Institute of Neurology
Clinical Research Associate
Dementia Research Centre
Applications are invited for a Clinical Research Associate at the Dementia Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, UCL, Queen Square.

A key aim of our research is the identification of outcome measures for clinical trials for presymptomatic gene carriers and patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Trials in FTLD are challenging due to the lack of biomarkers to track disease progression. This clinically based project is part of an ongoing research programme funded by the Medical Research Council UK to identify such markers, in a detailed longitudinal MRI, clinical and neuropsychological study of individuals with FTLD.

The post will provide research training in longitudinal brain imaging and clinical assessment of patients with cognitive disorders with the opportunity to be involved in neuropsychological, neurogenetic, neuroimaging and other biomarker research in the group. The post will provide unique training in the neuroimaging and neurobiology of FTLD and related disorders and a broad grounding in clinical cognitive neurology at the linked National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Applicants should hold GMC Registration, have previous experience in neurology as an SHO or equivalent, and be able to demonstrate a record of academic clinical excellence. Enthusiasm, the ability to be self-organised, an enquiring mind, and good clinical skills are all advantageous.

The post is funded for one year only, however the post-holder will be encouraged and assisted to develop their own research interests as a potential platform to a subsequent higher degree.

Starting salary on the Clinical Academic scale in the range £29,364 - £37,413 pa plus £2,572 London Allowance, superannuable under the Universities' Superannuation Scheme (USS) or, subject to eligibility, the National Health Service Superannuation Scheme (NHSSS).
Further details: http://www.dementia.ion.ucl.ac.uk/Job%20Vacancies.htm

If you experience problems downloading the form or do not have internet access this can be obtained from:

Anne Parnell, 020 7676 2040, email aparnell@drc.ion.ucl.ac.uk.

If you have not heard from us within one month of the closing date please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

Informal inquiries welcome to Dr Jason Warren, 0207 829 8773

University College Cork
BIOMERIT Research Centre
Department of Microbiology
Molecular Genetics/Molecular Microbiology/Ecology

Applications are invited for suitably qualified graduates who have a good honours degree in Microbiology or a related subject (e.g. Biochemistry, Genetics, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, etc.) to join this internationally recognized Centre to study bacterial gene function and regulation in environmental genomics.

One study will assess the impact of different agricultural chemical input regimes on rhizosphere microbial diversity and function of commercial crops. Particular focus will be placed on the multitude of interacting, genotypically diverse, microorganisms involved in nitrogen cycling and phosphate utilization. This project includes stipends for two graduate students.

The second project will involve the study of biocontrol and plant growth/soil health supporting bacteria (biofertilisers), as these microorganisms offer significant potential as pesticide and fertiliser alternatives. The research will use a functional genomics approach to investigate the genetic regulation of 2, 4-diacetylphloroglucinol (Phl) production, a broad spectrum biocontrol metabolite produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens strains. Particular focus will be placed on the effects of carbon source, plant root exudates and host-microbe signalling on regulation of Phl production.

Studentships, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the Environmental Protection Agency include a stipend of €16,000 per annum plus fees.

Applicants should submit a full CV and arrange to have 2 letters of reference sent to:

Fergal O'Gara, BSc PhD DSc MRIA, Professor of Microbiology and BIOMERIT Director,
BIOMERIT Research Centre, Microbiology Department, University College Cork, Ireland.

Tel: +353-21-4272097 Fax: +353-21-4275934 E-mail: f.ogara@ucc.ie

PhD Research Studentship
Engineering Projects Management and Optimisation
Collaborative research project between Hyquip and University of Bolton
Fixed term scholarship : 3 years
Scholarship : PhD Fees fully paid and a Tax free bursary (£12,660 p.a.)
A research student with a background in Hydraulic Systems Engineering is sought to work on a research project at Hyquip, Bolton. The project is a collaborative effort between the University of Bolton and Hyquip Limited.

Hyquip is a leading provider of Components and Engineering Services for Production Automation, Workholding and Industrial Solutions. It serves as a single reliable source for customers of fluid power requirements, standard parts and machine accessories. Hyquip is accredited with BS EN ISO 9000:2000 and has established partnerships with many component manufacturers in the market including Rexroth Bosch, Hydac, Roemheld, Hilma, Enerpac, Heypac, MiniBooster and Carr Lane. The company is committed to a high quality product and service provision for its customers and it has an established and formal Quality Management System. The Engineering division encompasses the detail design and manufacturing of standard and bespoke hydraulic power units, project management of turnkey projects and site installations, service repair, refurbishments and faultfinding activities.

The project entails research work at Hyquip which involves studying, analysing, designing, developing and implementing systems and processes to improve the operational performance of hydraulic engineering projects. The activities in this research role will include engineering technical specifications, the development of standard build modules, design tools and costing programmes, applications management, project management and overall improvement of the engineering function at Hyquip. The research student will also attend the University for updating subject specific knowledge and research skills. The successful candidate will be expected to register and complete a PhD within the fixed term scholarship.

Qualifications and experience

1. The applicant must hold a Bachelor's / Master's degree in project related subject areas such as Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Management, Manufacturing Management or Operations Management with a background knowledge of Hydraulic Systems.

2. A minimum of one year industrial experience in engineering projects with research interests in the relevant subject areas. The candidate should have some experience in engineering design, systems, specification development, project costing and project management.

3. The applicant must have sound communication skills in English and be able to interact effectively with various stakeholders in the project including the customers, suppliers and business partners of Hyquip and also the research team members at the University. The applicant should also be prepared to travel within the UK if required.

4. The applicant must be a self-motivated and task driven individual with considerable problem solving ability and commercial acumen. These qualities are essential as the proposed project involves the accomplishment of multiple tasks (projects and research).

5. Experience in using AutoCAD software is essential. Working knowledge of IT systems such as Excel, MS Word, Access and Outlook are also required for this role.

To apply, please send your full CV or resume with the title and reference number of the position by e-mail to: research.big@bolton.ac.uk

PhD Studentship
Design and Development of an Advanced Micromachined Gyroscope with Digital Force Feedback
School of Electronics and Computer Science, Nanoscale Systems Integration Group
This project is funded by a CASE EPSRC studentship in collaboration with an international company and will develop an advanced, high performance MEMS gyroscope. It will focus on investigating novel mechanical design approaches of the micromachined sensing element. This will be done primarily by FEM simulations. Suitable sensing elements will then be fabricated by the industrial collaborator and incorporated in innovative closed-loop, force-feedback control systems with the potential to improve the performance further. The control approach is likely to be based on so-called sigma-delta modulator techniques.

The studentship is fully funded, covering University tuition fees (at EU/UK level) and provides a tax-free bursary of £12,600 per year, rising annually in line with the UK Government (EPSRC) recommended rate, for a three-year duration. A suitable candidate may be eligible for an additional company bonus by the industrial collaborator.

You will join a team of 4 PhD students and 1 postdoctoral researcher working on advanced micromachined sensors. You will work in direct collaboration with a fellow PhD student who recently started on a similar topic.

For informal enquiries about the position please contact Dr Michael Kraft, email mk1@ecs.soton.ac.uk, Tel +44 (0) 2380 593169.

Please apply by sending a complete application as described on the School of Electronics and Computer Science postgraduate admissions page: (www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/admissions/pg/apply.php).

EPSRC PhD Studentship
Security for Future Communication Systems
Communication Systems
Stipend £12600 per annum + Student Fees

Applications are invited for an EPSRC PhD studentship in Department of Communication System (http://www.dcs.lancs.ac.uk), Lancaster University, starting as soon as possible.

Candidates should have a first class degree or a good MSc in Communications, Electronic or Electrical Engineering, Computing or related subject and hold a UK passport or have been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the 3 year period preceding the date of application for the studentship. Students with a relevant connection to an EU country other than the UK are eligible for fees only. However, an EU candidate may be eligible for a full award if a relevant connection with the UK has been established. A relevant connection may be established if an EU national has been in full time education in the UK throughout the three years preceding the start date of the course. International students can get a full award if they have indefinite leave to remain issued by the Home Office.

The project will be in the area of Security for Future Communication Systems, eg security for IPV4,V6 combined coding and encryption.

Enquiries to Professor Bahram Honary, Department of Communication Systems, Infolab21, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4WA email: b.honary@lancaster.ac.uk.

To apply fill in a normal PhD application form, http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/admissi...ad/pgform1.htm and indicate on the form that you wish to be considered for the studentship with Professor Bahram Honary. Please attach a written statement to the form that supports your case to be considered for a studentship

Revenue Management / Supply Chain Management PhD Fellowships awarded each academic year by the Department of Management Science
Dr Joern Meissner, Department of Management Science, Lancaster University

Dr Joern Meissner at Lancaster University Management School (UK) is looking to recruit excellent doctoral students with a strong background in mathematics, statistics or computer science. Entry requirement for the program is a university degree with a substantial quantitative component, ideally a degree in a mathematical or statistical subject. A preparedness to develop computer-programming skills is essential and training will be given as necessary.

Potential Research Topics
Dr Joern Meissner’s research group is primarily interested in optimal policies, coordination and equilibria in the area of Revenue Management and Supply Chain Management (SCM). A potential topic in Revenue Management could be to evaluate the impact of the Fare Structure on Revenue Management problems. A potential research in the area of Supply Chain Management could, for example, focus on mathematical models to determine the benefit of collaboration between producer and distributor to improve Supply Chain performance. Please keep in mind that these are just examples, we are regularly asked by our industrial collaboration partners to help them solve operational problems, which has proven to be a good source for interesting research of high impact. While most dissertation topics are inspired by joint projects with our industrial partners, please feel free to suggest any other topic of your interest within the realm of Supply Chain and Revenue Management (see how to proceed below).

Compensation
Accepted candidates will receive a tuition waiver and a scholarship of around £12,000 per annum (tax free!).

Advantages
Compared to equivalent positions in other countries, the administrative workload for doctoral candidates is relatively less demanding in the UK. Students are required to work only 200 hours per year for the department (that’s not a typo – it’s only around 4 hours per week!). The intention is that doctoral students should really focus on their research rather than spending time in administration and teaching. Further, the academic system in the UK gives strong incentives to academic institutions to graduate PhD students within 3 years of studying. There are financial penalties for the department for every student who stays longer! This means everybody is very committed to providing you with the resources you need and to helping you to finish within that time frame.

About the department
The Department of Management Science at Lancaster University Management School is one of the largest Operational Research and Systems groups in Europe. It has a worldwide reputation as an international center of excellence, with students from many countries undertaking research on the Doctoral Program.

About the school
Lancaster University Management School is one of only two Management Schools in the United Kingdom whose research output is rated 6 star by the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the only government-sponsored ranking of research quality in UK universities (the other one is London Business School). The PhD program is ranked 2nd jointly in the UK and 9th in the world for PhD programs by the Financial Times in 2006. In addition, the school’s full-time MBA program is ranked amongst the world’s top 30 by the FT. Lancaster University Management School is accredited by AMBA (UK) and EQUIS (Europe) and in the process of obtaining the AACSB (USA) accreditation, making it one of only a handful of triply accredited schools worldwide.

More information and how to proceed
Further information and instructions how to submit your application are available under the tab ‘Jobs’ at the website: http://www.meiss.com

ASTON UNIVERSITY
Computer Science PhD Fellowships
Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering and Applied Science
We are pleased to offer a PhD Studentship, sponsored by the School of Engineering and Applied Science, in the area of Cooperative problem solving using Agent-Based modelling. In most complex systems there is a mechanism that maps simple local rules to the macroscopic behaviour of these systems. We will use agent-based modelling and simulation to investigate the following questions that arise from this fact:

Given the set of local interactions in a complex system can we predict the large-scale patterns that emerge?
Given the large-scale patterns can we find the local interactions that lead to them?
Can we define local interactions that lead to the optimal large-scale patterns?
Multi agent systems are a very good model for a multitude of complex real life phenomena such as markets, economies, societies, ecologies and organisms.

The 3 year studentship will cover Home/EU fees plus a stipend of £12,600 p.a. (tax free). The successful candidate will commence as soon as possible.

All applicants should have good programming skills in an object-oriented language and a first or 2.1 (or equivalent) in a scientific, engineering or mathematical subject. Experience or strong interest in one or more of the areas of agent-based modelling, complexity and/or optimisation would be an advantage.

Application forms are obtainable from http://www.seas.aston.ac.uk/admissions/research Please send the completed application form to include contact details of two referees, a two page research statement (indicating your interest and any relevant experience) and transcripts of all degree results to:
Research Student Co-ordinator
School Office, MB134
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Aston Triangle
Aston University
Birmingham B4 7ET

Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Maria Chli (m.chli@aston.ac.uk); research group details can be found at http://keg.cs.aston.ac.uk. For further information regarding the application process, contact Sharen Lloyd (d.s.lloyd@aston.ac.uk)

Aston University is ranked 12th overall out of 113 UK Universities in The Good University Guide 2008, published in The Telegraph. The Department of Computer Science is a leading department of Computer Science among the UK Universities. It has been awarded a research rating of 5 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise.

The University of Manchester
PhD Studentship
Established the influence of dietary fats on the phenotype of the intestinal mucosa through nutrigenomics
Gastrointestinal Sciences Research Group
Dr. Philip Padfield & Dr. John McLaughlin

The School of Translational Medicine is inviting applications for a prestigious three-year PhD studentship commencing from September 2008. The studentship is open to UK/EU nationals only due to the nature of the funding and will provide full UK/EU fees and project expenses.

This project will employ a nutrigenomic approach and establish in detail how the relative amount of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the diet influences the transcriptome of the intestinal mucosa.

Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that diet, and in particular the fatty acid composition of the diet, can have either a profound positive or negative impact on the health and well being of an individual. To date the molecular basis of these responses is for the most part unknown. Nutrigenomics is an emerging discipline that employs a combination of systems biology techniques to elucidate how a specific dietary component or combination of components modifies the phenotype of individual cell types to influence health.

Humans evolved eating a diet that contained roughly equal amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs. However, the composition of the human diet particularly in the developed world has radically changed over the past fifty years. This has led to a profound increase in the consumption of omega-6 PUFAs relative to omega-3 PUFAs, so much so that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 PUFAs in the typical western diet now ranges from 15:1 to 20:1. This imbalance in the consumption of PUFAs has been linked to the promotion of the pathogenesis of numerous chronic and debilitating diseases many of which are either directly or indirectly linked to inflammation - examples include inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

Studies in T-cells have demonstrated that omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs modulate the expression of a number of inflammatory genes and modify inflammation related intracellular signalling pathways. Despite this, virtually nothing is known about how omega-6 or omega-3 PUFAs influence the phenotype of the intestinal mucosa to render it either resistant or susceptible to inflammatory attack.

This project would suit a candidate with a minimum 2:1 (or equivalent) in the biological, biochemical or genetic sciences.
Interested candidates should submit a CV and detailed covering letter outlining their suitability for the project to Dr Philip Padfield at: philip.v.padfield@manchester.ac.uk

Contact details for two referees should also be provided.

For further details on the study or to confirm your suitability please contact Dr Padfield at the above address.

http://www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk...stinalsciences

http://www.mib.ac.uk/

Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne - EPFL
Doctoral Thesis in Materials Science
at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) awarded each academic year

Introduction
Recent experiments have indicated that very small structures (on the scale of those encountered in micro- and nano-technology) support higher stresses than larger samples of the same material. However, manufacture and testing of samples at these sizes is challenging, and the effect has yet to be clearly demonstrated and thoroughly investigated.

The Position
The Laboratory for Mechanical Metallurgy at the Institute of Materials of EPFL has an opening for a doctoral thesis sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation. This project aims to produce, using a novel process, individual, custom-shaped, cast "microsamples" of single-crystalline aluminium only a few micrometres in diameter that can be tested individually. Testing the samples produced using this new approach will allow the investigation of the mechanical properties of metals at very small scales, and will contribute to the understanding of size-effects in dislocational plasticity.

The stipends for doctoral candidate positions at EPFL are very competitive and the nominal duration of the position is 3 years.

The Candidate
Applicants should have, or expect to soon receive, a degree in Materials science or related discipline (such as Physics) from a world-class university. While French language skills are not essential, a willingness to learn is a strong advantage.

How to Apply
Candidates should apply for admission to the Materials Science and Engineering doctoral program (all forms and information are at http://phd.epfl.ch/page55512.html) and send an email with their CV and a covering letter to Dr. Frédéric Diologent at frederic.diologent@epfl.ch.

For additional information on the Laboratory for Mechanical Metallurgy and EPFL in general, please consult the web site http://lmm.epfl.ch/.

University of Glasgow
PhD Studentship in Section of Psychological Medicine
Section of Psychological Medicine, Division of Community Based Sciences, Faculty of Medicine.

Applications are invited for a full time PhD studentship in the Section of Psychological Medicine, Glasgow University. The studentship is for three years, subject to satisfactory progress, and covers fees together with a stipend of £12,500 per annum (subject to revision).

The studentship is in the area of learning disabilities, and the research is expected to address difficulties of frequent aggression; this is a significant problem amongst a large minority of people with learning disabilities. Recent research in this area provides a rich vein of both practical and academic work for a PhD student to pursue. It is anticipated that the results of this studentship will be of considerable value to the wider community of clinicians working in this area.

The PhD student will be supervised by clinical academics who can provide detailed and up-to-date knowledge of the subject area, alongside a background in services for people with learning disabilities and the forensic sector. Hence, they will be able to advise the student about the ethical and practical challenges of working in this area.

Further information may be obtained from the website (http://www.gla.ac.uk/psychologicalmedicine).
Applicants should have a good undergraduate degree in psychology or a related discipline. Interviews will be held in the week beginning 11th February 2008 for applicants who are short-listed.

Please contact Professor Andrew Jahoda (Tel141 211 0282; aj26r@clinmed.gla.ac.uk), Dr Ken MacMahon (Clinical Psychologist; 0141 211 8000; kenneth.macmahon@ggc.scot.nhs.uk) or Dr Carol Pert (Clinical Psychologist; 0141 276 2300) for further details.

Applications should be in the form of a CV and covering letter to:
Professor Andrew Jahoda, Section of Psychological Medicine, Academic Centre, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, 1055 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0XH.