Biology | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans - Part 24

EPSRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Cognitive Control of Autonomous Systems, UK

The Cognitive Signal Image Processing Research (COSIPRA) Laboratory of Dr. Amir Hussain at the University of Stirling invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on the EPSRC project “Dual Process Control Models in the Brain and Machines with Application to Autonomous Vehicle Control”.

The general aim of this multi-disciplinary project is to exploit a range of similarities between systems in control engineering and the animal brain, focusing specifically on the concepts of automatised and controlled (or executive) processing and how they might map onto modular.

Given the inherent similarities between the two problem domains of AVC and action selection in animals, this ambitious project aims to leverage new results from psychology and neurobiology discovered in the laboratory of the project Co-Investigator (Prof Kevin Gurney at The University of Sheffield) and apply them to the AVC controllers under development in Dr Hussain’s Lab at Stirling. The outcome should be a new generation real-time cognitive AVC controller, more directly inspired by the biological ideas. The appointed postdoctoral researcher will work closely with our industrial partners (Industrial Systems Control and SciSys) to evaluate the benefits of these novel controllers within the challenging context of regular road driving and planetary rover vehicles.
Fellowship Application Deadline: 05/01/2011 at 12 noon
Further Fellowship Information and Application

Psychiatry: Two DPhil Studentships, UK

The Department is pleased to invite applications for 2 MRC-supported studentships, to conduct research towards a doctoral degree at the University. The department supports internationally-renowned research programmes that address the causes and treatments of psychiatric illness; it is particularly strong in neurobiology and physical treatments, psychopathology and psychological treatments, old-age and social psychiatry, psychiatric epidemiology and developmental psychopathology.

Information about particular projects offered this year can be found at http://www.psychiatry.ox.ac.uk/studentships/post-gradresearch. There are projects in the glucocorticoids and emotional processing, depression and the neural basis of reward, genetics of dementia and the ageing brain, psychological factors in eating disorders, electrophysiology of attention, and neural responses to trauma. Applicants are strongly advised to contact potential supervisors to discuss possible projects or their own proposals before applying. Candidates who are interested in other aspects of the research done within the Department are also encouraged to apply.
Scholarship Application Deadline: Friday 14 January 2011
Further Scholarship Information and Application

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, USA

biochemistry; structural biology and chemistry; molecular, cell and developmental biology; immunology; virology and microbiology; neuroscience; physics; and mathematical biology Employer: The Rockefeller University Level: Undergraduate Fellowship Description: The Rockefeller University Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates to conduct laboratory research. SURF students work with leading scientists in a broad range of areas including biochemistry; structural biology and chemistry; molecular, cell and developmental biology; immunology; virology and microbiology; neuroscience; physics; and mathematical biology.

College sophomores and juniors are eligible to spend 10 weeks during the summer in a Rockefeller University laboratory. The program begins in early June and ends in mid-August. Placement in laboratories is centralized through the Dean’s Office. Students are matched with laboratories according to their stated research interests, and work on projects under the direct supervision of faculty, postdoctoral fellows and/or senior graduate students.

Each year, students are chosen from a wide variety of applicants with diverse scientific backgrounds and training. Annually, more than 500 students apply for admission into the SURF Program and approximately 15 are accepted.

In order to fully experience the world of scientific research, SURF students are required to present and discuss scientific publications at weekly Journal Club meetings. This exposure allows participants to familiarize themselves with speaking to a scientific audience. SURF students also attend a special lecture series where Rockefeller faculty discuss their research and the evolution of their scientific interests. At the end of the program, SURF students will present their research results to fellow students and mentors at a poster session.
Fellowship Application Deadline: February 1, 2011
Further Fellowship information and Application