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

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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.

Further Details

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.

Further Details

Mexico : 2009 Mexican Government Scholarship for Foreigners

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico has officially opened its Call of Scholarships to receive applications from Non-Mexican citizens interested in applying for any of the following types of activities for the calendar year 2009:

Masters Degree, Doctorate Degree, medical Specialization; Research Fellowships; Post-doctoral Study; Visiting Professors; Specialization; Artistic Fellowships; Expert Conferences; Research on Mexican Studies; Research on the Mexican Revolution; Research on the Mexican Independence.

Please refer to PDF for further details. Other information websites about Mexican educational institutions are: www.anuies.mx; www.conacyt.mx; and www.edumexico.org.

Availability
This scholarship is offered to an unspecified number of people. Open for applications until August 7, 2008.

Payment Information
The value of this scholarship is unspecified (total may vary). This award is to be used for research. This scholarship is paid unspecified.

Research Information
This scholarship is for any field of research.

Application Details
You can download a PDF with more information about about the scholarship here. Terms and conditions are subject to change.
Web Address: http://becas.sre.gob.mx

Germany : Scholarship Program of the German Academic Exchange Service - DAAD

Scholarship Program of the German Academic Exchange Service - DAAD DAAD Research Scholarships 2009 A Grants for Master-Students, Doctoral Candidates and young Academics and Scientists.

If you want to

• do a research project at a German University for the purpose of gaining a Master or a Doctorate in Israel or in Germany,
• do research or continue education and training in Germany without aiming a formal degree in any field of research, (special conditions in music, fine art, design, film and medicine)

If you are

• an Israeli citizen and resident in Israel

And if you have

• a Bachelor's Degree (B.A. or B.Sc.) obtained not more than 6 ys ago
• a Master's Degree (M.A. or M.Sc.) obtained not more than 3 ys ago (for PhD-studies)
• a PhD , obtained not more than 4 ys ago
• knowledge of the German language (if necessary)

You may be interested in the DAAD Research Grant. The duration of the grant can be 1 to 3.5 years.

These expenses are covered:

• 750 to 1000 EUR / month
• travel expenses to and from Germany
• health and accident insurance
• option to attend a German language course in Germany before beginning the research grant (if necessary)

To apply

• fill in the forms, available at the Embassy or on the website of the DAAD, in TRIPLICATE (one original, two copies)
• provide the required documentation (see back of green forms)
• a detailed research plan must accompany the application
• Note that photocopies of documents submitted with the original application (not the copies) have to be certified
• documents in Hebrew have to be translated by a notary into German or English (English transcripts only!)
• proof of existing contacts with a German university / research institution are required (invitation letters, research schedule)

The DEADLINE for applications is: October 31, 2008.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

If your application meets the formal requirements you may be invited to an interview before a joint German-Israeli committee towards in Novemver 2008. Invitees who do not appear cannot be considered for a scholarship.
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, 3, Daniel Frisch St. - Tel Aviv 64731

For further information please contact the DAAD-Lecturers
At Haifa University: Dr. Günter Beck, gbeck@univ.haifa.ac.il
At Hebrew University Jerusalem, Ms Annette Dressel, daad.huji@gmail.com
Internet: www.daad.de/israel

UK : Postdoc on the project Quantification of key geodynamic processes

Goal of the project is to evaluate and test key geodynamic processes at particularly lithosphere plate boundaries and to quantify their surface imprints. As part of an international collaboration programme with research groups in The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, new avenues will be explored to improve plate reconstruction scenarios. The research at Utrecht University involves numerical modeling of various lithspheric processes, and the embedding of the results in a wider geoscientific context.

Requirements
Doctorate. We will be seeking a researcher with a PhD-degree in quantitative geodynamics, with a publication record that is in agreement with his/her experience. The successful candidate is able to demonstrate an interest in solid Earth processes, and in geophysical and geological observations. He/she communicates easily in English, both verbally and in writing.

Organization
Utrecht University. The Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. With a population of 2200 students (BSc and MSc) and 575 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty is organised in four Departments: Innovation and Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical geography, and Human Geography and Urban and Regional Planning.

The Utrecht Department of Earth Sciences conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid and environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of biogeology, geochemistry, geology, geophysics and hydrogeology. The Department currently hosts an international group of about 100 PhD's and post-doctoral researchers. The Geodynamics Research Group at the Department is an internationally acclaimed team of scientists, headed by Professor Rinus Wortel and Professor Wim Spakman, that focuses on lithosphere and mantle processes, in particular in the Mediterranean region.

As of July 1st 2008 we are looking to fill the following position:
Postdoc on the project 'Quantification of key geodynamic processes: causes, evolution and consequences'

Conditions of employment
Estimated maximum salary per month: eur 2000 - 2500

Maximum salary amount in Euro's a month 2802
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: Initially for a period of two years
Maximum hours per week: 38

Additional conditions of employment:
Successful candidates will be offered a full-time postdoc position, initially for a period of two years. Conditions are based on the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities. The monthly salary will start at € 2,802.- gross per month, depending on the experience of the candidate and is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and a year-end bonus of 6.4%. We also offer a pension scheme, a health insurance allowance and flexible employment conditions. The postdoctoral researcher will be based at the Department of Earth Sciences of the Faculty of Geosciences.

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

Prof Dr Rinus Wortel
E-mail address: wortel@geo.uu.nl
telephone (intl access) +31 30 253 5074, fax (intl access) +31 30 253 5030

Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links.

• About the organization
• The website of Utrecht University's Institute of Earth Sciences

Application
You can apply for this job before 16-08-2008 by sending your application to:

Faculty of Geosciences
Personnel Departement
P.O. Box 80.115
3508 TC Utrecht
E-mail address: PenO@geo.uu.nl

Applications, including a motivation for this position and a statement of your research interests, a curriculum vitae, and the names and addresses of two referees please.

The position is open until filled, but we would like to receive your application before August 16, 2008. The preferred starting date is October 1, 2008, or a.s.a.p. thereafter.

When applying for this job always mention the vacancy number 72110.

Malaysia: Scholarships for International Students from Government of Malaysia

Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia invites applications from international students for the scholarships from Government of Malaysia for academic session 2009/2010. The scholarships are as follows:

• MTCP Scholarship
• MIS Scholarship for Undergraduate Studies
• MIS Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies
• Commonwealth Scholarship (Comprehensive information is provided in the brochure)

A panel established by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia will finalise the selection.

Deadline: 31th December 2008

For further information about the scholarship contact: Ms. Norkamilah Zanial
e-mail: norkamilahz[ at ]mohe.gov.my

Download brochure and application form:

• Scholarships For International Students 2009 Brochure
• Malaysian International Scholarship (MIS) Application Form
• Commonwealth Scholarship Application Form
• Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) Scholarship Application Form
• Medical Form

New zealand : University of Otago PhD in Theoretical Ultra-Cold Atomic Physics

Jack Dodd Centre

Department of Physics

Opportunities for research in a world class group in a unique environment

At least two opportunities exist for motivated students to undertake PhD research in the group of Dr David Hutchinson at the University of Otago in New Zealand. The projects will centre on studies of a] effects of disorder in ultra-cold atomic gases and b] relaxation of non-ergodic systems as tests of non-equilibrium statistical physics. Both studies will be strongly connected to experiments in ultra-cold Bose condensed and degenerate Fermi gases.

The Jack Dodd Centre for Photonics and Ultra-Cold Atoms is well funded and consists of seven academic staff, covering both theory and experiment, providing a stimulating working environment. The University of Otago is the oldest and highest research ranked university in New Zealand and is situated in Dunedin, in the south of the South Island, amidst stunning scenery and outdoor opportunities.

Applicants should have a very good II(i) or 1st Class four year BSc Honours or MPhys degree or higher.

Enquires and expressions of interest, together with a curriculum vitae, should be sent to Dr David Hutchinson, hutch@physics.otago.ac.nz, by 31 August 2008. Further information regarding the Jack Dodd Centre can be found at: http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/jackdodd.

Scholarship information, open to all nationalities, is available from:

http://www.otago.ac.nz/study/scholarships/postgraduate_scholarships.html

UK : University of Warwick PhD Studentship

Improving the energy efficiency of biodiesel: Reducing energy input and improving sustainability

Warwick HRI

Project overview:
Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and is generally in limiting supply in the soil. For this reason the use of N fertilisers has made a major contribution to world food production. However, fertiliser production consumes enormous quantities of energy and fertiliser use is associated with pollution of water courses and conversion to potent N-containing greenhouse gases. The large acreages of the Brassica napus crop oilseed rape (OSR), grown for edible oils and biodiesel, receives more N than any other arable crop and hence is associated with a significant environmental N footprint.

The aim of this studentship is to address this issue by identifying genetic determinants for nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and plant germplasm containing beneficial alleles that can be used for breeding varieties with improved NUE. The project will build on existing work on OSR, but instead focus on the genetically simpler diploid Brassica relatives. The student will be able to exploit the natural variation present in Brassica diversity sets (DS) developed at WHRI, together with segregating mapping populations, which are a potentially rich source of beneficial alleles for traits for sustainable production'.

The strategy will involve determining allelic variation in a set of candidate genes with key roles in N transport and assimilation. This will be complemented by the assessment of target traits in the DS and mapping populations and the association of these with candidate genes using techniques such as genetic mapping and comparative genomics. The project will provide a multidisciplinary training programme in crop trait genetics and the opportunity to carry out life cycle analysis to quantify the potential benefits provided by this work. An understanding of the genetic control of NUE in Brassica is important for sustainable crop development for the future.

This studentship is available to UK, EU and International candidates. Funds are only available to cover UK/EU Tuition Fees. International candidates (outside EU) would be required to pay the difference between UK/EU Tuition Fees and International Tuition Fees.

The studentship is for 3 years starting on 29 September 2008 and will be registered at the University of Warwick. The studentship is funded by Enerbio, a research fund sponsored by the Tuck Foundation.

Details of how to apply are available at http://www.go.warwick.ac.uk/pgapply. You should indicate on the form that you are applying for the studentship (there is a section for funding). Please quote reference number HRI56.

Click here for further details of the post in Microsoft Word format.
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Please quote job vacancy reference number HRI56-078.

The closing date/time for applications is midnight (British time) at the end of Monday 11 August 2008.

For further details on how to apply for a post at Warwick, the employee benefits that we offer, information on Warwick people, what it is like working at Warwick, and more, please see our jobs introduction page.

The university values diversity.

UK : University of Bath PhD Research Studentship

Department of Chemical Engineering

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship funded by Great Western Research (GWR) in the following research area: “Building capacity for carbon footprint reduction in small to medium enterprises (SMEs)”.

Research overview
The success of initiatives aimed at slowing global warming by reducing the carbon footprint of products and services will depend on action throughout the supply chain to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ‘from cradle to grave’. SMEs play an important role in almost every supply chain, and action by them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is essential. Most SMEs, however, do not have the specialist resources or expertise to assess and manage their contribution to global warming.

This PhD studentship research will investigate how the capacity of SMEs (specifically, their in-house skills and knowledge, access to resources, support networks, and training) can be improved to bring about reduction in the global warming contribution associated with product and service life cycles. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be used to characterise the global warming contribution of particular products and services produced by collaborating businesses (both before and after planned interventions), with the aim of improving the capacity of these businesses to reduce their contributions to global warming. The range of interventions to be studied include: different forms and levels of training and awareness-raising for business staff in the assessment and management of product and service carbon footprints; energy management advice; waste minimisation assessments; and other activities to be defined in the course of this PhD research.

This research benefits from the collaboration of the Federation of Small Businesses, which will support the identification of collaborating SMEs and promote capacity-building in the businesses concerned. Case study SMEs will be based in the South West of England.

The studentship
Candidates should hold a first or upper second class honours degree in an appropriate science or engineering discipline and have a keen interest in small business. Knowledge and experience in application of LCA is desirable.

This GWR Studentship covers home/EU tuition fees and a stipend of £12,940 (tax free) per annum. Overseas students are eligible to apply, but will be expected to pay the difference between home/EU and overseas fees (currently around £8,000 p.a.) and have an English Language Qualification, IELTS of not less than 7 or its equivalent.

The successful candidate will join the Integrated Environmental Management group (www.bath.ac.uk/iem/ ) in the Department of Chemical Engineering (www.bath.ac.uk/chem-eng/ ) at the University of Bath and will collaborate with the Business School at Bournemouth University (http://business.bournemouth.ac.uk/), Federation of Small Business (www.fsb.org.uk) and Bath & North East Somerset Council. The University of Bath's Department of Chemical Engineering was awarded a grade 4 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise and is located within the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath.

How to apply
Interested applicants should send their CV and covering letter to Dr David Hicks, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY or email: d.i.hicks@bath.ac.uk

The deadline for applications is 29 August 2008.

University of Bath is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Further information available at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/iem/carbonfootprint/gwr/PhD_studentship.htm

Further Details

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