PhD Scholarships Commonwealth U.K.
 

CASE PhD Scholarships
Awarded each academic year in:-
Water Research: Transport of Particulates and Sediments in Rivers
Civil & Mechanical Division, School of Engineering
Scholar Stipend £13,000 pa

Funded by EPSRC and supported by the professional environmental consultancy ECUS Ltd ([url]www.ecusltd.co.uk)[/url]. This PhD studentship provides an opportunity to combine industrial experience and a research project leading to a PhD. We seek applications from well-qualified candidates to "improve our understanding of the transport of particulates and sediments in freshwater". Based on our current research on contaminated highway-runoff in receiving waters during the last five years, this project should extend the knowledge of transportation and sedimentation of contaminated particulates and thus allow us to better define the ecological impacts of such phenomena. The studentship is available from January 2008 (some flexibility), and is open to UK and EU (fees-only) applicants. The studentship covers all tuition fees and provides a standard (tax-free) EPSRC stipend of approximately £13,000 p.a. for 3.5 years.

Many contaminants in highway runoff are associated with particulate material, the dispersal, accumulation and re-distribution of which depend on the hydraulics of both the highway drainage system and the receiving watercourse. The impact that these contaminated sediments have on the biota of receiving waters depends on how contaminants are partitioned in the environment, how bioavailable they are, and to what extent they bioaccumulate in organisms.

In this project it is intended to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of the runoff-borne sediment and predict its distribution and behaviour in receiving watercourses.

This project will explore the processes which control the dispersion, accumulation and re-distribution of the particulate sediments via a combination of numerical modelling, laboratory flume experiments and (potentially) field monitoring. It is envisaged that the project will generate recommendations for modelling runoff-borne sediments in receiving waters. These findings will also be useful for understanding potential pressures on ecological quality and for designing appropriate programmes of measures for ecological remediation under the new EU Water Framework Directive. The project will yield an improved understanding of the role of bed sediments as transient storage (the temporary detainment of solutes) within flowing water bodies, which affects the transport of pollutants as they travel downstream in river systems.

The Warwick Water research group and the Warwick Fluid Dynamics research group together offer a unique combination of expertise in both modelling and experimental methodologies. We therefore require a highly motivated PhD student with undergraduate/MSc qualifications in civil engineering, physical geography or earth and environmental science subject areas. The studentship is available to candidates with the equivalent of a first class or upper second class degree. The successful applicant would be primarily based in the School of Engineering at The University of Warwick, although approximately 1 month per year will be spent at ECUS Ltd., Sheffield.

Informal enquiries and applications should be directed to Dr. Klaus Richter
Email: [email]k.richter@warwick.ac.uk[/email], Tel +44 (0) 24 765 23123
Web: go.warwick.ac.uk/warwickwater

PhD Fellowships at UCC U.K.
 

University College Cork
PhD Position
Awarded each academic year in:-
GreenGrass: Developing grass for sustainable renewable energy generation and value added products
Environmental Research Institute
Biofuels Research,
Sustainable Energy Research Group,
Environmental Research Institute,
University College Cork,
Cork,
Ireland

Funded by The Department of Agriculture, Stimulus Fund

This project requires a PhD student for a 3 and a half year period. The work is in collaboration with Teagasc (Agricultural Research Centre) and The Questor Centre, Queens University Belfast. The concept of the €1.2million collaborative project is to ascertain the potential biogas production from grass, to examine the separation of fibre from grass/silage for use as an insulation material and to establish the reduced biogas potential associated with the fibre-less grass silage. The concept of this PhD study is to design a series of sizeable rigs (ca 60L each) which are optimized for digestion of grass silage. These rigs may operate in up-flow, down-flow or two stage mode. The project starts December 2007/January 2008. The role carries a tax free stipend of €18,000/a; is based in the Environmental Research Institute ([url]http://www.ucc.ie/en/ERI/[/url]) under the supervision of Dr Jerry D Murphy ([url]www.ucc.ie/serg/jerry.html)[/url]. The biofuels research team will comprise a principle investigator, a senior Post Doc, three PhD students and three masters students. The suitable candidate will have a Masters Degree or at least a first class honours degree in Civil, Process or Mechanical Engineering/Microbiology/Biotechnology.

Written applications including CV, and details of two academic referees to Dr Jerry D Murphy, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University College Cork, Ireland; email: [email]jerry.murphy@ucc.ie[/email], who will also be available for informal discussion.

PhD Fellowships -each Academic year in Electroacoustic Music Studies
 

PhD Studentship
Electroacoustic Music Studies
Institute of Creative Technologies
PhD Studentship in the field of Electroacoustic Music Studies and related to the ElectroAcoustic Resource Site (EARS, [url]www.ears.dmu.ac.uk[/url])
[I]Awarded each academic year in:-[/I]
Music, Technoloogy and Innovation Research Centre
in collaboration with the Institute of Creative Technologies
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

A three-year PhD studentship is available in the area of electroacoustic music studies. This is funded by the Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT, [url]www.ioct.dmu.ac.uk)[/url], a new initiative involving the Faculties of Humanities, Art and Design and Computer Science and Engineering and will be hosted by the Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre (MTI, [url]www.mti.dmu.ac.uk[/url]) at De Montfort University in association with Knowledge Media Design group (kmd.dmu.ac.uk). The PhD student will be working on the latest phase of the EARS project, one specifically focused on pedagogical research involving new technologies.

Until recently the EARS project has focused on the creation of its current site. It offers an up to date collection of definitions of words (over 500 currently) related to electroacoustic music and its related field of studies, a structured index which can be used to search for resources located in the bibliographic section of the site (over 3000 currently). EARS has recently become multilingual and a publisher in its own right. EARS has been supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and by UNESCO. It is an internationally known research tool within the electroacoustic music community.

Alongside the continuation of the current site's development, the EARS project will now evolve to include more pedagogical aspects to widen access to this corpus of music and its related scholarship. ‘Pedagogical EARS' will combine elements related to music appreciation (the MTI's ongoing Intention/Reception project), creativity (new software developments, in particular the Sound Organiser project) and the understanding of concepts related to electroacoustic music making and associated research, EARS II which is the proposed PhD research goal.

EARS II will focus on a subset of the terms on the current EARS site. Entry-level definitions for these terms will be sought, hyperlinks to important sites concentrating on these subjects will be included, sound, image and movie examples included where appropriate and interactive media applications provided to allow users of all ages, but particularly from 10 years of age onwards, the opportunity to apply concepts in real time. In other words, an understanding of electroacoustic music, new media tools and web-based computing are all essential aspects to EARS II. The aim will be to integrate this information into a structured learning environment that is directly linked with the Intention/Reception methodology and its related examples as well as the project's user-friendly software which applies a strategy similar to that of computer games in terms of skills development.

This PhD student will form part of an interdisciplinary team evolving the Pedagogical EARS package. (S)He will combine pedagogy with music comprehension and new media design in developing EARS II thus creating a didactic foundation for acquiring knowledge in the various interdisciplinary building blocks related to electroacoustic music. The student will be supervised by Leigh Landy, Director of the MTI and of the EARS project and by Stephen Brown of the KMD and will be based at the MTI's Research Laboratory.

Applications should include a CV, two references and a covering letter. Application forms and further details are available from Rebekah Harriman (rharriman@smu.ac.uk )

Applications should be sent to:
Rebekah Harriman (rharriman@dmu.ac.uk )

PhD Studentships awarded each year in Infection and Immunity
 

Institute of Child Health, University College London
PhD Studentships - Infection and Immunity
The UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) is a postgraduate research institution which, together with its partner, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, contains the largest concentration of research expertise in the scientific basis of child health in Europe. Its standing is reflected in the Grade 5*A awarded in the 2001 HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise and in the DoH Biomedical Research Centre for Children's Health awarded to ICH/GOSH in 2007. The Institute is committed to high quality postgraduate education and has a strong track record of training and support for its postgraduates. A high level of interaction exists across the Institute between basic scientists, clinicians and population health scientists. The Institute is offering a number of research studentships for the academic year 2008-09 supported by the Child Health Research Appeal Trust and MRC. Applicants selected for CHRAT or MRC funding will be able to choose from the following PhD projects:

Infection and Immunity

Lentiviral RNA interference for drug resistant HIV-1 infection (Dr Waseem Qasim)

Does Campylobacter jejuni infection trigger relapse in paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?
(Dr Mona Bajaj-Elliott)

Pathomechanism of skin barrier dysfunction: kallikrein 5 (KLK5) protease activated receptor 2 (PAR2) and Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF.B) (Dr Wei-Li Di)

Gamma delta T-Cells as professional influenza antigen presenting cells (Dr Kenth Gustafsson)

The role of E-selectin in bacterial and leucocyte mediated endothelial injury using meningococcal disease as a model for severe sepsis (Dr Garth Dixon)

Further projects available in Stem Cells and Disease, Neurosciences and Mental Health, and Population Health Sciences on the ICH vacancy website, [url]http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/ich/humanresources/[/url]

For further information about the ICH see our web site, [url]www.ich.ucl.ac.uk[/url]. Applications are invited from committed individuals wishing to do research in a clinical context, and who expect to graduate with a UK 1st class or upper 2nd class honours degree or equivalent from abroad.

For information about the projects and how to apply, please refer to the ICH vacancy website, [url]http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/ich/humanresources/[/url]. Please note, applications that are submitted without following the correct procedure may not be considered.

If you wish to visit the ICH to discuss these opportunities, there is an Open Day on 28th November 2007 from 2.00pm. This will include a display of posters by PhD students which demonstrates the range of ICH research and an opportunity to attend a lecture by the leader of the recent "Caudwell Xtreme Everest" expedition.

4-year PhD studentships funded by the Medical Research Council are also tenable at ICH, in the project areas listed above. To apply for a UCL 4 year MRC DTA PhD studentship, please see: [url]http://www.ucl.ac.uk/biomedicine/funding/mrc-dta/[/url]

PhD Fellowships for Schools of Psychology and Education awarded each academic year
 

University of Hertfordshire Interfaculty Research Studentship
Bullied children: Evaluating an Intensive Recovery Programme
Schools of Psychology and Education

The University of Hertfordshire is investing in its research base, and is pleased to offer a number of exciting opportunities to work in interdisciplinary research. The above project will be a three year full-time studentship leading to the award of PhD.

Project Details
The student will conduct a programme of research into the effectiveness of recovery provision for bullied children, supervised by the Schools of Psychology and Education. This will include a matched participant longitudinal study of children attending Red Balloon Learner Centres (schools for the recovery of bullied children). Children’s experiences will be examined and they will be assessed on a range of psychological and educational dimensions, from when they enter the Centre until reintegration into mainstream school 12-24 months later. A comparison group of children who are self-excluded due to bullying will be similarly assessed for the same period.

This project aims to identify how the key factors of the Red Balloon model produce beneficial outcomes for children, and how these can be translated into tangible guidelines to help a range of professionals deal more effectively with the effects of severe bullying.

Candidate Particulars
The successful candidate should normally hold at least a first or upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) from a recognised institution. Applicants are required to have previous experience of working with children and young adolescents, ideally in a therapeutic environment. This programme of research requires someone who has excellent communication skills, and an accessible manner with both children and adults. It would be desirable for the applicant to have a post-graduate qualification in psychology/counselling/education related discipline. Competent knowledge and experience of data collection methodologies and data management, quantitative and qualitative research methods is essential. A clean driving license would be beneficial as the research will involve regular onsite visits to Red Balloon Learner Centres and other educational centres.

Further information & Application
For further information or an application form please email: Sarah Woods [email]s.n.woods@herts.ac.uk[/email] or telephone 01707 285057

Cambridge Institute for Medical Research PhD Fellowships awarded each academic year
 

Wellcome Trust 4 Year PhD Programme
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR)
Limit of tenure applies*

Through a Strategic Award from the Wellcome Trust, the University of Cambridge has established a 4-year PhD Programme within the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR). Two Wellcome Trust funded studentships will be available in October 2008. We also expect to be able to offer at least two 4-year MRC funded studentships. The major themes of the Programme are: misfolded proteins and disease, intracellular membrane traffic, autoimmune disease and haematopoietic stem cell biology. The initial year of training involves in-depth analysis of topics of research relevant to the overall themes of the programme, and 3 mini-projects in research laboratories attached to each of the programme themes. Students can then make an informed choice of their 3-year thesis project and complete their PhD in the 4-year period.

It is essential that the prospective students study the further details of this varied and challenging course that are available on the website [url]www.cimr.cam.ac.uk/study/cimr.html[/url]

Please apply in writing with current CV, including the names and email addresses of three academic referees (one of whom should have been a project supervisor) to Miss Sonia Lyne, PhD Administrator, CIMR, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, email [email]sll62@cam.ac.uk[/email]

*Limit of tenure: Four Years

PhD Scholarships in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
 

PhD Studentships
Personalised Sports Footwear: From Elite to High Street
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

This £1.1M IMCRC Five year Integrating Project, funded by EPSRC, involves researchers in the key areas of rapid manufacturing, sports technology and design ergonomics. The main objective of the project is to investigate a rapid manufacturing process that is cheap and quick enough to produce personalised outsoles to satisfy elite athletes and general public markets. Industrial and academic partners on the project include world leaders in the fields of sports footwear and rapid manufacturing among others.

Within the Rapid Manufacturing Research Group, we are looking to appoint 2 full-time studentships examining "High Speed Sintering Material Properties" and "Functional Design for Sports Footwear". These studentships will form an integral part of the overall five year project with support from an experienced team of researchers including academics, and post-doc and post-grad Research Assistants. Suitable candidates should be comfortable with working with world leading researchers in their field and for their results to be applied to working footwear within the project.

High Speed Sintering Material Properties - Supervisor: Dr N Hopkinson
Rapid Manufacturing technologies are beginning to become accepted across a wide range of industries for high added value applications such as Formula 1 and aerospace. The High Speed Sintering process has been invented at Loughborough University and offers the potential for Rapid Manufacturing to grow from its current applications of niche products into wider, lower price point markets across the globe. However in order to do this the process needs to be improved especially in terms of properties of parts produced. This PhD studentship will investigate ways to improve the properties and reliability of parts produced by High Speed Sintering using thermoplastic materials. Fundamental studies into the materials and the effects processing parameters on their mechanical properties will help to optimise properties that will be used to create outsoles that will be tested in lab and field trials.

Functional Design for Sports Footwear - Supervisors: Dr N Hopkinson and Prof MP Caine
Rapid manufacturing technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering and High Speed Sintering offer design freedoms that are impossible by conventional manufacturing processes. However the range of materials available with these processes and their properties are currently limited.

The aim of this PhD is to maximise the design potential available from Rapid Manufacturing processes in order to produce outsoles for footwear with functionality that goes beyond anything that can be produced today. The research will involve an in-depth understanding of material properties and extensive application of FEA methods to optimise designs that will then be proven in lab and field tests.

To apply, please request an application form etc., from Ms Jo Mason, [email]J.R.Mason@lboro.ac.uk[/email], School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics LE11 3TU.

In addition, please include a statement of how the research will benefit from your qualifications and experience to date.

PhD Fellowships awarded each year in Stem Cells and Disease
 

Institute of Child Health, University College London
PhD Studentships - Stem Cells and Disease
The UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) is a postgraduate research institution which, together with its partner, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, contains the largest concentration of research expertise in the scientific basis of child health in Europe. Its standing is reflected in the Grade 5*A awarded in the 2001 HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise and in the DoH Biomedical Research Centre for Children's Health awarded to ICH/GOSH in 2007. The Institute is committed to high quality postgraduate education and has a strong track record of training and support for its postgraduates. A high level of interaction exists across the Institute between basic scientists, clinicians and population health scientists. The Institute is offering a number of research studentships for the academic year 2008-09 supported by the Child Health Research Appeal Trust and MRC. Applicants selected for CHRAT or MRC funding will be able to choose from the following PhD projects:

Stem Cells and Disease

Stem cell therapy for neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (Professor Agostino Pierro)

Identification of transcriptional pathways de-regulated in t(12;21) associated leukaemia (Dr Owen Williams)

Imprinted gene expression in the placenta and its effect on fetal growth (Professor Gudrun Moore)

Analysing how transcriptional regulators Brn3a and Brn3b control normal heart development and studying changes that occur if these proteins are lost (Dr Vishwanie Budhram-Mahadeo)

Development of retinal stem cell therapy. Isolation of rod precursors for photoreceptor regeneration (Dr Jane Sowden)

Stem cells to encourage functional recovery following in utero surgery for open spina bifida (Professor Andrew Copp)

Identification and Characterisation of HESX1 Transcription Targets (Dr Juan-Pedro Martinez-Barbera)

Use of enteric nervous system stem cells as a potential treatment for severe gut developmental disorders
(Dr Nikhil Thapar)

Further projects available in Infection and Immunity, Neurosciences and Mental Health, and Population Health Sciences on the ICH vacancy website, [url]http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/ich/humanresources/[/url]

For further information about the ICH see our web site, [url]www.ich.ucl.ac.uk[/url]. Applications are invited from committed individuals wishing to do research in a clinical context, and who expect to graduate with a UK 1st class or upper 2nd class honours degree or equivalent from abroad.

For information about the projects and how to apply, please refer to the ICH vacancy website, [url]http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/ich/humanresources/[/url]. Please note, applications that are submitted without following the correct procedure may not be considered.

This will include a display of posters by PhD students which demonstrates the range of ICH research and an opportunity to attend a lecture by the leader of the recent "Caudwell Xtreme Everest" expedition.

4-year PhD studentships funded by the Medical Research Council are also tenable at ICH, in the project areas listed above. To apply for a UCL 4 year MRC DTA PhD studentship, please see: [url]http://www.ucl.ac.uk/biomedicine/funding/mrc-dta/[/url]

PhD scholarship awarded in Computing each academic year/term
 

MATCH PhD School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics
[B]SCHOLARSHIP COVERS ONLY :£14,600 p.a. stipend + fees under the current rules which are modified for each academic term[/B]
We are seeking applications from excellent candidates to contribute to our PhD programme, as MATCH has recently gained a further EPSRC funded PhD scholarship. The scholarship is designed to begin in January 2008, for three years, alternative start dates may be possible.

Overview of thesis
Title: Evaluation of Community Based Medical Diagnostics
With a growing percentage of elderly population, the level of disease to be diagnosed and managed is increasing at a rate such that the costs using the existing models of healthcare based on hospital services will be unsustainable. In response, there is interest in developing community based medical diagnostic services that would be based in primary care. Such a model not only has the benefits of reducing referral to hospital but can increase the level of resolution within primary care and expedite referral of the serious case, making the referral process more efficient.
This project will investigate the benefits of using ambulatory (Holter) ECG monitoring in primary care. General practices will be equipped with systems for ambulatory ECG monitoring. Patients requiring diagnosis will be provided the ECG recorder by their GP. The recording will be analysed within the practice and the report forwarded to the cardiologist for advice.

The project aims to assess the benefits and problems of this approach and will determine:
(a) Differences in clinical outcome
(b) Changes in working practice
(c) The difference in experience for the patient
(d) Perceptions of the health care workers
(e) Cost benefit
(f) Other benefits

The project will be conducted within MATCH, and will involve collaboration with primary care, a major London Hospital, and ambulatory ECG device manufacturer.

MATCH, is a collaboration of four leading UK universities in the field of healthcare technology assessment and a cohort of industrial partners from the sector. It provides a critical research mass stretching across the UK healthcare technology sector. It supports companies and user communities by creating methods to assess value, from concept through to mature products and by engaging with regulatory bodies at home and abroad. [url]http://www.match.ac.uk[/url]

Who can apply?
We are seeking candidates with at least a 2:1 honours degree in computer science, engineering or equivalent. A demonstrable ability in IS and computing, database and programming is essential and experience in clinical methods skills desirable.
The research will be based in the School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics (SCISM) at Brunel University but will involve collaborative work with relevant colleagues elsewhere in Brunel and in the other Universities involved in MATCH.

Funding is available for a three year Home/EU PhD studentship based on £14,600 stipend per annum and £3,235 fees per annum. In addition, £1,000 (total over the three year studentship) is available for the PhD student's project and travel costs. The studentship should commence by 1 January 2008 at the latest and all funds must be spent by January 2011. The student must be Home/EU and not have been previously registered for a research degree.

For further details contact Dr Malcolm Clarke at [email]malcolm.clarke@brunel.ac.uk[/email] before 30th November 2007.

Click here for Employer Profile [url]http://www.brunel.ac.uk[/url]

Supervisors:
Dr Malcolm Clarke (Telemedicine)
Professor Terry Young

Contact:
Applications should be addressed to the MATCH Project Manager Elizabeth Deadman, School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, email [email]elizabeth.deadman@brunel.ac.uk[/email]
Applications should include a CV, a covering letter, the name and addresses of two referees, the transcripts of your degrees and the University application form. A form can be downloaded from /3551/GS-Docs/AR3.pdf. Applicants must arrange for their referees to send references directly to the MATCH Project Manager (email is sufficient) by the closing date. Reference forms can be downloaded from /3551/GS-Docs//referenceform.pdf.

Cancer Research Program
 

Four Year Phd Student Programme
The Marie Curie Research Institute (MCRI) would like to invite applications for its PhD Programme.

An internationally renowned research institute funded by Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Institute supports both basic and translational research programmes investigating the molecular and cellular basis of cancer and the development of new therapeutic approaches. Students benefit from a dynamic research environment and our well-equipped laboratories and state of the art core facilities. The Institute is located in a pleasant rural environment with easy access to London.

Students are registered with the University of London through the Institute of Cancer Research.

Full details of the projects available and how to apply can be found on our website under Studentships at [url]www.mcri.ac.uk[/url].