Grants and Fellowships | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans - Part 130

PhD Studentship, Neutron Reflectometry and Ellipsometry applied to ATmospheric Night-time Oxidation (NEATNOx), University of Reading, UK

This project aims to obtain new insights into characteristics of film-covered cloud droplets by combining neutron reflector and ellipsometry for the study of atmospheric
reactions. Concerted experiments with these two complementary techniques will allow
investigation of the kinetic behaviour of organic monolayers at the air–liquid interface.
Organic monolayers on a Langmuir trough act as model for naturally occurring organic
layers on cloud droplets, and gas-phase destruction of the monolayers is monitored in real
time. Central to the project objectives is the optimization of the ILL’s new horizontal
neutron reflectometer, FIGARO, to push its temporal resolution to new limits. The
development of a dedicated cell for ellipsometry measurements will allow essential characterization of the chemical systems.

The work forms part of a wider research programme into modern climate change. Reactions
of model surfactants with the atmospheric night-time oxidant NO3 as well as with the
nitrogen oxides NO2 and N2O5 will be investigated. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids as
well as surfactants with various degrees of deuteration will be studied to gain insight into
the reaction mechanisms at sub-molecular resolution. The experimental data obtained will
be fed into newly developed models to (i) directly quantify the importance of surface
reactions on atmospheric aerosol; (ii) de-convolute the relative importance of surface
reaction, bulk reaction and transport; (iii) provide mechanistic insight with sub-molecular
resolution; and (iv) gain key information on the surfactant properties of reaction products.

The student will be based at ILL in Grenoble for the duration of the PhD and will have visits
to the University of Reading where the degree will be awarded. This position represents an
excellent opportunity for the student to be involved in additional collaborations and
participate in international meetings as well as cross-disciplinary research projects.
The annual allowance is currently €28,800 (subject to social security contributions and
income tax) plus the ILL productivity bonus (€910 in 2009), tuition fees are not payable. A
stipend will be paid at a similar level for 3 years from commencement of study, subject to
transfer to PhD after the first year.

The studentship starting date should be between October 2010 and February 2011. The
studentship is open to UK and EU nationals. Non-EU nationals are welcome to apply if the
have funding for the difference between EU and international fees.

Closing date for applications: 10th September 2010.

Postdoctoral Researcher in Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics, UK

We offer a 3-year post-doctoral position in Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics within the interdisciplinary group led by Dr. Lucarini. The position is funded through the EU-ERC project NAMASTE.

The research will focus on the analysis of the statistical mechanical properties of the climate systems using theoretical tools and models of various degrees of complexity. Attention will be devoted to the rigorous analysis of the response of the system to perturbations. The impact of stochastic forcings will also be addressed.

Informal contact details

Contact role: Principal Investigator

Contact name: Valerio Lucarini

Contact phone: +44 (0)118 3785573

Contact email: v.lucarini@reading.ac.uk

We invite you to apply online for this vacancy by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

Alternatively, if you wish to apply using a hardcopy form please email recruitment@reading.ac.uk or contact Human Resources, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 217, Reading RG6 6AH or Telephone +44(0)118 378 6771 (voicemail).

Application closing date 03/09/2010

Doctoral Research Fellowship within the Project Edvard Munch, Norway

Position as Ph.D. (SKO 1017) is available at the Department of Philosophy, History of Art and Classics (IFIKK) at the Faculty of Humanities and is linked to the faculty’s PhD program, the line of music and theater studies, aesthetics, art and ideas.. The position is available for a period of three years.

The Ph.D project should focus on Edvard Munch and the wider set of contexts in which his artistic production took place. It is vital that the project deliver innovative approaches that may forge new directions for research on Munch.

Several generations of scholars at the University of Oslo have made significant contributions to the research on and around Edvard Munch. The art historical department at IFIKK aims to keep this traditional alive by highlighting Munch and Modernity as one of their strategic research areas.

For years research on Edvard Munch has been dominated by biographical approaches primarily focused on the relation between Munch’s life and work.  Today, Munch research at the University of Oslo places greater emphasis on the wider range of national and international contexts in which his work was produced and received, both with respect to its relation to other modern artists as well as to various social, political and aesthetic fields. In recent years, art historians at IFIKK have increased its international exchanges connected with Munch research and have contributed to a number of publications and curatorial projects both outside and inside Norway. The Ph.D fellow will take part in IFIKK’s plans to expand and deepen its research on Munch and Munch’s modernity and should contribute to the ongoing development of an international network of researchers devoted to this field of study. Close collaboration with the Munch Museum and the National Museum of Art, Norway is also an important component in this plan of action.

The successful candidate is expected to affiliate with the existing research milieu or network and to contribute to the further development of this.

Candidates who are accepted must participate in the Faculty of Humanities’ researcher education programme (cf. regulations and supplementary provisions for the faculty’s researcher education) and must also engage in the designated research activities on a 100 percent basis. The designated aim of the project is to complete a doctoral dissertation to be defended at a public disputation for the Ph.D.-degree.

Qualifications and Personal Skills :

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the quality of the project description and on the assumed academic and personal ability on the part of the candidates to complete the dissertation within the given time frame. The short-listed candidates may be called for an interview at the University of Oslo.

Qualifications :

A Master degree or equivalent in an area relevant to the topic of the doctoral dissertation.