The research positions announced below are related to a research project funded by the KNAW, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences.

Supervision of the research will be done at LabMath-Indonesia by the senior staffs in this project:
Prof. Dr. Sri Widiyantoro (SW, ITB),
Dr. Hamzah Latief (HL, ITB),
Dr. Andonowati (ITB & LMI),
Prof. Dr. Brenny van Groesen (BvG, LMI & UTwente), Dr. Ardhasena
Sopaheluwakan (AS, LMI).

Aim of the project is to perform original research that will be published in international journals and that is directly relevant to improve tsunami simulations. In fact, it is generally accepted that at present, tsunami simulations have errors of a factor of two when compared to field measurements. One of the causes of these errors is the generation phase: the translation of the motion of the ocean bottom to the resulting disturbance of the water: the tsunami generation process. At least five research positions are available to support the research project into various aspects of this problem:

1. Benchmarking of Tsunami Codes We will compare the results and performance of two tsunami codes: the well-validated code of Hamzah Latief (ITB Tsunami Research Group) and the recent Variational Boussinesq Code developed at LabMath-Indonesia. Supervisors: HL , AS & Didit Adytia.

2. Wave generation by bottom excitations Tectonic ocean bottom motions will possibly generate a tsunami. We will use theory and simple simulations to learn about the horizontal influx effects that are usually neglected but may give large energy input. Supervisors: BvG & Didit Adytia.

3. Principles of Inverse Water Wave Modelling We use a new model for fast and reliable uni-directional wave motion to study all aspects of \'inverse\' modelling: given the elevation signal at one place, find the signal at the moment of excitation at another position. Supervisors: BvG & AS

4. Inverse modelling using buoy data for bottom excitation As in the previous topic, but now we use real data from measurements by buoys (deployed by Indonesia) to try to find characteristics of the tsunami generation area and the excitation process. Supervisors: HL , SW, AS & BvG.

5. Bottom excitation from seismic data How much information can we extract from seismic signals about the (time-dynamic) bottom excitation. Literature search, simple models and signal analysis.

Supervisors: SW & BvG.

REQUESTED QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates should be eager to be involved in this research and learn many new topics and ideas. They should have good knowledge of calculus/ analysis including ordinary and partial differential equations, and be experienced in programming, for instance in Matlab. Students or graduates with good grades in S1 or S2 from mathematics, physics, oceanography, geosciences, engineering etc can profit very much from this research experience. A sound scientific attitude (critical, inventive and independent) should be accompanied by a strong motivation and disciplined work attitude.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Candidates should send an updated CV, a copy of last degree and academic record, proof of English proficiency and letter of motivation before 15 June 2008 by email to:
Dr. A. Sopaheluwakan: ardhasena_at_ labmath-indonesia.or.id
with cc to
Prof. van Groesen: groesen_at_labmath- indonesia. or.id.

RESEARCH POSITIONS: OFFER
The researches are executed at LabMath-Indonesia, Jl. Anatomi 19, Bandung. Including a one-month probation period, the positions are at least for a period of 3 months (full-time) up to one year (possibly part-time).
If desired, we will support your personal development, including improvement of English when needed, and support to find continued study abroad (MSc or PhD). During the execution you will get valuable experience in mathematical modelling and simulation in this exciting area in geosciences, and will work in a stimulating environment. The salary will depend on qualifications and performance.

This vacancy is also available online at www.labmath- indonesia. or.id

LabMath-Indonesia
international@ labmath-indonesi a.or.id

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Liverpool Hope University is committed to encouraging statements from students with high academic qualifications would benefit from studying in Britain.

Liverpool Hope University is pleased to announce the new scheme International scholarships for students applying to obtain or postgraduate programme in the 2008/2009 academic year.
Scholarship abroad

Overseas scholarships availble as postgraduate candidates and is worth £ 1000. The number of overseas scholarships are unlimited. They are awarded on criteria based on academic merit and submitted applications;
The criteria for application:

Undergraduate applicants: Applications approval Foreign students who have achieved, in aggregate, the first class marks in their higher education. If successful, the student will receive an award £ 1000 annually, subject to satisfactory academic progress.

Postgraduate applicants: Applications approval Foreign students who have first-class results in their final degree classification.
Scholarships abroad are deducted from the standard of education and student fees will be at the expense of clean-training for a fee.

International scholarships for graduate students

International postgraduate scholarships are available for taught postgraduate applicants and half worth of fees. The number of international postgraduate scholarships in five, and they are awarded by a decision of the University Committee on the basis of scientific merit and submitted the application.

The criteria for application: Applications are invited from the International students who have first-class results in their final degree classification and can demonstrate high academic achievement.

Please note:

* The overseas fellowships and scholarships for postgraduate International are available only to applicants to pay full international fees; British citizens, the EU and EEA have no right to apply
* Applicants must submit an international fellowship questionnaire to the International Bureau. The application must be accompanied by a verified transcript and academic certificates.
* The application deadlines apply:
In September entry: Scholarship applications must be received by June 30, 2008
During the January entry: Scholarship applications must be received by November 28, 2008
* Other conditions of use

Application Form

For full terms and conditions, the application form and guidelines to apply, please download the form below.
International Scholarship Application Form

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PT Bank Lippo Tbk ( “LB”), major investment company Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Malaysia, believes in the development of human capital in the Republic of Indonesia. In this regard, LB is pleased to scholarships and financial aid to deserving Indonesian students who intend to pursue their tertiary education in selected universities in Indonesia.

Thus, LB invites applications from high school graduates who wish to pursue bachelor program in the specialty areas of trade, finance, economic, accounting, computer sciences, mathematics, statistics and law.

The scholarship grant will be based on the merits of the applicant, including academic classes and school extracurricular activities. However, in order to provide opportunities for those who could face difficulties in financing their higher education, special attention will be given to applications from students who come from disadvantaged families financially.
I. Requirements:
LB Scholarship Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
(I) must be Indonesian citizens;
(Ii) should complete the application form;
(iii) grade point average to the National average result and points for the secondary school exam result should be 8.00 or higher;
(iv) should be able to prove that they are from disadvantaged families financially, showing an official letter from poverty, from local authorities and home electricity bill;
(c) do not currently receive any scholarship or other equivalent award;
(Vi) English;
(vii) must comply with all rules and regulations imposed by LB in connection with the programme of scholarships;
(viii) Accepted applicants must be willing to participate in any LB programmes and activities, such as the internship program at LB or any of its subsidiaries;
(x) Scholarship recipients are prohibited to work during the entire period of study.
(x) should fill in all the documents listed in the additional requirements and conditions. (Click for details)

II. Coverage of scholarships:
The scholarship covers the following:
(I) registration fee at the university, at which the recipient of scholarship students;
(ii) tuition fees, duration of training, not more than 4 (four) years, or 8 (eight) academic semester or less depending on the selected program. LB is not obliged to provide any additional funding or other assistance should scholarship recipient does not finish the course in time;
(iii) Living allowance to cover living expenses during the entire period of study;
(Iv) leadership allowance needed for research;
(c) Internet manual for access to the Internet for study purposes;
(Vi) personal computer;
(vii) study aids needed for the final year of study.

III. Payment of scholarship funds:
Scholarship funds should be allocated in the following agreements:
(I) tuition fees must be paid directly to the relevant University;
(ii) Others should be allocated directly to the recipients of scholarships.

Payment of such scholarship funds to be scholarship recipient possibilities:
(I) maintain a satisfactory academic constantly, and
(ii) perform all necessary functions and responsibilities.

IV. Vacation from school
Save for school holidays, scholarship recipients will not accept any interruption in the educational activity without obtaining prior written approval from LB.

V. PENALTIES
(I) if any of the recipients of scholarships decides to withdraw from the fellowship programme, such scholarship recipient must reimburse all funds spent and return all facilities provided during his / her participation in LB in the scholarship programme, including, but not limited to a personal computer;
(ii) any breach of duty, responsibility and any other requirements imposed by LB subject to penalty to be determined by LB and / or termination of funding scholarships.

VI. Duties and responsibilities
Throughout the period of training, scholarship recipient must:
(I) will be ready to comply with all rules and regulations established by LB, as well as university;
(ii) be willing to attend and participate in all LB scholarship or collection activities;
(iii) to take part in LB human capital development programmes, and
(iv) report on the academic and non-academic progress of LB quarterly.

After graduation, scholarship recipients must join LB Alumni Association and actively participate in the program and activities.

VII. TERMINATION scholarship
The fellowship programme should be stopped at the emergence of one of the following:
(I) scholarship recipients completed the training course;
(ii) scholarship recipient refuses or has no ability to continue training in the relevant University;
(iii) scholarship recipient violates or does not perform any of the functions, responsibilities and requirements;
(iv) scholarship recipient is unsuccessful in order to meet the necessary level of achievement;
(c) the recipient of scholarships is proven, provided incorrect or misleading information in the application form or its supporting documents, or
(vi) scholarship recipient is involved in any illegal activities.

VIII. OBLIGATION TO WORK
(I) during the period of training, scholarship recipients must be willing to participate in the internship programme at LB.
(ii) after completion of the usual programs, scholarships recipients are forced to work at LB and / or his affiliation period for 4 consecutive years, subject to the availability of work in LB and / or his affiliation.

IX. APPLICATIONS
Application form can be obtained directly from LB Head Office (Corporate Secretary Group) at Menara Asia 15th Floor, Jl. Boulevard Diponegoro Kav.101, Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, or download by clicking here.

X. general procedures
Interested applicants who meet the requirements must complete and return the questionnaire, along with necessary supporting documents no later than June 27, 2008 at LB Head Office:

PT Bank Lippo Tbk
Head Office
15th Floor Menara Asia
Raya Jalan Diponegoro 101
Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang 15810
Indonesia.
Attention: Corporate Secretary

XI. FURTHER INFORMATION
For more information about LB Scholarship please contact us at 021-5460555 Ext. 65067/59016.
LB will only consider applications that have completed complied with all requirements and notifies the shortlisted applicants for participation in the ongoing phase of the selection process. LB will not return the documents submitted applications for LB.

Decisions to award scholarships, subject to the discretion of LB and can not be appealed for reconsideration. LB reserves the right to change or cancel any of the above features or requirements of LB Scholarship without prior notice and / or explanations. LB will only announce successful applicants in LB website.
Visit www.lippobank.co.id

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PhD Position Announcement Copenhagen, Denmark

`Use of accurate meteorological forecasts in the future energy production system' :

A PhD study hosted by the Danish Meteorological Institute and the University of Copenhagen will investigate the use of accurate local numerical weather forecasts in relation to real time management of local energy units in the future energy production system.
Special emphasis will be put on the prediction of surface solar radiation.

Application Deadline: 13th June 2008.

For further information, please go to: http://www.dmi. dk/dmi/041- 0005.2008

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EUROPEAN MASTERS PROGRAM IN COMPUTATIONAL LOGIC
http://ssdi.di.fct.unl.pt/masters/mcl/

The Department of Computer Science at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, is offering the European Masters Program in Computational Logic as part of its Bologna 2nd cycle offer. It is an international distributed Master of Science course (MSc.), in cooperation with the computer science departments in the following universities:

* Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
* Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
* Technische Universitaet Dresden, Germany
* Technische Universitaet Wien, Austria
* Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain

TOEFL, IELTS, GMAT, GRE, SAT Preparation Material. Its Free!!
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This program, entirely in English, involves studying one year at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and possibly completing the second year with a stay in one of the partner universities. After this, the student will obtain, together with the European degree, two Master of Science degrees: the Mestrado em Lógica Computacional degree from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, with legal value in Portugal, and the respective Master of Science degree from the visited university, with legal value in its country.

NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINES:

* 31 May 2008: deadline for all European and non-European students (notification of acceptance: 15 July 2008)
* 01 September 2008: last deadline only for European students starting at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal (notification of acceptance: 10 September 2008)


SCHOLARSHIPS & MONEY SUPPORT:
There will be 12 consortium scholarships to waive the tuition fee of 3.000 â‚ for students without a scholarship, on the basis of their academic merit.

Every year 10 EMCL students with European citizenship can visit Australia (Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane) up to 3 months to work on a research project, sponsored by the European Master. The study period in Australia is part of the study programme and it is fully recognised by the European Master`s Program in Computational Logic. The guaranteed scholarship is of 3,100 â‚ and it covers the travel and living expenses in Australia.

APPLICATION:
Check this web page for detailed info on applications:
http://ssdi.di.fct.unl.pt/masters/mcl/content/prospective/how_to_apply.html

THE STUDY PROGRAMME:
The European Masters Program in Computational Logic is designed to meet the demands of industry and research in this rapidly growing area. Based on a solid foundation in mathematical logic, theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence and declarative programming students will acquire in-depth knowledge necessary to specify, implement and run complex systems as well as to prove properties of these systems. In particular, the focus of instruction will be in deduction systems, knowledge representation and reasoning, artificial intelligence, formal specification and verification, syntax directed semantics, logic and automata theory, logic and computability. This basic knowledge is then applied to areas like logic and natural language processing, logic and the semantic web, bioinformatics, information systems and database technology, software and hardware verification. Students will acquire practical experience and will become familiar in the use of tools within these applications. In addition, students will be prepared for a future PhD, they will come in contact with the international research community and will be integrated into ongoing research projects. They will develop competence in foreign languages and international relationships, thereby improving their social skills.

Applicants should have a Bachelor degree (Bologna 1st cycle or equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Logic, or other relevant disciplines; special cases will be considered. The programme is part of the Master in Computational Logic (Mestrado em Lógica Computacional) and it has various strengths that make it unique amongst Portuguese and European universities:

Curriculum taught entirely in English:

* The programme is open to the world and prepares the students to move on the international scene.
* Possibility of a strongly research-oriented curriculum.
* Possibility for project-based routes to obtain the degree and extensive lab facilities.
* International student community.
* Direct interaction with the local and international industry and research centres, with the possibility of practical and research internships that can lead to future employment.
* Excellent scholarship opportunities and student accommodations.


The European Masters Program in Computational Logic is one of the few European Masters awarded by the European Uni0n`s Erasmus Mundus programme from its first year of existence in 2004. The Erasmus Mundus programme is a co-operation and mobility programme in the field of higher education which promotes the European Uni0n as a centre of excellence in learning around the world. It supports European top-quality Masters Courses and enhances the visibility and attractiveness of European higher education in third-countries. It also provides EU-funded scholarships for third-country nationals participating in these Masters Courses, as well as scholarships for EU-nationals studying in third-countries.

The European Masters Program in Computational Logic is sponsored scientifically by the European Network of Excellence on Computational Logic (CoLogNET), the European Association of Logic, Language and Information (FoLLI), the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence (ECCAI), the Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence (AI*IA), the Italian Association for Informatics (AICA, member of the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies), the Italian Association for Logic and its Applications (AILA), and the Portuguese Association for Artificial Intelligence (APPIA).

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Prof. Luis Moniz Pereira, at lmp@di.fct.unl. pt
Departamento de InformÃtica
Faculdade de CiÃncias e Tecnologia
Universidade Nova de Lisboa
2829-516 Caparica
Portugal

Phone: +351 21 294 8536 (Secretary)
Fax: +351 21 294 8541
European MSc in Computational Logic site:
http://ssdi.di.fct.unl.pt/masters/mcl/

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website link: http://homes. esat.kuleuven. be/~optec/ jobs.php

The Optimization in Engineering Center OPTEC at K.U. Leuven (Belgium) invites highly motivated young interdisciplinary researchers with a solid background in numerical mathematics and computer science to apply for one of the following PhD or Post-doc positions:

* Optimal Control Methods for Application at a Central Receiver Thermal Power Plant (PhD or Post-doc Position)

Aim of the project is to develop and apply optimal control techniques suitable for the control tasks occuring in the central receiver thermal power plant built by the solar institute in Juelich.

Besides being a full member of the Optimization in Engineering Center OPTEC at K.U. Leuven, the Post-doc or PhD student will work in close collaboration with 4 partner groups in Germany that each have one three year position dedicated to the joint "virtual Institute on Central Receiver Power Plants, vICeRP" that was founded on January 29, 2008 (http://idw-online.de/pages/ de/news244682).

A first task is to work on system modelling and formulation of the optimal control problems arising in control of the heliostats, the airflow in the central receiver, as well as the steam cycle of the power block of the plant. A second task is to extend existing optimal control algorithms, or to develop new ones when necessary, to make them suitable for the application to the solar power plant problems.

A good mathematical background with solid knowledge of numerical optimal control, and programming skills in C are a prerequisite, as well as a strong interest in application driven interdisciplinary work, cooperation skills and knowledge of English. Knowledge of German and Dutch can be an advantage.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl (E-mail: moritz.diehl@ esat.kuleuven. be)
* Nonlinear Moving Horizon Estimation for Fault Detection (PhD or Post-doc Position, 3 years)

Aim of the project is to develop and apply novel techniques for fault detection that are based on online optimization. Given a system model as well as the most current sensor data on a window in the past, the idea is to:
1. To find the most probable explanation for the observed data by online optimization of the
system and disturbance model.
2. To give alarm if this best achievable explanation is still too improbable.

Besides being a full member of the Optimization in Engineering Center OPTEC at K.U. Leuven, the Post-doc or PhD student will work in very close collaboration with the Austrian Center of Competence in Mechatronics (ACCM) and the Institute for Design and Control of Mechatronical Systems (Prof. Del Re), both in Linz. Most application problems will come from within this center and its industrial partners.

A good background in control engineering, mathematics, or physics and solid knowledge of numerical methods and programming skills are a prerequisite, as well as a strong interest in application driven interdisciplinary work, cooperation skills and knowledge of English. Knowledge of German and Dutch is an advantage.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl (E-mail: moritz.diehl@ esat.kuleuven. be)
* Convex Dynamic Programming for Applications in Robust Model Predictive Control and State Estimation (PhD Position, 4 years)

The project shall explore a large but partly unexplored class of nonlinear optimal control systems that are connected by the fact that their dynamic programming (DP) cost-to-go is convex. Of this class the classical linear quadratic regulator (LQR), a linear control law, and the linear model predictive controller (MPC), a nonlinear control law, are the two best-known examples.

Full exploitation of convexity for more general control systems in this class shall lead to new and computational efficient convex dynamic programming methods. These can be used for exact and approximate computation of optimization based feedback controllers that are applicable in particular to uncertain systems, i.e., robust model predictive control. Here a dynamic min-max game with nature as the controllers adverse player needs to be solved, and which is computationally considerably more demanding than classical MPC.

The project shall investigate the two major questions: (a) What problem classes are covered by convex dynamic programming? and (b) How to represent and compute the convex cost-to-go efficiently? Finally, the concepts shall be transferred to the problem of state estimation, which in a Bayesian framework deals with probability densities instead of cost-to-go functions. The negative logarithm of these densities is in many cases convex, and can thus again be treated by convexity-based computational methods. The Kalman filter with its multidimensional Gaussian probability distribution is again only the simplest case of a considerably larger class of convex filters.

The outcome of the project shall be a sound theoretical framework for the understanding of control and estimation systems based on convex dynamic programming, along with new and efficient open-source algorithms ready for use in practical applications. The project can build on previous work in the group, http://www.iwr. uni-heidelberg. de/~Moritz. Diehl/RDP/

A solid background in mathematics and control engineering is a prerequisite, as well as a strong interest in theoretical convex optimization, set computations, and algorithm development. Knowledge of English is required, knowing Dutch is an advantage.

Contacts: Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl (E-mail: moritz.diehl@ esat.kuleuven. be),
Prof. Dr. Carlos Dorea, OPTEC guest from Feb 2008-Feb 2009 (E-mail:cetdorea@ufba. br)
* Optimization Methods for Distributed Model Predictive Control (PhD or Post-doc Position)

The position is part of a European project on hierarchical and distributed model predictive control with partners in Europe and the US (leaflet). The position at OPTEC has as its aim the development of decomposition methods, distributed state estimation and MPC. Work will be both on computational aspects - for example efficient distributed algorithms and implementations, online initialization for nonlinear optimization - as well as on convergence questions - for example: when does a distributed MPC protocol converge to the solution of the centralized MPC optimization problem?
A good background in control engineering, mathematics, or physics and solid knowledge of numerical methods in control and programming skills are a prerequisite, as well as a strong interest in application driven interdisciplinary work, cooperation skills and knowledge of English. Knowledge of Dutch is an advantage.
Contacts: Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl (E-mail: moritz.diehl@ esat.kuleuven. be), Dr. Ion Necoara * Optimization Based Control Design for Large-Scale Systems (PhD Position)

The aim of the project is to develop and implement optimization based methods for solving control design problems for large-scale systems. In the first stage of the project the emphasis is on developing polynomial type methods and algorithms and on solving fixed structure control design problems. As fixed structure design problems often lead to non convex problems, special attention will be paid to an appropriate problem formulation and to the use of convex relaxations (such as convex relaxations of non-convex sets, sum-of-squares relaxations of positive polynomials) . In a next stage the obtained results will be adapted and extended towards large-scale systems, with particular attention on developing decentralized control schemes for interconnected and networked systems. These control schemes should translate global objectives (on agreement, performance, robustness, etc.) into local control, adapt easily to changes in the network and the environment, and scale well with the system or network size.

Depending of the interest of the candidate his / her individual PhD project can be steered in the direction of the design of optimization algorithms, the development of polynomial type methods for systems and control, or on control strategies for large-scale systems.

A background in numerical mathematics, control engineering and programming skills are a prerequisite, as well as an interest in application driven interdisciplinary work, good cooperation skills and knowledge of English.

Contact: Dr. Wim Michiels (E-mail: wim.michiels@ cs.kuleuven. be)
* Optimal Motion Control for Machine Tools (PhD or Post-doc Position)

The goal of this research project is to develop efficient methods to optimize point-to-point motion trajectories for machine tools. Machine tools are mechatronic systems that can often be described by either a linear time-invariant (LTI) model or a linear parameter varying (LPV) model. The approach followed in this project is to combine existing classical cascade or robust linear time-invariant (LTI) controllers with optimized motion trajectories.
The motion trajectory design will be based on a framework that was recently developed within OPTEC, and that is a generalization of the work of Kwakernaak and Smit [1]. The basis is a polynomial spline of arbitrary order that is optimized with respect to some performance criteria, and subject to boundary constraints and bounds on the inputs, outputs, and state variables. A careful selection of performance criteria and constraints yields a convex program that can be solved efficiently, allowing us to calculate Pareto-optimal points for these typically multi-criteria optimization problems.
This framework will be further developed to account for system uncertainty (robust design) and large system dynamics changes that are typically described using linear parameter varying (LPV) models. Possibilities for extensions of the current convexity based optimization approaches in order to address fully nonlinear models shall also be investigated.

The emphasis of this project lies on the development of fast and reliable open-source algorithms to optimize these trajectories, the analysis of the trade-off between the different design parameters, e.g. level of continuity of the trajectories, time optimality, level of residual system vibrations, comparison with other existing motion trajectory parametrizations, and experimental validation on a linear motor based pick-and-place machine.

This research will be performed under the joint supervision of Professor Jan Swevers of the division PMA of the Mechanical Engineering Department (http://www.mech. kuleuven. be/pma/) and Professor Moritz Diehl of the division SCD of the Electrical Engineering Departement (http://www.esat. kuleuven. be/scd/). The work will profit from concerted programming efforts within the OPTEC team towards a suite of open-source optimal control software tools.

Candidates for this position (phd or post-doc) shall provide a detailed CV including names of at least two referees. A thorough background in control theory, dynamic optimization, and implementation of numerical algorithms is required. Please indicate your background with respect to these items clearly in your CV. Experience in the practical implementation of controllers is a benefit but not mandatory. However, interest for practical control implementation, programming, and team work is very important.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl (E-mail: moritz.diehl@ esat.kuleuven. be)

Besides a competitive salary we offer a stimulating research environment within our young but growing "Center of Excellence on Optimization in Engineering" , or OPTEC. OPTEC is well connected internationally with several high ranking international visitors every month, and encompasses groups from four different departments of K.U. Leuven [Electrical Engineering (ESAT-SCD), Mechanical Engineering (MECH-PMA), Chemical Engineering (CHEM-BioTec) and Computer Science (CS-NATW)]. OPTEC combines altogether 20 professors, 12 postdocs, and more than 50 PhD students that jointly work on bringing state-of-the- art optimization methods together with real-world engineering applications.

Electronic applications (by holders of at least a masters degree) including a CV, certificates with high school and university marks in mathematics, physics and computer science, a list of publications, names of two possible references, and a brief description of your research interests are most welcome.

Please send them until June 15, 2008 to jobs-at-optec@ esat.kuleuven. be.

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Call for applications
Research Leadership Development Training Grants (LTG)
*Important notes*

All applications must be received by 15 June 2008 only by email at trainingempowerment@who.int. Email subject line must include "LTG . Read and carefully follow instructions in each item on the application form. In addition, pages 1, and 12 (with original signatures) should be mailed to:
TDR
World Health Organization
CH - 1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland


Fax copies are not accepted. Read and carefully follow instructions in each item. Late and incomplete applications will not be processed. Applicants from countries requiring national endorsement should submit their application through proper channels. All candidates should send a copy of their application to the WHO Representative' s Office in their home country for information purpose. For further information, please contact Dr Valaikanya Plasai at: plasaiv@who. int

The UNICEF/UNDP/ World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) invites applications for the award of up to 10 grants in post-graduate training in health research in an academic institution in disease endemic countries. Particular attention will be paid to applications from the following: Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations; female applicants; applications proposing a local study programme; and Social science applications to health research.

This is a new type of TDR grant that replaces the Research Training Grants (RTG). While the focus of the training and development is the individual grantee, this new approach makes provision for development opportunities for the grantee's home institutions in order to make improvements to research practices at the institution. Various training technologies will be utilized, including mentorship at different stages of development, and learning contracts.

*Background*

TDR launched a new strategy in June, 2007, with a vision to foster "an effective global research effort on infectious diseases of poverty in which disease endemic countries play a pivotal role." TDR's new vision is realized through a three-pronged strategy: stewardship, empowerment, and research on neglected diseases. DECs should have a prominent role in setting research priorities that are responsive to the need of, and ensure relevance to, sustainable and optimal health impact for the poor. Stewardship provides a collaborative framework and information service for research partners, and empowerment ensures that scientists and public health professionals from DECs can become prominent leaders who initiate and lead research activities.

* Description of the grant scheme*
TDR Empowerment <http://www.who. int/tdr/about/ strategy/ pdf/bl2.pdf> (also called Business Line 2) envisions a comprehensive, sustainable research capacity development programme. Both individual researchers and their home institutions are supported collectively.
With the active engagement of the host academic institutes, the trainees are encouraged to develop into future research leaders and partners in capacity building for health research in DECs. TDR is particularly looking to strengthen capacity in applying social sciences in health research. For this year, only applications for doctorate studies will be considered.

The grant provides the following opportunities:

1. Individual post-graduate training in health research. TDR is looking to develop a group of young scientists from DECs who will become leaders in their fields of study, and in initiating research projects that are relevant to their countries. This group of young scientists will be expected to strive for relevance, excellence and high standards of ethics in conducting health research for DECs.
2. Relevant capacity development at the home institute and/or academic institute can be considered for optimal training of grantee.

The longer term outcome of the programme is enhanced DEC leadership and capacity, at individual as well as institutional levels, in relevant technical and research management. The programme expects the trained individuals and their institutions to play pivotal, leadership roles in conceptualizing and prioritizing research needs, harnessing resources to respond to needs, maintaining contacts with key stakeholders for research and capacity needs, and communicating the research results to the public. The home institution and the individual should garner a strong presence in the research community in the region, and ultimately become a resource for such leadership training in the region. The individual scientists who are trained by this grant should serve as the focal points in each of the institutes, and will be continuously supported and developed by TDR to become leaders, to take leading roles in initiating relevant research for their countries and region.

* Eligibility criteria*

* Applicants must:*

1. Be a national of disease endemic countries, usually not more than 35 years of age on the month of application;
2. Been working for the last 12 months in a national institute that has a research element in a disease endemic country, and is committed to work with the institute for a minimum of five years after completion of the study;
3. Propose a study topic and a study plan that is relevant to the needs of DEC, of TDR Business Lines (BLs) and diseases, and to the proposed research;
4. Demonstrate interest and potential for leadership and innovation.

*Institutions must: *

1. Be a national, or a not-for-profit, institution in a DEC with an element of health research on TDR-relevant issues and diseases;
2. Allow the applicant to be trained in a post-graduate programme for up to three years;
3. Support the research proposal of the individual and develop an institutional research plan in the proposed area.Two letters of reference scanned and attached to the application.

* Selection** criteria*

Applications will be judged based on four elements which are equally important:

1. The applicants:
- Excellent track record, as a researcher as well as principled public health professional
- Conceptual and management capacities
- Potential for leadership development in own field of research
2. The institution:
- Excellent track record as a national institution, with an element of research in TDR's issues and diseases.
- Strong commitment to support the individual applicant, and the study plan proposed by the individual applicant
- Potential for leadership capacity development, and support from leadership at higher levels for such development
3. The study plan:
- Coherent with, and supporting of, the proposed research
- Showing linkages between individual and home institution development
4. The proposed research will be judged according to the following criteria:
- Excellence (feasibility, impact, innovativeness, scientific and research logic, and quality of the
proposal)
- Compliant with international standards of research, Good Clinical Practice, ethics, and
safety-related issue
- TDR relevance (conformance to TDR issues and diseases, public health relevance, and
pertinent to the needs in the region.)
- Whether the proposed research experience will fulfill the applicant's development needs
- Potential of serving as platform for leadership and capacity development in the region
- Physical environment appropriate for the proposed research (lab space, available technology,
computer time, etc.)

* Priorities for selection*
- Applications from LDCs
- Women
- Study plans that propose training in own country or region
- Social science applications to health research

* Selection process*
All applications that are submitted before the deadline will be checked against eligibility criteria by TDR. All eligible applications are then forwarded to two members of the Training Steering Committee (TSC) for review. TDR may seek external reviewers if there is no expertise within the Committee. These reviewers submit their reviews to TDR for short listing of qualified applications. TDR representatives then make a visit to evaluate the institute against institutional eligibility criteria, as well as evaluating the applicants' potential for development, and make recommendations to TSC, which meets in November. TSC reviews the evaluation on individual applicants made by the reviewers, and the recommendations about institutions and applicants made by the site visit, and makes recommendations to TDR Director for approval of grants.

* Timeline for selection of applications*
March 2008 Call for Applications 15 June 2008 Applications deadline July 2008 Applications reviewed by two members of the Training Steering Committee (TSC), or by two external reviewers as requested by TSC 31 July 2008 Shortlist of successful Applications available By 15 August 2008 Notification to unsuccessful applicants by TDR August 2008 Site visit and evaluation by TDR representative( s) November 2008 Applications reviewed, and recommendations made, by Research Training Steering Committee (TSC), Empowerment 1 week after TSC's recommendation TDR Director approval of TSC recommendations Within 2 weeks after approval from TDR Director Grants recipients notified

* All applications must be received by 15 June 2008*

*Terms and conditions for applications*

To apply for this grant, follow the Instructions for Applications when completing the application form. Two referees are required for each application. Applicants from countries requiring national endorsement should submit their application through proper government channels. All applicants should send a copy of their application to the WHO Representative' s Office in their home country for information purposes.

For further information, please contact Dr Valaikanya Plasai at:plasaiv@who. int
Dr Valaikanya Plasai
Training Manager (a.i), Empowerment
Special Programme for Research and
Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR)
World Health Organization
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 2170
Fax: + 41 22 791 4774

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Posted by Naura | 11:15 PM

Call for applications
Research Leadership Development Training Grants (LTG)
*Important notes*

All applications must be received by 15 June 2008 only by email at trainingempowerment@who.int. Email subject line must include "LTG . Read and carefully follow instructions in each item on the application form. In addition, pages 1, and 12 (with original signatures) should be mailed to:
TDR
World Health Organization
CH - 1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland


Fax copies are not accepted. Read and carefully follow instructions in each item. Late and incomplete applications will not be processed. Applicants from countries requiring national endorsement should submit their application through proper channels. All candidates should send a copy of their application to the WHO Representative' s Office in their home country for information purpose. For further information, please contact Dr Valaikanya Plasai at: plasaiv@who. int

The UNICEF/UNDP/ World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) invites applications for the award of up to 10 grants in post-graduate training in health research in an academic institution in disease endemic countries. Particular attention will be paid to applications from the following: Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations; female applicants; applications proposing a local study programme; and Social science applications to health research.

This is a new type of TDR grant that replaces the Research Training Grants (RTG). While the focus of the training and development is the individual grantee, this new approach makes provision for development opportunities for the grantee's home institutions in order to make improvements to research practices at the institution. Various training technologies will be utilized, including mentorship at different stages of development, and learning contracts.

*Background*

TDR launched a new strategy in June, 2007, with a vision to foster "an effective global research effort on infectious diseases of poverty in which disease endemic countries play a pivotal role." TDR's new vision is realized through a three-pronged strategy: stewardship, empowerment, and research on neglected diseases. DECs should have a prominent role in setting research priorities that are responsive to the need of, and ensure relevance to, sustainable and optimal health impact for the poor. Stewardship provides a collaborative framework and information service for research partners, and empowerment ensures that scientists and public health professionals from DECs can become prominent leaders who initiate and lead research activities.

* Description of the grant scheme*
TDR Empowerment <http://www.who. int/tdr/about/ strategy/ pdf/bl2.pdf> (also called Business Line 2) envisions a comprehensive, sustainable research capacity development programme. Both individual researchers and their home institutions are supported collectively.
With the active engagement of the host academic institutes, the trainees are encouraged to develop into future research leaders and partners in capacity building for health research in DECs. TDR is particularly looking to strengthen capacity in applying social sciences in health research. For this year, only applications for doctorate studies will be considered.

The grant provides the following opportunities:

1. Individual post-graduate training in health research. TDR is looking to develop a group of young scientists from DECs who will become leaders in their fields of study, and in initiating research projects that are relevant to their countries. This group of young scientists will be expected to strive for relevance, excellence and high standards of ethics in conducting health research for DECs.
2. Relevant capacity development at the home institute and/or academic institute can be considered for optimal training of grantee.

The longer term outcome of the programme is enhanced DEC leadership and capacity, at individual as well as institutional levels, in relevant technical and research management. The programme expects the trained individuals and their institutions to play pivotal, leadership roles in conceptualizing and prioritizing research needs, harnessing resources to respond to needs, maintaining contacts with key stakeholders for research and capacity needs, and communicating the research results to the public. The home institution and the individual should garner a strong presence in the research community in the region, and ultimately become a resource for such leadership training in the region. The individual scientists who are trained by this grant should serve as the focal points in each of the institutes, and will be continuously supported and developed by TDR to become leaders, to take leading roles in initiating relevant research for their countries and region.

* Eligibility criteria*

* Applicants must:*

1. Be a national of disease endemic countries, usually not more than 35 years of age on the month of application;
2. Been working for the last 12 months in a national institute that has a research element in a disease endemic country, and is committed to work with the institute for a minimum of five years after completion of the study;
3. Propose a study topic and a study plan that is relevant to the needs of DEC, of TDR Business Lines (BLs) and diseases, and to the proposed research;
4. Demonstrate interest and potential for leadership and innovation.

*Institutions must: *

1. Be a national, or a not-for-profit, institution in a DEC with an element of health research on TDR-relevant issues and diseases;
2. Allow the applicant to be trained in a post-graduate programme for up to three years;
3. Support the research proposal of the individual and develop an institutional research plan in the proposed area.Two letters of reference scanned and attached to the application.

* Selection** criteria*

Applications will be judged based on four elements which are equally important:

1. The applicants:
- Excellent track record, as a researcher as well as principled public health professional
- Conceptual and management capacities
- Potential for leadership development in own field of research
2. The institution:
- Excellent track record as a national institution, with an element of research in TDR's issues and diseases.
- Strong commitment to support the individual applicant, and the study plan proposed by the individual applicant
- Potential for leadership capacity development, and support from leadership at higher levels for such development
3. The study plan:
- Coherent with, and supporting of, the proposed research
- Showing linkages between individual and home institution development
4. The proposed research will be judged according to the following criteria:
- Excellence (feasibility, impact, innovativeness, scientific and research logic, and quality of the
proposal)
- Compliant with international standards of research, Good Clinical Practice, ethics, and
safety-related issue
- TDR relevance (conformance to TDR issues and diseases, public health relevance, and
pertinent to the needs in the region.)
- Whether the proposed research experience will fulfill the applicant's development needs
- Potential of serving as platform for leadership and capacity development in the region
- Physical environment appropriate for the proposed research (lab space, available technology,
computer time, etc.)

* Priorities for selection*
- Applications from LDCs
- Women
- Study plans that propose training in own country or region
- Social science applications to health research

* Selection process*
All applications that are submitted before the deadline will be checked against eligibility criteria by TDR. All eligible applications are then forwarded to two members of the Training Steering Committee (TSC) for review. TDR may seek external reviewers if there is no expertise within the Committee. These reviewers submit their reviews to TDR for short listing of qualified applications. TDR representatives then make a visit to evaluate the institute against institutional eligibility criteria, as well as evaluating the applicants' potential for development, and make recommendations to TSC, which meets in November. TSC reviews the evaluation on individual applicants made by the reviewers, and the recommendations about institutions and applicants made by the site visit, and makes recommendations to TDR Director for approval of grants.

* Timeline for selection of applications*
March 2008 Call for Applications 15 June 2008 Applications deadline July 2008 Applications reviewed by two members of the Training Steering Committee (TSC), or by two external reviewers as requested by TSC 31 July 2008 Shortlist of successful Applications available By 15 August 2008 Notification to unsuccessful applicants by TDR August 2008 Site visit and evaluation by TDR representative( s) November 2008 Applications reviewed, and recommendations made, by Research Training Steering Committee (TSC), Empowerment 1 week after TSC's recommendation TDR Director approval of TSC recommendations Within 2 weeks after approval from TDR Director Grants recipients notified

* All applications must be received by 15 June 2008*

*Terms and conditions for applications*

To apply for this grant, follow the Instructions for Applications when completing the application form. Two referees are required for each application. Applicants from countries requiring national endorsement should submit their application through proper government channels. All applicants should send a copy of their application to the WHO Representative' s Office in their home country for information purposes.

For further information, please contact Dr Valaikanya Plasai at:plasaiv@who. int
Dr Valaikanya Plasai
Training Manager (a.i), Empowerment
Special Programme for Research and
Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR)
World Health Organization
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 2170
Fax: + 41 22 791 4774

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*Research Assistantships*

Research assistantships (RAs) offer students an opportunity to gain valuable research-related experience, develop close working relationships with faculty, and sometimes earn co-authorship on peer-reviewed publications.
Assistantships come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Just as our students represent a wide range of experience and training, so do the available RA positions necessitate an array of skill levels. The degree of expertise required for a particular assistantship is dictated by the nature of the project. The duties of an RA may include, but are not limited to:
- literature searches,
- questionnaire development,
- administration of questionnaires,
- interviewing of study participants,
- data collection,
- quality control tasks,
- data analysis,
- manuscript writing, and
- proposal development.

The duration of RA positions is quite variable. Some are short-term (weeks or even days in duration) and some may last for a year or more. The number of hours of work per week also varies, typically ranging from 15-20 hours per week. Stipend rates vary depending on level of skills required and funding availability.

Research assistantships become available throughout the year, as new grants are funded or existing ones extended. Opportunities are usually plentiful, and over the years most epidemiology students who wish to work have been able to do so. However, the grants that fund student assistantships are from sources outside the University, and may carry uncertainties; consequently, it is rarely possible to promise such a position before the student arrives on Campus. A new student should be prepared to handle his or her full expenses at first, with the reasonable hope that an assistantship can be obtained within a fairly short time.

*How to get a research assistantship*

- Upon an offer of admission, you will be given access to web application for requesting consideration for research assistantships. This notifies the Department that a student would like to be considered for a service appointment (that is, an appointment for which some number of hours of work is required). During the summer, these applications are duplicated and distributed to all department faculty and adjunct faculty to notify them of new students who might be suitable for positions on their research projects.
- New assistantship opportunities are announced via a departmental listserve. Applicants who receive an offer of admission will be given the opportunity to subscribe to this listserve.
- Students interested in research assistantships should talk with faculty and ask them about possibilities.

* Teaching Assistantships*

Students in the department may gain teaching experience through Teaching Assistantship (TA) positions. Just as with the Research Assistantships, TA positions are available to students with different skill levels. TAs work with faculty in the preparation of course materials, the preparation of the class schedule, the assembly of course-packs, and in the pre-testing of evaluation instruments. During the courses, TAs observe lectures and make themselves available to students for clarification of concepts and terms used in those lectures; review the exercises used in course materials and/or textbooks; they conduct question-and- answer sessions structured around examples and exercises used in various sections of applied courses; and they make themselves available to answer questions from students in clarification sessions prior to quizzes, tests, and final examination.

The number of hours of work per week varies according to the demands of the course. Stipend rates vary depending on level of skills required and funding availability.

*How to get a teaching assistantship: *

TA positions for new students are limited, but may be available to students entering with prior epidemiology training. Most of the TA opportunities are for EPID 600, a service course for non-majors that satisfies the SPH core requirement. Students who have completed more advanced training may serve as TAs for upper-level methods courses. In addition, opportunities are sometimes available in the substantive epidemiology courses. TAs in the advanced level courses usually serve at the invitation of the primary course instructor; however, the instructors will always welcome an inquiry from students who have a strong interest in a particular course. Students interested in teaching assistantships should contact <epidemiology@ unc.edu> our Student Services Office.

*In-State Tuition Award*

In-state students may receive an In-State Tuition Award that provides tuition support, not to include fees. To be eligible, the student must be appointed as a teaching assistant, research assistant, fellow or trainee; earn a minimum of $6500 per semester ($7200 for TAs) (2007-08 academic year); and be enrolled full-time.

Out-of-state students are also eligible for the In-State Tuition Award, if they receive a concurrent tuition remission award.

* Training Grants*

Several institutional training grants from NIH agencies provide support for epidemiology students. Students who apply for training support must be in a program leading to the PhD, or must have a prior doctoral degree. Under NIH provisions, trainees must be United States citizens or Permanent Residents.

The grant pays a portion of tuition and fees, in addition to a stipend. The current NIH predoctoral stipend is $20,772 for a 12-month appointment.
Postdoctoral stipends vary according to the trainee's years of experience.
Training grant appointments are non-service, but generally require a research apprenticeship. However, the student's career interests and research project must be within the area for which the grant is funded.

Current department training grants fund a number of students studying issues in cancer, cardiovascular disease, environmental, occupational and nutritional epidemiology. Faculty participating in administration of each grant select the trainees. Application forms are available from the Student Services Office. The Principal Investigators for the departmental training grants are as follows:

Upon an offer of admission, you will be given access to web application for requesting consideration for a training grant position.

Certain related programs on campus also fund epidemiology students through NIH training grants. Interested students should contact the program directly.

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PhD fellowship in agricultural economics

Rural Economy Research Centre, Teagasc & UCD, Ireland (Ireland)

Ireland: PhD Studentship in Agricultural Economics, Teagasc & University College Dublin

PhD Studentship description

This project evaluates the economic costs and benefits associated with alternative management practises of Genetically Modified (GM) crop technology. Specific research questions relating to the following issues will be examined: (i) a comparison of the costs of co-existence accruing to conventional crop producers and the potential benefits accruing to GM adopting producers (ii) factors affecting farmer’s attitudes to GM technology adoption and (iii) consumer willingness to pay for GM versus non GM food end products. This study will provide valuable lessons for policy by deepening our understanding of the economics of co-existence of conventional and GM crop technology.

The PhD student will be based part-time at the Rural Economy Research Centre, Teagasc and the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Business Section, School of Agriculture, Food Science & Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin. There is also the possibility that the student may spend a semester at a US university collaborating with experts in the area of consumer willingness to pay studies in relation to GM technology.

Requirements • Degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Science or related discipline • An interest in applied microeconomics in particular agricultural or environmental economics • Excellent quantitative skills.

Conditions of employment Stipend: €21,000 per annum (from which tuition fees must be paid) Duration of the contract: 3 years beginning September, 2008

Additional Information Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from: Dr. Fiona Thorne Email: fiona.thonre@teagasc.ie

Application Interested candidates should either post or email their CVs before June 13th to Dr. Fiona Thorne, RERC, Teagasc, Malahide Road, Kinsealy, Dublin 17, Fiona.thorne @ teagasc.ie Deadline: June 13th, 2008

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PhD Student (60%)

Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS), ETH Zurich (Switzerland)

The Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) at ETH Zurich seeks a PhD Student (60%) interested in writing his/her PhD thesis in the context of a project on water management in the Zambezi river basin.

Research area: Your PhD research will be part of a large interdisciplinary project that studies integrated water resources management in the Zambezi river basin (http://www.zambezi.ethz.ch/twiki/bin/view/Zambezi). It will focus on issues of multi-level governance from a political science and economics viewpoint.

Your background: We are looking for a candidate who holds an MA/MSc in political science and/or economics. Ideally, applicants should have strong methodological skills in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, a keen interest in questions of political economy, good knowledge of political science, economic and political economy theories, and a strong command of English. Willingness and ability to spend several months in southern Africa to collect data and interact with local project partners is essential.

What we offer: We offer the successful candidate an intellectually challenging position in one of the leading political science research centers in Europe, an exciting opportunity to engage in field research in southern Africa, and the prospects of obtaining a PhD degree from ETH Zurich (http://www.ib.ethz.ch/phd/index). The position is funded for three years in the order of CHF 3’000.- / month. The advisors of the PhD thesis will be Prof. Thomas Bernauer (http://www.ib.ethz.ch) and Prof. Rolf Kappel (http://www.nadel.ethz.ch).

Your application: We invite you to submit an application letter and CV, two letters of recommendation, and other application materials to ETH Zürich, Ms. Claudia Jenny, ETH Zurich, ETH Zentrum SEI G.1, CH-8092 Zurich (cjenny @ icr.gess.ethz.ch), preferably in electronic form. The deadline is 30 June 2008.

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Ph D Scholarship Innovation and Market Selection: an Evolutionary Approach

CNRS-GREDEG, University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis, and Department for Research on Innovation and Competition (OFCE) - SciencesPo (France)

Description of the Subject: Aggregate productivity growth is the outcome of incumbent firms adopting new and superior techniques and (or) entering firms replacing exiting firms with better technologies. This research project will concern market selection mechanisms by characterising innovation as a process of selection (or acquisition) of more productive technologies within firms and a process of selection of firms itself. It will analyse both what happens inside the firms and what happens between firms on the market when firms are engaged in innovative or imitative processes. The first part of the research will be devoted to making a survey of empirical and theoretical analyses of industrial dynamics, which should focus on the relation between innovation and competition. The second part of the research will build a theoretical model of industrial dynamics in order to analyse rivalry and competition among heterogeneous firms. It will determine the market conditions that allow firms to capture productivity gains from past investments. These market conditions are critical to characterising the dynamic equilibrium, similar to a so-called natural market structure.

The third and last part will consist in developing an empirical analysis of the determinants of firms’ entry and exit, using French census data. In its conclusion, this research will address critical issues concerning the objectives and channels of industrial policies defined as policies that support development of firms and innovation

Requirements: The successful candidate must be familiar with basic economic modelling and econometrics (master level). Knowledge of English is required. Proficiency in English and the willingness to learn French are appreciated.

This is a PhD public scholarship for three years, starting from September 2008 onwards, with an annual pay of 16,000 Euros before income tax. The candidate will be hosted at CNRS/GREDEG and OFCE/DRIC. GREDEG (CNRS and University of Nice Sophia Antipolis) is a research group in industrial economics. OFCE-DRIC (www.ofce.sciences-po.fr/index-uk.htm) is a department of the research centre in economics of Sciences-Po Paris, a leading French higher education institution. The Department for Research on Innovation and Competition (OFCE-DRIC), in association with the GREDEG, studies a broad set of topics related to structural change, innovation and trade. It has a strong emphasis on empirical approaches:
(i) for the analysis of economic performances of firms and countries engaged in innovation processes or concerned with the entry in new markets;
(ii) for the evaluation of public policies (competition and regulation policies, but also fiscal and banking ones). Its researchers combine a good grasp of economic theory with various econometric methods applied to firm and plant level datasets.

Supervisor: Jean-Luc Gaffard Professor of Economics, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and CNRS-GREDEG, Head of the Department for Research on Innovation and Competition (OFCE Centre de Recherche en Economie de Sciences-Po)

Location: CNRS-GREDEG / University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and OFCE Department for Research on Innovation and Competition, 250 Avenue Albert Einstein, 06560 Valbonne, France.

Application: Applications will be received no later than June 30 2008. A master degree is required. To apply send a hard-copy of a cover letter, a full CV, a letter of recommendation, and a scholarly work or a research paper to:
Prof. Jean-Luc Gaffard, OFCE-DRIC, 250 rue Albert Einstein, 06560
Valbonne, France
, e-mail: jeanluc.gaffard @ ofce.sciences-po.fr

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Call for “Aegis Women Leadership Scholarships in Business and Technology ” for One Year MBA/Post Graduate Program In Business Management (PGP) August 2008-09 at Aegis School of Business, Mumbai, India .
Aegis Women Leadership Scholarships in Business and Technology for outstanding candidates with demonstrated leadership qualities for studying full-time One Year MBA/PGP program. There are a number of scholarships up to $11,750, covering part or full tuition fee, are available for highly motivated self-funded outstanding female candidates from any part of the world.

Aegis, a live consulting based business school, was started with the support of Bharti Tele (Airtel), India’s top Telecom Company, for developing the next generation of leaders. Aegis School of Business is the most international business school in India, in term of student and faculty diversity. School has over 70 % International candidates, which is the highest among any Indian Business Schools. The international diversity at Aegis prepares participants for a global work place. Aegis offers one-year full time programs : MBA/ PGP, MBA IT, MS in Computer Engineering/ MPIS, Masters in Telecommunication Management program, Post Graduate Program in Communication.

Selection for these scholarships will focus on the insights provided by your business and managerial experience, technical competency, academic excellence and how these, together with your interpersonal skills, can be used to enhance learning and group work at Aegis. In awarding these scholarships we will be looking for evidence of exceptional leadership qualities in your career to date.

Scholarship available for following programs :

* One Year MBA/PGP (Candidates required min two year work experience.)
* One Year MS Computer Science/ Masters Program in Information Systems (MPIS) (Candidates without experience can apply.)
* Masters Program in Telecom Management (MPTM) (Candidates without experience can apply.)
* Two Year Post Graduate Diploma in Retail Management (Candidates without experience can apply.)
* One Year Post Graduate Program in Communication (Candidates without experience can apply.)

Requirements :
This Scholarship is available for candidates admitted in full-time programs at Aegis and has a confirm offer letter. You can refer the details of Eligibility criteria for admissions at http://www.aegisedu.org/Admission%20Requirements.htm

Scholarship Amount :
Scholarships up to $11,750 covering the full or partial tuition fee are available for highly motivated, self-funded individuals.
Selection Process:

* Applications evaluation and short listing
* Interview of Short-listed candidates ( option for telephonic interview available)
* Please note that scholarships vary in value and have different criteria on which they are awarded.

Eligibility :

To be eligible for Scholarship you need final admission offer letter from Aegis.
Important Dates:

Application on ongoing basis
1st round application deadline 10 June 2008
2nd round application deadline 25 June 2008
3rd round application deadline 10 July 2008
Next Step:

1. Resume: Send a copy of your updated Resume for pre-application screening at admission@aegisedu.org
2. Application: Complete the application form downloadable / online application form http://www.aegisedu.org/application.htm
Admission Application Form and Scholarship Application Form is common.
When you submit the application for admission along with additional essay for scholarship, your candidature will be automatically processed for scholarships.
3. Additional one or tow page essay explaining, “Why I should be considered for award of Aegis Women Leadership Scholarships in Business and Technology? ”
4. Test Scores: Copy of any one of the Test Scores viz. GMAT, GRE, TOEFL (Aegis TOEFL code is 5730), IELTS, CAT, G4ATR (not mandatory). Although it is not mandatory requirement, but it will defiantly increase your prospect of getting the scholarship and candidature in the program.

Feel free to call at +91 932 252 5977/ +91 982 087 0483 or Skype:aegis.school.of.business or email at dmission@aegisedu.org to explore more about the program and scholarships at Aegis.
Sarika Gupta
Director Admissions & Financial Aid
Aegis School of Business
Aegis School of Telecommunication
Mahesh, Plot No.37, Sector 15, CBD, Belapur
Navi Mumbai 400614
Phone: +91 022 67122726
Mobile: +91 (0) 93225 25977
Email: sarika.gupta@aegisedu.org
Skype:aegis.school.of.business
Past Female Recipient of Aegis Scholarships:

Tenecia Sicard
US National
MBA/PGP 2005-06
Aegis Scholar (Full tuition fee and cost of Living)
MA International University, Roehampton University, London
Bachelor of Science (BS), Science & Technology in Society: Computer Science Concentration, Stanford University, CA
She was offered special package in India, by Ernst & Young. However, she declined the E&Y India offer and was hired by Clinton Foundation in US.

Anne Villanueva
Philippine National
PGP/MBA 2007-08
Aegis Scholars ( Full Tuition fee)
Bachelor of Science (BSc), St Paul University Manila, Philippines
Work Exp. 2 yrs in Real Estate

View the details at http://www.aegisedu.org/scholarships_financial%20_aid.htm

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THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS WILL AWARD UP TO 5 SCHOLARSHIPS TO EXCELLENT STUDENTS FROM INDONESIA FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA MBA PROGRAMME.

Deadline: 30 June 2008

The University of Nicosia is the largest private university in Cyprus with an established reputation for quality education and has recently received the “Committed to Excellence” award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).

The MBA programme is one of the best offered in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean region and is locally accredited by CEEA, the Cyprus Ministry of Education and KYSATS. The Business School is a member of AACSB – International Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The University of Nicosia MBA Specializations in:

* Management
* Marketing
* Finance
* MIS (Management Information Systems)

Students whose first degree is not business related may be required to take up to 3 Foundation Courses.

The Scholarship will be valid for one year and will include:
1) €10,252 tuition fees
2) One return ticket (up to €770)
3) €683 monthly allowance
4) €68 arrival allowance
5) €51 departure allowance
6) €185 for purchase of medical insurance
7) €34 cost of issuing a student permit
8) €46 cost for medical tests required for the student permit
9) €427 Text book allowance

Procedure for applying for the MBA Scholarship
1. The Applicant must prepare the following set of documents:
1) Completed University of Nicosia MBA application form
2) Officially attested Bachelor Degree mark sheets
3) Officially attested copy of Bachelors Degree
4) Officially attested Master Degree mark sheet
5) Officially attested copy of Masters Degree
6) 2 recommendation letters
7) Proof of English proficiency
8) Curriculum Vitae
9) Officially attested copy of passport (valid for at least two years)
10) 4 photographs
11) Officially attested copy of good conduct report from the police
12) Copy of blood test results for Syphilis, HIV and Hepatitis B
13) Copy of chest X-Ray report
14) Endorsement Form* that is officially signed and stamped

* The Endorsement Form must be filled in by an officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other Government Authority that is approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(Please note that the documents which need to be officially attested should be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for certification.)

2. The above documents together with the signed Endorsement Form must be submitted to the:

Honorary Consul of the Republic of Cyprus- Jakarta
Mr. Hardjuni SH
Menara Sudirman 7th Floor B
JI. Menara Sudirman Kav. 60
Jakarta 12190

Tel.: 006221 5226837-39, 0062 816739877 (mob.)
Fax.: 006221 5226829, 006221 5227753
Email: hdh@cbn.net.id

All applications must reach the Honorary Consul by 30 June 2008.
Download Endorsement Form: click here

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2 PhD positions in combined human and monkey fMRI
Applications are invited for two PhD positions in the Lab of Neurophysiology at the KU Leuven in Belgium to work with Jan Jastorff and Guy Orban on projects involving action perception and 3D structure from motion. Both projects are designed to start with human functional imaging to develop specific paradigms, which can be afterwards also applied for awake monkey fMRI.

Details about the research group can be found at: http://neuroserv. med.kuleuven. be/

Candidates should hold (or expect) a Diploma or Masters degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Psychology, Neuroscience, Physiology, Computer Science). Programming experience with Matlab and knowledge of statistics is a plus.

Please submit informal enquiries or an application letter, CV, and names of references to Dr. Jan Jastorff (jan.jastorff@ med.kuleuven. be)

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The Medical and Signal Processing research group (MEDISIP) of the faculty of engineering of the Ghent University offers a Phd position vacancy to work on a project involving EEG/fMRI and SPECT analysis of epilepsy phenomena of spikes and seizures.
MEDISIP has a background of PET, SPECT and MR imaging and reconstruction as well as advanced signal processing techniques for EEG source estimation, spike detection and EEG artifact removal.

Further information on MEDISIP's research tracks can be obtained at http://medisip. elis.ugent. be Candidates should show initiative and be able to work in a team.
Experience in programming in MATLAB, low level programming language (C, C++, java,...) is an asset. The candidates will be encouraged to go to international conferences and workshops in the early stages of their PhD.

The candidates should submit a CV and motivation letter by mail to
Steven.Staelens@ UGent.be or by ordinary mail: Steven Staelens, PhD Ghent University - IBBT Ghent University Hospital- IBITECH - MEDISIP De Pintelaan 185 B-9000 Ghent Belgium

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Politecnico di Torino, Italy, Alessandria Campus Level 1 Master Specialization Call for 2008/2009 academic year. The project offers the possibility of obtaining foreign students scholarships and other benefits to graduate Politecnico di Torino, attending courses in Alessandria Technology campus. The initiative promotes Politecnico di Torino and Comune di Alessandria.

Academic proposal
In the 2008/2009 academic year, applications for the next 1 level

Specializing Master courses will be taken:

Jewellery Engineering

General information on the level of Master 1 Specializing in jewelry
Engineering course

Location: Alessandria

Language, where the courses: Italian and English

Length: 1 year, 60 credits ECTS.

Activities will begin in November 2008.

For more information on the university campus, please visit the web site Alessandria campus.
REQUIREMENTS

With no Italian citizenship or Italian citizen who received a high school diploma abroad
Knowledge of the English language, preferably demonstrates international certification
Not having enrolled in Level 1 Specializing captain or Master of Science course Politecnico di Torino before the 2008/2009 academic year
Not being a recipient of other scholarships, Italian or foreign.

Academic requirements

In order to be accepted in the 1-level Master Specialization program, applicants must have a university education is equivalent to Bachelor of Science degree, which is approximately equivalent to three or four years after high school, depending on the number of school years.

For more information, please visit the entrance to the country.

Receiving the degree Politecnico di Torino

To go to the Politecnico di Torino, students must achieve a total of 60 credits, including final exams and dissertations. The time required for graduates is about one year (from November 2007 to November 2008). Nevertheless, the effective duration also depends on each student’s potential. Note also that the time required for a mandatory course in the Italian does not take into account the estimated duration of the program.

Please note that scholarship recipients must attend their course for its entire length (1 year - 60 credits).
SCHOLARSHIPS

The selection criteria

Candidates will be selected on the basis of their previous academic career and about his biography.

The amount of scholarships

Gross amount Alessandria Student Scholarship is 10000 euros for the full period. The exact amount depends on the net tax conditions of each individual student, which can be verified only after the arrival of the student.
The size of scholarships not be increased if a student takes longer than the graduate indicated.
The allocation of scholarships depends on the submission within 10 days from the date of arrival in Italy student, from the original documentation, which must conform to the documentation attached to the online form.

Payment of scholarships happens periodically. First Party depends on the possession of the relevant documentation (residence permit, Italian Fiscal Code, and bank account in the name of the recipient scholarships), all available on arrival in Italy, for this reason, the first batch is not paid in a moment of their arrival at the Politecnico di Torino But within the next month.

Requirements to retain scholarship Given that it is impossible to combine the benefits received from more than one scholarship, students who are assigned another study in obtaining grants Alessandria Student Scholarship must immediately notify the Politecnico di Torino. Payment of scholarships will be suspended if the academic performance of the recipient does not respond satisfactorily.

Deadlines:
1st application period: 8 p.m. (Italian time) on May 25th, 2008.
2nd application period: 8 p.m. (Italian time) on July 28th, 2008.

For more information about this program please visit university’s website

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Within the Institute for Materials Research (IMO) of
Hasselt University, the following position (m/f) is available:


PhD student Inorganic & Physical Chemistry (2 x 2 years) (mandate SBG/2008/004)

Job description
The PhD student will conduct
research within the frame of a recently acquired interdisciplinary research
project �A New Initiative of the �Bijzonder onderzoeksfonds�). The candidate
will focus on the investigation of (preferentially environmentally friendly)
wet-chemical synthesis methods for (new) functional metal oxides (nanoparticles
& thin films) with a high potential for innovative applications, due to the
combination of their structural, electrical and/or magnetic properties. An
important part of the work consists of a study of the relation between the
chemical composition, the structure/morphology (controlled by the synthesis
parameters) and the electrical and/or magnetic properties of the material. For
this purpose, the researcher use an extended range of state-of-the-art
characterisation techniques and work in a stimulating, multidisciplinary
research environment. The research of this project will be carried out in
collaboration within the Institute of Materials Research (materials physics
& chemistry). The PhD projects should result in the optimisation of
synthesis and process conditions and new fundamental insights towards the
realisation of functional materials for innovative
applications.

Profile and diploma
Candidates are able to work
independently and to conduct their research in a multidisciplinary context. This
also requires, that the candidates have a good knowledge of scientific English
and are able to speak the English and/or Dutch language fluently. A strong
interest in inorganic and physical chemistry, materials science as well as in
the synthesis and characterisation of functional materials is encouraged. The
candidates should have an adequate basic-knowledge of chemistry and materials
science and should therefore have a diploma of Master in (applied) Chemistry or
(applied) Physics, Materials Science, Bio engineer, Master in Industrial
Sciences, Civil Engineer or equivalent
diploma.

Appointment
Full-time appointment, with a duration of
2x2 years and an intermediate assessment after 2 years.

Further
information
* Content job responsibilities:
Inorganic & Physical
Chemistry
* Prof. dr. M. Van Bael, +32-11-26.83.82, marlies.vanbael@uhasselt.be,
* Prof. dr. J. Mullens, +32-11-26.83.08, jules.mullens@uhasselt.be
Materials physics
* Prof. dr. Patrick Wagner, +32-11-26.89.00,
patrick.wagner@uhasselt.be
* Content terms of employment and selection procedure: Jef
Vanvoorden, 011-26 80 80, jef.vanvoorden@uhasselt.be
Application
Applicants must use the official
application forms
* which are available at the Rectoraat of Hasselt
University, Campus Diepenbeek, Agoralaan - building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek
(Belgium), phone +32 - 11 - 26 80 03
* or which can be downloaded here: http://www.uhasselt.be/download/APengelsUH.doc
The completed application forms must reach the above
mentioned address no later than Friday, June 6th 2008.
Application by e-mail will only be taken into consideration when sent to the following address: jobs@uhasselt.be.

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PhD Sensor technology

Posted by Naura | 12:43 AM

PhD Sensor technology (2 x 2 years)
(mandate WNI/2008/016)

Job description
The PhD student will conduct scientific research within the framework of development of sensor platforms for electronic characterisation of DNA mutations and related problems. More specifically, sensor arrays will be developed based on impedimetric and isocap-based sensor concepts. An important issue is the analysis of electric field and band structure effects at the interface between aqueous phases, molecular layers and semiconductor surfaces. Furhermore, attention will be focussed on the optimisation of the performance of the sensor arrays.

Profile and diploma
Master degree (or equivalent) in either physics, applied sciences, electronics, physical chemistry, nano- and microtechnology or materials science.

Appointment
The appointment has a duration of 2x2 years (assessment after 2 years).


Further information
* Content job responsibilities:
* Prof. dr. Ward De Ceuninck, tel. +32-11-26 88 72, ward.deceuninck@uhasselt.be
* Prof. dr. Patrick Wagner, tel. +32–11-26 88 95, patrick.wagner.@uhasselt.be
* Prof. dr. Marc D’Olieslaeger, +32-11-26 88 99, marc.dolieslaeger@uhasselt.be
* Content terms of employment and selection procedure: Jef Vanvoorden, 011-26 80 80, jef.vanvoorden@uhasselt.be
Application
Applicants must use the official application forms
* which are available at the Rectoraat of Hasselt University, Campus Diepenbeek, Agoralaan - building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium), phone +32 - 11 - 26 80 03
* or which can be downloaded here http://www.uhasselt.be/download/APengelsUH.doc
The completed application forms must reach the above mentioned address no later than Friday, June 6th 2008.
Application by e-mail will only be taken into consideration when sent to the following address: jobs@uhasselt.be.

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