UK : University of Cambridge PhD Studentships: Turbomachinery Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Heat Transfer, Noise & Instrumentation

Department of Engineering

Limit of tenure: 3.5 years.

Fully funded studentships are available to conduct research at the Whittle Laboratory in fields associated with Turbomachinery Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Heat Transfer, Noise and Instrumentation. The Whittle Laboratory is one of the foremost laboratories specialising in research into the fluid dynamics and thermodynamics of all types of turbomachinery. The available projects range from fundamental studies of fluid dynamic and thermodynamic behaviour to research into complete systems. Specific problem areas currently include noise emissions, improving the efficiency of fans, compressors and turbines, the effects of real geometry and manufacturing on the performance of axial machines, the life of high pressure turbines, the design of turbomachinery components and component interactions. Most of the projects will use a combination of experiments and computational modelling.

The studentships are for 3.5 years, from October 2008 or January 2009, subject to funding availability. They may be funded by the EPSRC, industry, or the European Commission. For UK and EC students, the remuneration will be at the EPSRC studentship rate (currently 12,600 per annum) and all fees paid. For UK students and those EU students who have been resident in the UK for the previous 3 years for educational purposes, an additional 'top-up' of 3000/year may be payable as a part of a CASE award with industrial support. For overseas students without any additional support, the remuneration will be at c. 12,600/year and all fees paid.

Students with a good Masters degree or equivalent and a strong background in aerodynamics, fluid mechanics or thermodynamics are invited to apply.

Further details may be obtained from the Senior Administrator (jet63@cam.ac.uk), to whom a letter of application and CV should be sent as soon as possible, as the number of studentships is limited.

Quote Reference: NA03926, Closing Date: 31 August 2008

Interview Date(s): Interviews will be arranged with selected candidates as soon as possible after application.

The University values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity.

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UK : Durham University Fully-funded PhD Opportunity in Volcanic Health Hazards

The Institute of Hazard & Risk Research and the Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, seeks a highly motivated, high calibre student with aspirations to develop a career in volcanic hazards. You will join Dr Claire Horwell's team which specialises in the health hazards of volcanic and other mineral dusts.
This fully-funded 3-year PhD scholarship is available to UK, EU and international students (subject to English language tests). We seek graduates with a BSc (2:1 or higher) or MSc in Earth Sciences or related subject, with a knowledge of volcanology, petrology and mineralogy. The project is trans-disciplinary, involving training in both mineralogical and toxicological techniques, thereby providing the student with the breadth of experience required in order to pursue a career in the field of Natural Dusts and Health.

The student will work on the research project:

Volcanic cristobalite formation: A global study for the assessment of health hazard Supervised by: Dr Claire Horwell (IHRR, Earth Sciences, Durham University); Prof. Ken Donaldson (Centre for Inflammation Research, Queens Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh University).

Further Information:

Informal contacts are welcome and should be made to Dr Claire Horwell. E-Mail: claire.horwell@durham.ac.uk Tel: +44(0)191 33 42253

A full project description can be found at http://www.dur.ac.uk/claire.horwell/studentship.doc

Further information on Claire Horwell can be found at http://www.dur.ac.uk/earth.sciences/staff/?id=5313

Further information on Ken Donaldson can be found at http://www.cir.med.ed.ac.uk/haslett/donaldson/donaldson.htm

How to apply:
Initially, please send a CV with the names of two referees to Dr Claire Horwell, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, DH1 3LE. E-Mail: claire.horwell@durham.ac.uk

Closing date: Until filled.

Interview date: TBC

Start date: October 2008-January 2009.

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Swiizerland : University of St. Gallen Research Assistant / Doctoral Candidate

Gottlieb Duttweiler Chair of International Retail Management

The Institute of Marketing and Retailing (University of St.Gallen) is pleased to announce a call for applications for a 70% salary position as a Research Assistant / Doctoral Candidate (70%) at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Chair of International Retail Management, headed by Prof. Dr. Thomas Rudolph. Starting date by arrangement.

Research focus for a doctoral thesis:

Strategic Marketing

We offer the opportunity to receive a doctoral degree at the University of St.Gallen. As a research assistant you will:

• work on interesting consulting and research projects with synergies to your doctoral thesis
• assist in Prof. Rudolph's lectures
• publish academic papers, books, articles etc.
• work in a team of academic researchers on versatile international projects (e.g. retail lab http://www.retail-lab.com) and contacts

Candidates must meet the following job requirements:

• hold a Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration from an internationally recognized university
• provide an excellent academic record (min. 'B' grade point average)
• have a good knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative research methods
• demonstrate a strong interest in applied research and in retailing in particular
• first language: English, good command of German (both written and spoken) is of advantage

Please e-mail your cover letter, curriculum vitae, a copy of your Master's degree, academic transcripts (with a description of the grading scale used at your university), latest secondary school transcript and letters of recommendations or other references to:

Liane.Nagengast@unisg.ch

Dipl.-Kffr. Liane Nagengast
Universität St.Gallen
Institut für Marketing und Handel
Dufourstrasse 40a
CH-9000 St. Gallen
Schweiz
Tel: +41-(0)71-224 7157
Fax: +41-(0)71-224 2835

Information about our Chair is available at http://gd-lehrstuhl.imh.unisg.ch and
http://www.retail-lab.com

For Information about doctoral studies at the University of St.Gallen see:
http://www.doktorats-stufe.unisg.ch.

UK : University of Bath PhD Studentship - Computer Vision / Graphics

Artistic Rendering of Consumer Video Collections

Department of Computer Science

HP Labs Bristol (UK)
Location: University of Bath, Claverton Campus, Bath, BA2 7AY.
Contact: Dr John Collomosse (jpc at cs.bath.ac.uk )

Closing date for applications: Friday 4 September 2008

We are recruiting a PhD student for a joint research project between the University of Bath and Hewlett Packard Laboratories in nearby Bristol. A scholarship is available to cover an annual stipend and fees; coverage of fees is subject to eligibility.*

The student will join an established research team in Bath's Media Technology Research Centre (MTRC) exploring Artistic / Non-Photorealistic Rendering (NPR). The project will develop new algorithms for stylizing video clips into art/animations. It will require a cross-disciplinary approach, contributing new techniques to
both Computer Graphics and Computer Vision.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in mathematical aspects of Computer Science; prior experience in Computer Graphics or Computer Vision would be an advantage. Candidates should have at least a 2.1 undergraduate degree or an MSc in a relevant discipline.

We have a diverse programme of world-leading research in the MTRC. We focus on Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, and Computer Music/Signal Processing. Many MTRC projects span at least two of these research interests. Applications of our work include Virtual Reality, Multimedia Retrieval, High Realism Rendering and Compositing, Artistic Rendering (NPR), 2D and Facial Animation, and the Synthesis of
Electronic Music.

For more information on the MTRC visit: http://www.bath.ac.uk/media

Informal enquiries about this PhD studentship may be made to Dr John Collomosse (jpc@cs.bath.ac.uk or 01225 386274).

Application forms are available online at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/prospectus/postgrad/apply/

Early applications are encouraged as competition for PhD scholarships is always intense.

* UK students are eligible for full funding. Non-UK EU students who have been resident in the UK for three years are eligible for full funding. Non-EU (international) students are welcome to apply but, funding is available only at the UK/EU fees rate. Funding is awarded on an annual basis subject to satisfactory academic performance.

Further information about the department is available at: http://www.cs.bath.ac.uk

Further Details

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UK : University of Strathclyde PhD Studentship

School of Environmental Design and Management (EDAM)

Applications are invited for a full-time funded PhD studentship in the School of Environmental Design and Management. The successful candidate will undertake research that will complement work already being carried out in the School in one of the following subject areas:

• Coastal Ecotourism
• Social Capital and the Built Environment
• Heritage and the Built Environment
• Intelligent Buildings and Energy Efficiency

For full details of current research activities and an application pack, please contact School of CEEDAM office on +44 (0)2392 842604.

As the nature of research for this studentship has been left open, applicants are encouraged to communicate with potential supervisors in EDAM in order to work up a high quality proposal. Guidance on writing the proposal and details of proposed supervisors is provided in the information pack. Applications will be judged on:

• the quality of the research proposal
• how well the proposed research complements our current portfolio
• the academic credentials of the applicant
• demonstration of a commitment to obtaining a PhD
• demonstration of the skills and aptitudes needed to complete a PhD.

Applicants should have, or expect to be awarded, a master's degree or a good first degree in a relevant subject. The PhD studentship provides full tuition fees and living costs (around £12,600 p.a.). The studentship provides funding for a period of three years, commencing October 2008.

Application forms can be obtained from: School of Environmental Design & Management, CEEDAM Office, Portland Building, Portland Street, Portsmouth PO1 3AH. Completed applications, including research proposal and references, should be sent to the School Office at the above address.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to: zoe.chapman@port.ac.uk

Closing date: 12th September 2008.

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Ireland : University of Dublin PhD & MSc Studentships

Graphics, Vision and Visualisation Group

The GV2 research group (gv2.cs.tcd.ie) in Trinity College Dublin (www.tcd.ie) are seeking applications from prospective research students for both MSc and PhD positions to work on a 3 year project applying computer vision techniques to cancer detection in the colon. The position commences in October 2008 and will have a stipend of €20,000 plus fees at EU student level (in exceptional circumstances non-EU applicants may be considered).

Applications consisting of a CV with a cover letter should be sent to Dr Gerard Lacey, gerard.lacey@cs.tcd.ie before the 1st of September 2008.

The ideal PhD candidate will have conducted Masters level research on statistical pattern recognition and machine learning or video summarisation. The PhD student will focus on the image processing aspects of the project:

• Cancerous Lesion Detection
• Intestinal Contents Detection
• Video Summarisation

The ideal candidate MSc will be a graduate of electronic engineering with an interest in developing and evaluating sensors. The student will develop an optical sensor that will be used in to measure 2D motion analysis. The main aspects of the project will be:

• Electronic design of the optical sensor circuit board
• Develop of software algorithms for motion modelling
• Fabrication and test of the sensor in real world scenarios

In addition to academic qualifications candidates should have a very high standard of English with evidence of having worked in English speaking teams.

The Graphics, Vision and Visualisation (gv2.cs.tcd.ie) group at the School of Computer Science and Statistics in Trinity College Dublin is an internationally active group dedicated to carrying out leading-edge research in computer graphics, computer vision and all aspects of visual computing. Trinity College Dublin (www.tcd.ie) was founded in 1592 and occupies 47 acres in the heart of Dublin city. The Times Higher Education Supplement has ranked Trinity College Dublin 53rd in the world and 13th in Europe.

Trinity College Dublin is an equal opportunities employer.

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Netherlands : PhD student Agent Technology

Utrecht University

(1,0 fte)
(Utrecht), 38 hours per week

Job description
Function title: PhD student Agent Technology
The Intelligent Systems group has acquired funding from The Dutch Research Council NWO for a four-year PhD project with the title "Agents Interacting in Dialogues with Argumentation".

This project concerns the following problem. The world of software systems increasingly consists of autonomous artificial agents interacting in open, dynamic and unpredictable environments, such as the Internet. In such environments it is often impossible to predict all interactions the agents will have so that a centralised architecture is not feasible. Therefore, the agents' interactive behaviour must become more intelligent and flexible. For this reason, intelligent communicative interaction between artificial agents is a key research issue in artificial intelligence and agent technology. Communication languages, protocols and strategies have been studied for various types of agent interaction, such as information exchange, negotiation, and collaborative problem solving.

In this field there is a particularly marked interest in the role of argumentation, i.e., the process in which agents present arguments in support of their own opinions or in attack of those of other agents. Argumentation is often claimed to promote more efficient dialogues or dia­logues with better outcomes. However, so far there has been little research on whether these advantages of argumentation indeed obtain.

This research project aims to fill this gap. The main research question therefore is: is the use of argumentation in dialogical interaction between artificial agents be­ne­ficial for the agents or the community in which they operate? This question will be answered with systematic simulation experiments, in which forms of interaction with and without argumentation will be compared on their efficiency and quality of outcome. The research will thus contribute to a computational theory of effective communication between intelligent artificial agents.

Requirements
Required education/skills:University Graduate
The candidate should have a Msc Degree in Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence, good programming skills, and an interest in multi-agent systems research, both from a formal and a computational perspective.
Job type: Research / Advising
Workfield(s):
- Research trainees, non-tenured lecturers, researchers(Scientific discipline: Natural Sciences)

Organization
Utrecht University
The Faculty of Science consists of six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information and Computing Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics. The Faculty is home to 3500 students and nearly 2000 staff and is internationally renowned for the quality of its research. The Faculty's academic programmes reflect developments in today's society.

The department Information and Computing Sciences is looking for a: PhD student Agent Technology

Conditions of employment
Estimated maximum salary per month: eur 2500 - 3000
Salary: scale 10.
Maximum salary amount in Euro's a month 2558
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: 4 years
Maximum hours per week: 38
Additional conditions of employment:
The candidate is offered a full-time position for four years. The gross salary is in the range between € 2,000.- per month in the first year and € 2,558.- per month in the fourth year of appointment.

The salary is supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 6,4% per year. In addition we offer: a pension scheme, a partially paid parental leave, flexible employment conditions in which you may trade salary for vacation days or vice versa. Conditions are based on the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities. The research group will provide the candidate with necessary support on all aspects of the project.

Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:

Prof. Dr. H. (Henry) Prakken
E-mail address: henry@cs.uu.nl

Or 31 (0)30 253 2313 (not on Thursdays)

Or additional information can be obtained through the following link:

• About the organization (http://www.cs.uu.nl/)

Application
You can apply for this job before 12-09-2008 (dd-mm-yyyy) by sending your application to:

Faculty of Science
Personnel Department

Budapestlaan 6
3584 CD Utrecht

E-mail: Science.PenO@uu.nl

When applying for this job always mention the vacancynumber 62812.

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