraduate research conference. BuHu has also initiated 8 EPSRC and EU funded networks

Buhu currently has more than 170 PhD students and all postgraduate research students have access to advanced technical facilities including advanced virtual reality equipment and the new Thinking Laboratory. Research students are encouraged to network with their peers and the international community.

Application:
Applications, with a detailed CV and the names and addresses of two referees, should be sent to:

Dr. Song Wu
424 Maxwell Building
University of Salford
Salford, M5 4WT
UNITED KINGDOM

Austria: PhD Studentship in Tribological Test Engineering and Surface Analysis

Research engineer (PhD-student) for University of Leoben, Chair of Mechanical Engineering

Introduction and Motivation:
Journal bearings and other constructional elements - like engine lubricants - in internal combustion engines, increasingly reach their loading limit. Pure empirical improvements, as conducted in the past, are not sufficient to fulfil the demands posed on new generations of engines and their components. In order to optimize the system journal bearing (materials and lubricants) based on scientific results we extend our research team by a PhD-student in the fields of tribological test engineering and surface analysis.

Tasks job description

Assisting in optimizing the tribological test methods of the Chair of Mechanical Engineering
Conduction of tribological experiments to visualize the system properties of interest (Formation of tribological boundary layers due to components of the lubricant)
Performing additional damage analysis of the surface structure and the surface chemistry using light microscopy, laser confocal microscopy LEXT, SEM/EDX, Raman, AES, micro/nanoindentation,
Interpretation of the results also using the assistance of scientific software tools
Deducing tribological functional models of the processes taking place in the boundary layers
Due to the duration of the project (from 07/2008 to 12/2012) and due to the technical-scientific activities it is possible to compose a PhD-thesis at the University of Leoben.

Demands Qualification

Master’s degree of a technical or natural-scientific university: chemistry, physics, material science,
Strong interest in dealing with technical problems applying scientific methods
Knowledge in chemical-physical analysis
Interest in technics
English (spoken and written)
Ability to work in a team
Independence and ability to solve problems
Basic knowledge in scientific software tools (Matlab, )
Contact Person:
Dr. Florian Grün
Tel: +43-3842-402-1450
E-Mail: florian.gruen[ at ]unileoben.ac.at

Europe: 13 PhD Positions in New EU Funded Marie Curie Initial Training Network

13 PhD positions in new EU funded Marie Curie Initial Training Network:
DESIRE – Creative Design for Innovation in Science and Technology

Coordinator: Lancaster University, UK

Partners: Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands, Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, University of Milan in Italy, The Portuguese Catholic University in Portugal, University of Aveiro in Portugal, and Philips Research in The Netherlands.

Initial Deadline: 15 September 2008

DESIRE aims to make theoretical contributions to the field of creative design by bringing together expertise in human computer interaction, psychology, arts and design. The network aims to advance our understanding of creative design processes applied in the scientific and technological problem solving. This will lead to the elaboration of (i) theories and models of creative processes in general, and those involved in creative problem solving in particular, and (ii) a toolbox of methods, techniques and systems to support both creative design processes and creativity training.

The network places particular emphasis on the research training to be provided to successful candidates. Thus, each researcher will benefit from a rich training program that will take advantage of both local and network wide activities, as well as of conferences and summer schools.

Applications are invited for 13 studentships on creative design, 4 of which at Lancaster University, UK. The positions are funded by the EU for 36 months. The network requires expertise from various disciplines and the specific requirements as well as details about each individual projects can be found at: http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/~corina/DESIRE. Aligned with the specific requirements of each project, the applicants should have a good degree in Computer Science, Psychology, Design or Arts. They should also have the ability to work independently and as part of a group, possess good communication skills, and be able to write high quality technical reports. The working language in this project is English. We encourage applications from all interested students, regardless of gender, race, disability, etc. The network aims to appoint women to at least 40% of the positions.

Restrictions: Candidates should have less than 4 years of research experience. Positions are open to candidates of any nationality with the exception that the student may not have resided in the country of the host institution for more than one year in the 3 years before appointment.

Application process: To discuss project opportunities, please contact either the lead supervisor, for information on a specific project, or the Coordinator for general enquiries (see contact details below).

The initial closing date for formal applications is 15 September. Review of applications and references will begin in October 2008 and will continue until the positions are filled. We expect successful candidates to join the network between October and December 2008. Formal applications should be
emailed to the Coordinator and should include:

Full CV
Names of three referees
A statement of your academic interests, including the DESIRE projects in which you are interested (up to 3 in rank order) and the reasons for your preference. Please do not exceed 2 sides of A4.
Publication list
Coordinator:
Dr. Corina Sas
Computing Department
InfoLab21
South Drive
Lancaster University
LA1 4WA
United Kingdom

Tel: +44(0)1524 510318
Fax: +44(0)1524 510492
Email: corina[ at ]comp.lancs.ac.uk

Spain: Postdoctoral Position in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Autonomous University of Barcelona

A postdoctoral position is available in the research group of Salvador Ventura, in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Institute of Biotechnology and Medicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

Our main research focus is on the Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Folding, Unfolding and Aggregation. The project will focus on the relevance of these processes in conformational diseases.

The candidate we seek will have a PhD in the area of Biochemistry, Biophysics or Molecular Biology. Familiarity with relevant experimental techniques in Molecular Biology and/or Protein Chemistry and/or Biophysics is a requirement. Ability for preparation of research outputs for communication purposes, and oral and written communication skills is also wanted.

Spanish language proficiency would be a plus.

The position is full-time for three years starting on November 2008.

Contact and details:
Salvador Ventura Zamora, PhD
Dept. de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular
Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Bellaterra-08193
Spain

Phone: +34 93 586 81 47
Fax: +34 93 581 12 64

E-mail: salvador.ventura[ at ]uab.es

USA: PhD Student Positions in DNA Repair Mechanisms, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

PhD student positions at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA

PhD assistantships are available to study DNA repair mechanisms in eukaryotic cells. All tuition fees and a stipend for living expenses will be paid. Candidates with experience in the fields of microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry or related areas are encouraged to apply.

Minimum criteria for admission include >
3.0 GPA, and a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of > 1100.
For international students, a minimum TOEFL score (computer version) of >250 (or >100 internet version or >600 paper version) is required.
Please send CV and address enquiries to:

Dr. Shisheng Li
Assistant professor
Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803.

Phone: 225 578 9102
Fax: 225 578 9895

Email: shli[ at ]vetmed.lsu.edu

Italy: Master Scholarships in Design, Master Politecnico di Milano

Research of eligible students’ for Masters Scholarships
Master Politecnico di Milano www.polimi.it

POLI.design – Consorzio del Politecnico di Milano addresses your institution, which is a relevant reference point in the cultural and commercial exchange with Italy.
www.polidesign.net

POLI.design requests your cooperation in propagating news about qualified opportunities of post-university training:

MDS - Master in Strategic Design. Design of the Value Offering (in cooperation with MIP Politecnico). – 1st level – 10th edition, held in English. Duration 13 months. Design, management, technology and empowerment, for those oriented to work on the borderline between design and management. www.polidesign.net/mds

MBC - Master in Brand Communication, the Project, the Construction and the Brand Management (in cooperation with AssoComunicazione) – 1st level – 8th edition. Duration 12 months. To manage the strategic thought of the brand as a Strategic Planner, Product Manager, Account and Media manager. www.polidesign.net/mbc

MA&C - Master in Art Direction e Copywriting. The creative couple of the future – 1st level – 2nd edition. Duration 12 months. From advertising to global communication, with 11 art directors of important agencies, for the communication of the brand of the future. www.polidesign.net/mac

MDSPI - Master in Design for the Development of the Industrial Product – 1st level – 2nd edition. For the Product Design specialists, to run the entire procedure of realization of industrial products, from their conceiving to their production. www.polidesign.net/mdspi

The complete information about the masters and the courses is on line in the site www.polidesign.net

For each of these courses our Academic Partners offer some scholarships to the eligible foreign designers, students and architects interested in specializing in Italy.
In order to be considered for a scholarship it is necessary to send a curriculum vitae by 10th september 2008 and have a fairly good knowledge of the Italian language.

For further information you may contact us at the phone number +39 02 23995864 or e-mail address: formazione[ at ]polidesign.net

Deadline: 10th september 2008

Italy: Scholarships for the PhD Program in Business Administration, University of Bologna

The PhD program in Business Administration of the University of Bologna trains brilliant researchers in the fields of management, by offering courses in several areas such as organization theory, business strategy, marketing, technology and innovation management, research methods, statistics, econometrics. In addition to the courses, PhD students have the opportunity to attend seminars held by internationally renowned scholars, present their work at conferences, spend a research period of at least 6 months in international academic institutions. The courses are held in English. The PhD in Business Administration (3-year program) is organized by the Department of Management of the University of Bologna (www.sa.unibo.it), in cooperation with the University LUISS Guido Carli of Rome and the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

In order to apply, a Master degree (laurea specialistica/magistrale) is required. The 2009 edition of the PhD in Business Administration (24th cycle) will start in January 2009. 10 students will be admitted to the program and 5 scholarships will be offered. The number of scholarship-assisted places may increase thanks to the financial support of public or private institutions. The net amount of the scholarship is around 1000 Euro per month, for a 3-year period. The amount of the scholarship can be increased during the research period spent abroad (+50%) and through assistantships in teaching or contract research activities. Applications from foreign students are encouraged.

For further details on the PhD program in Business Administration, the admission requirements and the selection procedures, please visit the website.


or contact the PhD Coordinator, Professor Federico Munari (federico.munari[ at ]unibo.it).

The call for application is published at the beginning of August 2008 on
this website.
The deadline to submit all the application documents (approx. 10th September 2008) will be specified in the call.

USA: Postodoctoral Position in Age-Related Diseases, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Biology of Aging & Age-Related Diseases Training Grant is an established, multidisciplinary grant funded by NIH that focuses on basic mechanisms of aging, preventive interventions & clinical problems of older adults. There are 25 faculty trainers from 14 departments, including Project Dir. Sanjay Asthana.

For further information about the training grant and a list of training grant faculty, see www.biologyofaging.wisc.edu. Earliest Start Date: October 1, 2008. Must be US citizen or permanent resident by time of appointment and must have completed the advanced degree by the start of the appointment. This opening is intended for individuals who are committed to a research career in the biology of aging and intend to spend a minimum of two years in the postdoctoral position.

TO APPLY, submit the following BY August 22, 2008.
Include a cover statement that describes the biology of aging research you wish to pursue while on this grant, the name of a UW faculty trainer with whom you wish to work, your thesis title and preceptors name. Also provide your CV, transcripts of all college coursework (copies okay), transcript of GRE or MCAT scores, and 3 letters of recommendation. If advanced degree is outside U.S., include certification of equivalency to a U.S. college degree. Submit to Training Grant Application, Institute on Aging, 2245 MSC, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, dweber[ at ]wisc.edu.

For questions, call 608-263-6404. THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Canada: Post Doctoral Fellow in Ocean and Coupled Modelling and Data Assimilation, Dalhousie University

Opportunity for Post Doctoral Fellow in Ocean and Coupled Modelling and Data Assimilation

Dalhousie University is searching for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Global Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction and Predictability (GOAPP) Network funded by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences. The overall goal of the network is to improve forecasts of the ocean and atmosphere on time-scales of days to decades, and space scales of tens of km (e.g., ocean eddies) to global. For more details on GOAPP see www.goapp.ca.

The successful candidate will collaborate with researchers at Dalhousie University and other universities in the network, and with scientists from Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, on pre-operational, data assimilative modeling of the North Atlantic and the coupled atmosphere-ocean system. Overall duties include the implementation, operation and evaluation of existing data assimilation and model codes. The specific duties include:

(i) Optimization of the codes for operational use.
(ii) Definition of the metrics to be used in the evaluation of the forecast systems.
(iii) Generation of products to be placed on the GOAPP webpage.
(iv) Coordination of activities with government partners and the transfer of GOAPP research to operations.
(v) Presentation of progress at meetings including the annual GOAPP Workshop.

The successful applicants will have a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science, Physical Oceanography or related discipline. Experience in running and developing state-of-the-art ocean and/or atmosphere models is required. Knowledge of data assimilation is desirable.

The appointment can start as early as September 1, 2008 and the position will terminate at the end of August 2010. The annual salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. Dalhousie University is an Employment Equity/Affirmative Action employer. The University encourages applications from qualified Aboriginal people, persons with a disability, racially visible persons and women. The competition will remain open until suitable candidates are found.

Applicants should send a statement of interest, curriculum vitae including a list of publications,
and the names and addresses of three references to:

Ms. Susan Woodbury, ACM, FCMOS
GOAPP Network Manager
Dalhousie University, Department of Oceanography
Room 5660A LSC
1355 Oxford Street
Halifax, NS B3H 4J1 Canada
www.goapp.ca

Email: swoodbury[ at ]dal.ca Submission by e-mail is encouraged.
Fax: (902) 494-2885

USA: Postdoctoral Position in Viral/Cancer Pharmacology, The FAMU College of Pharmacy

The FAMU College of Pharmacy is seeking a junior level postdoctoral fellow with expertise in cellular techniques to join the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), Center for Nanomedicine. The postdoctoral fellow will be involved in a variety of interdisciplinary research activities, including the development of HHV (low-level biohazard) cell-culture models, QSPR/QSAR and drug cellular delivery, RT-PCR baseline and effect assays, protein and drug target purification, LC-MS assays and peptide fragment ID, and the provision of technical expertise in design and implementation of protocols and ongoing assistance during pharmacology and pharmaceutics experiments. Independence in research, excellent organizational, written and oral communication skills, and energetic team work spirit are expected.

Recent Ph.D graduates in Immunology, Virology, Biology, Pharmacology, or Biochemistry preferred. Other degrees with appropriate experience will be considered.

To apply:
Interested candidates should send (email preferred) 1) cover letter stating a) KSA’s, b) Research Experience, c) Research Interests and Career Goals, 2) CV with coursework listing, and 3) list of three professional references to: Shawn D. Spencer, PhD, Assistant Professor, Biopharmaceutics Laboratory, Dyson227, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307. Tel: 850 599 3511 Fax: 850-599-3934, shawn.spencer[ at ]famu.edu. This is a contract and grants funded position for up to five years and the position is open until filled

Ireland: PhD and Post Doctoral Positions in Ubiquitous Robotics at the Clarity Centre

The Clarity Centre is now seeking well-qualified, motivated researchers who want to be part of a world-class research group in Ubiquitous Robotics, and Sensor and Adaptive Information Technology.

Applicants for PhD (funded) positions should have/expect to achieve at least a 2.1 in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline with a keen interest in research. A broad range of Post-Doctoral positions are also available to qualified and well motivated individuals with clear interest in CLARITY’s research vision.

Motivated applicants should first identify the research package/s according to their expertise and/or interest. Applications should be sent to the relative principal investigator (PI) directly together with
max one page cover letter and CV.

Research in Ubiquitous Robotics:
Some of the available positions will address the area of robots integrated in ubiquitous, pervasive, and intelligent environments. Such robots are part of open and distributed networks of sensors, actuators, and computing services, which can also act as a shared information space for both the robots and the humans they interact with.

Some of the relevant research directions foreseen within this area are:
The application of Agent-Oriented Software Engineering (AOSE) and Multi-Agent System (MAS) coordination techniques to develop distributed and adaptive software architectures.
These architectures are defined in terms of distributed and autonomous software modules (agents), which can exhibit global self-configuration properties and can also deliver context-sensitive and personalized services to both the users and the robots in the environment.

The integration between robots and wireless sensor networks
(WSNs), that is, robots acting as mobile gateways or otherwise working to the advantage of networks
of wirelessly connected sensors, e.g. carrying out maintenance, localization, and calibration operations in applications such as security, search & rescue, and surveillance systems.

Further information:
The CLARITY CSET is a partnership between University College Dublin and Dublin City University, supported by research at the Tyndall National Institute (TNI) Cork. CLARITY is a collaboration between a number of specialist teams across the institutions who have already strong track records in sensor technology. It builds on work undertaken by the SFI-funded Adaptive Information Cluster, which is led by 5 principal investigators from UCD and DCU.

The Clarity Centre is located in the School of Computer Science and Informatics, University College Dublin (UCD) in Dublin, Ireland. UCD has over 22,000 students including 2,500 international students from over 80 countries and is situated on a large modern campus 4 km to the south of the centre of Dublin.

Find general information about vacancies at the Clarity Centre at: http://www.clarity-centre.org/vacancy.

The application form can be downloaded at:
http://www.clarity-centre.org/files/csi-pgrad-app.doc

The application should be sent to one of the Principal Investigators (PIs) (see http://www.claritycentre.org/content/principal-investigator)

Applications inherent to robotic research can be addressed to Gregory O’Hare (gregory [dot] ohare [at] ucd [dot] ie).

Requests for further information can be sent to Mauro Dragone (mauro [dot] dragone [at] ucd [dot] ie).

Belgium: PhD Positions in Reproductive Biology, the Catholic University of Louvain

The Department of Gynecology of the Catholic University of Louvain (French-speaking) currently invites applications for a funded PhD position in the field of reproductive biology.

This PhD project aims to conduct innovative research into the development of preantral follicles, studying cryopreservation and transplantation aspects and factors involved in the survival and growth of ovarian follicles in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Techniques will include histology, immunocytochemistry, follicle cryopreservation, isolation and in vitro culture, live/dead assays, electron microscopy, animal surgery and data analysis, with a view to publication.

The scholarship is for a period of 2 years (renewable). Applicants should hold a Bachelor’s degree in Science, Medicine or Veterinary Medicine or a Master’s degree in a corresponding field, must speak English and, if possible, also French (or be willing to learn it).

Applications should include a CV and the names and addresses of two persons able to provide professional/academic references. They should be sent to:

Prof Jacques Donnez
Department of Gynecology
Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc
Avenue Hippocrate 10
1200 Brussels
Belgium

E-mail: jacques.donnez[ at ]uclouvain.be

Application Deadline: 31/08/2008

UK: PhD Fellowships in Computational Biology, University of Manchester

Using Computational Biology to Bring Predatory Dinosaurs Back to Life

The proposed programme of research seeks to use state-of-the-art computational techniques to reverse engineer the walking cycle of a predatory dinosaur. Software for image-based modelling, parallel finite element analysis and evolutionary robotics will be coupled and deployed over a computational Grid comprising many thousands of processors. This resource will facilitate a range of unique meta-experiments, enabling new scientific research to be undertaken that would otherwise not be possible. Not only will these experiments provide insight into the evolution of bipedalism or answer questions such as “How fast could T-Rex run?”, they will also lead to the development of computational techniques that may be applied in classical engineering sectors such as the Automotive and Aerospace Industries.

The project is fully funded through a Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship and Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Award. For further details please contact Dr Lee Margetts: Lee.Margetts[ at ]manchester.ac.uk

Please note that only students from the following countries are eligible:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana,Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea,Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, FYR Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Palau Islands, Palestinian Administered Areas, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

PhD Research Studentship in Material and Manufacturing, University of Exeter, United Kingdom

Project Title: Formulation of Complex Material Structures for Tailored Mechanical Properties.
(Tax free stipend Rate £13, 500 plus UK/EU tuition fee)

The PhD research project will concentrate upon the development of the additive layer manufacturing (ALM) systems, processes and methodologies needed to deliver novel 3D structural or microstructural geometries which can exhibit exhibiting extreme or unusual mechanical properties such as high strength, low density, extreme damage tolerance. The emerging additive layer manufacturing technologies included selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, laser consolidation and electron beam melting will be investigated.

The project is jointly funded by UK Great West Research and EADS (Airbus UK). EADS is a global manufacturer of aerospace, spacecraft and defence products and a leading institute to develop/implement ALM technologies to produce innovative high value and high performance aerospace components. The EADS has supported over £ 600 K funding to several research projects and PhD studentships in the area of ALM in the University of Exeter. The EADS will also provide expertise, facilities, materials support to this PhD research project. The student will interact with researchers and PhD students in the research group as well as engineers in the EADS to develop advance material and manufacturing technologies.

The studentship covers UK/EU rate tuition fees (£3,500 pa) and provides a tax-free stipend for the three-year duration of the project starting at £13, 500 pa. It starts on October 2008.

Entry requirements include a good Bachelors Degree (minimum upper second class, 2:1 or 1st) or MSc or equivalent Degree in Engineering, Materials, Applied Science, Physics or a related subject.

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr. Liang Hao (l.hao[ at ]exeter.ac.uk) and Prof. Ken Evans (k.e.evans[ at ]exeter.ac.uk).

Applications will be assessed as received and all applicants should follow the University postgraduate admissions process (http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/admissions/index.shtml)

The application deadline is 12 August 2008