Australia : University of Queensland PhD Scholarships

Powder Metal Processing and Design of Novel Materials

School of Engineering

Applications are sought for two fully-funded PhD studentships from qualified applicants wishing to pursue research leading to PhD status under the supervision of Prof. Graham Schaffer and A/Prof. Ma Qian at the School of Engineering, The University of Queensland, Australia, in powder metal processing and design of novel materials.

This is an opportunity to join an exciting Powder Metal Science Group at the University of Queensland. Started in 1991, the group currently consists of ten people, including four research fellows, a research assistant and three postgraduate students. We work on the development of innovative approaches to the design of light alloys and composites suited to powder metal processing and to the manufacturing of intricate light alloy or composite parts from powders for automotive, aerospace and biomedical applications. In particular, we have both pioneered the development of innovative aluminium alloys that have been designed to be sintered and developed a unique rapid prototyping system for aluminium alloys.

The Candidates: Highly motivated candidates with a strong academic background and/or professional experience in materials engineering, physical metallurgy, physics, chemistry, or material sciences in general are invited to apply for the scholarships.

Both domestic and international applicants are welcome to apply. International applicants whose first language is not English must have achieved at least 6.5 overall and 6.0 in the writing test of the International English Language Testing System IELTS (or equivalent) to meet the University's minimum English language proficiency requirements.

Remuneration: The full-time PhD Scholarships will include fees for successful international candidates (currently A$27,000 p.a.) and a tax-free maintenance bursary in the range between A$25,000 and A$30,000 p.a. for three years, depending on satisfactory progress.

Contact: Please send applications and enquires to A/Prof. Ma Qian (e-mail: ma.qian@uq.edu.au; telephone: +61 (0) 7 3365 4185), Division of Materials, School of Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.

Closing Date for Applications: Applications are welcome at any time with a first assessment being made before 20 September 2008.