USA: Post-doctoral Opportunity in Systems Biology, University of Wisconsin

USA: Post-doctoral Opportunity in Systems Biology, University of Wisconsin

What might you gain while pursuing post-doctoral research in the Yin lab?

1. Hands-on training in the emerging and exciting area of systems biology, focusing on virus-host interactions,
2. Experience in how to integrate research, teaching and learning (see www.delta.wisc.edu) — skills that are highly valued by academic employers and funding agencies,
3. Guidance by a mentor who has a strong record of placing students and post-docs in stimulating academic (Caltech, Duke, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Tufts, UConn-Storrs, UC-Berkeley), government, and industry positions,
4. Opportunities for personal growth at a world-class university, located in safe, attractive and affordable city surrounded by beautiful lakes.

We are advancing new technologies to better understand the growth, spread and evolution of viruses. Active NIH-supported projects are in three areas: (1) flow-enhanced spread and characterization of infections in microfluidic devices, (2) phenotype distributions from measurements and models of infections initiated by single virus particles, (3) dynamics of virus populations in anti-viral environments. Systems of current interest are influenza virus and vesicular stomatitis virus. The most competitive applicants will be exceptionally creative, highly-motivated individuals with experience in:

Quantitative biology: methods to detect and/or quantify nucleic acids, proteins, viruses, virus-like particles, activation of innate immunity. Experience in microscopy, construction or characterization of live-cell reporters of gene expression, quantitative imaging and image analysis would be especially valuable

or

Engineering or physical sciences: modeling or simulation of reactive systems, fluid and particle dynamics, or microfluidics, with emphasis on the development of data-driven mechanistic models. Experience in parameter estimation, sensitivity analysis and model-discrimination would be especially valuable.

Madison, Wisconsin is routinely ranks at the top of national surveys of ‘best places to live,’ and post-docs here thrive on a rich diversity of outdoor and cultural opportunities. Forward your CV with cover letter, and have three letters of reference sent to John Yin by e-mail (yin[ at ]engr.wisc.edu), fax (608/262-5434) or regular mail: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706-1607 USA.

Australia: Software Engineering Research Scholarship (Probabilistic Verification and Model-Based Quality Evaluation)

Project title:
Probabilistic Verification and Model-Based Quality Evaluation

Research topic:
Model Based Development (MBD) has established itself as the key approach to software engineering of increasingly complex systems in automotive and aerospace domains. It has proved successful at managing complexity associated with functionality. A new approach is to use model-based techniques also for quality evaluation and predictions. Since most of quality attributes such as performance, reliability, availability, safety, and security have a probabilistic nature, probabilistic verification techniques are the best solution to perform model-based quality evaluation. The research project shall explore the possibilities of probabilistic modelling and verification techniques to reason about quality attributes early in the software development lifecycle. To get a detailed introduction into this research project please have a look at the following background literature:

-Controller dependability analysis by probabilistic model checking (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conengprac.2006.07.003)
-Quantitative risk-based security prediction for component-based systems with explicitly modeled attack profiles (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2007.11.716)
-Early quality prediction of component-based systems – A generic framework (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2006.08.014)

Your Benefits:
Basically, the benefits can be summarised as follows:

• You will work on real-world research problems. (There will always be opportunities to cooperate with major software and systems engineering companies.)
• You will be trained in all skills that are required to successfully finish you research project. Our goal is to help you develop the skills, connections, and opportunities required, that ensure a successful postgraduate career.
• You will create research outputs at the highest standards. In today’s world, it is not only enough to be good, students must be great and competitive compared to other graduate students. Please have a look at our own research outputs.
• You will get optimal and continuous supervision. My goal is to give you strong support on your research from a technical side. However, we also try to help my students to develop their personal skills. If you like to know more about my supervision style, we can provide contact details of recently graduated students as reference.
• You study in a friendly and cooperative environment. Australia is known for its friendliness.

We require:
We are interested in a PhD student who has an excellent academic record (first class honours or equivalent with marks above 85%) with background in one or more of the following areas:
-probabilistic logics and probabilistic verification
-probabilistic model checking
-quality attributes such as performance, reliability, availability, safety, and security
-software engineering (in the areas of embedded systems, robotics, etc. )
-software architectures and architecture evaluation
-formal methods in system design
-statistics

Since this project involves working with other PhD students and industrial partner, communication skills and the ability to work in a team environment are especially required.

The scholarship carries a value of AUS$20,000+ p.a., with fee exemption for both Australian and international students. The selection process will be competitive. If you are interested in the research project, please provide the following information via email to lgrunske@swin.edu.au:

-detailed curriculum vitae
-an (electronic) copy of undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts (first class honours or equivalent with marks above 85% or GPA 3.70/4)
-evidence of English proficiency for non native English speaker (officially required is an IELTS of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, practically scores above 7.0 are preferred).

UK: Partial Fee Waiver Scholarships, the Institute for Development Policy & Management, University of Manchester

Partial fee waiver scholarships available to International students to undertake a Development related Masters in one of the following postgraduate taught programmes within the Institute for Development Policy & Management, University of Manchester:

• MSc Organisational Change & Development
• MSc International Development: Urban Development
• MSc Globalisation & Development
• MSc Industry, Trade & Development
• MSc Development Finance
• MA International Development: Public Policy & Management

Further details available from:

Paul Arrowsmith
Recruitment & Admissions Administrator
School of Environment & Development
University of Manchester
Arthur Lewis Building, Rm 2.022
Oxford Road
Manchester M13 9PL

Tel: 0044 161 275 0800
Fax: 0044 161 275 0421
Email: Paul.Arrowsmith@manchester.ac.uk

http://manchester.ac.uk/

Ireland: PhD Possition in Early Warning Modelling, University College Cork

PHD Position

In computer science with applications to risk and environmental modelling

• To be appointed to the Cork Constraint Computation Centre (4C),University College Cork (http://4c.ucc.ie)
• Research project: Supporting then Concept of Early Warning Analysis (SCEWA), funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (http://4c.ucc.ie/scewa).
• Salary @ approximately 22k Euros per annum

Project Objectives

1. To develop an intelligent early warning system in water treatment plant operations.
2. To define a modelling language for designing intelligent early warning systems.
3. To build a prototype software platform to help user in designing intelligent early warming systems.

PhD Objective
Definition of a modelling language for early warning systems.

Qualifications
The ideal candidate for the post will have:

• Bachelor/Masters Degree in engineering (Civil, Environmental or Chemical) or in Environmental Sciences or in Computer Science
• Good knowledge in modelling languages and modelling techniques
• Experience with programming language-s
• Also, knowledge in risk analysis methods is an added value.

Additional information

• Available at http://4c.ucc.ie/scewa
• Closing date for applications is Friday 2 May 2008.
• Please forward curriculum vitae, as well as names and contact details of two referees, electronically to Dr. Ioannis Dokas (i.dokas@4c.ucc.ie)

Australia: Research Scholarship in Biomedical Signal Processing

Fee waiver scholarship is available from April 2008 to work on 4 Months,

CDU/NTG-funded, cross-disciplinary project on the design of high performance automatic diagnostic tools from a human factors perspective. The School of Engineering and Information Technology is undertaking the signal processing aspects of the project which involves measurement and processing of ECG and EEG signals and also human performance measurement and analysis during heat stress, sleep apnoea, and evoked potentials trials in both calm and adverse weather conditions. Experimental testing, simulation studies and theoretical modelling will also be undertaken. Three PhD students are working on the overall aspects of the project and the accepted research student will develop multivariable signal processing techniques to relate changes in biomedical signals to the performance of human diseases.

Applicants must possess strong academic record. Skills required are the ability to work across subject boundaries, core strength in signal processing and/or pattern recognition algorithms and the desire to work within a team. Good oral and written English skills are required.

Take in consideration that the visa process will take around two months. Preferred start date 1st June, 2008 and finishing date 1st October 2008.

Deadline for receiving applications: 10th April 2008

Acceptance letter will be sent by post and a PDF file in 12th April 2008 to the successful applicant’s e-mail.

Please send your CV with two recommendation letters to:

Mohamed Elgendi
Senior Researcher
School of Engineering and Information Technology
Charles Darwin University
Australia
Tel: +61(0)411 884 199
Email: mohamed.elgendi@cdu.edu.au