computational science | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans

This research is sponsored under the Marie Curie initiative

Study Subject: Computational Science, Computer Science, Computational Physics, Biomedical Engineering

Employer: University of Amsterdam

Level: Postdoctoral

Fellowship Description: We offer a two year postdoctoral position in the field of large scale computing for biomedical applications, located in the Computational Science research group of the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam. The position is part of MeDDiCa, a large European research project in the field of medical devices for cardiovascular applications. The aim of the research is to explore large scale distributed computing in the domain of multiscale biomedical simulations, exploiting high-end infrastructures as offered by PRACE and EGI.

MeDDiCA is a Marie Curie Initial Training Network sponsored by the European Commission. This network consists of 16 partners from all over Europe. MeDDiCA (Medical Devices Design in Cardiovascular Applications) investigates, through modelling and simulation, percutaneous stent devices and artificial heart valves. The research is multidisciplinary, ranging from medicine and biology to physics, engineering and computational science. The research at the University of Amsterdam is focussed on multiscale modelling and simulation, as well as large scale distributed multiscale computing. You will be working with three PhD students (supervising one), and another postdoc, forming a team working on multiscale modelling and simulation in the domain of the Virtual Physiological Human (VPH). Being embedded in the seminal well-recognized VPH research the work on MeDDiCA offers opportunities to establish sustainable collaborations with the diverse research groups in this framework.

Requirements

Candidates should have a PhD degree in Computational Science, Computer Science, Computational Physics, Biomedical Engineering or related disciplines. Applicants should have a proven track record in large scale computing. Direct experience with Grid computing is not required, but candidates should have a strong affinity with such modes of distributed computing. Experience in the biomedical field is not immediately needed, but a strong interest is required. Candidates should form a bridge between the HPC community and the Biomedical engineering community, and should therefore be capable to ‘speak both languages’, and should be willing to publish both in Computational Science journals as well as Biomedical Engineering journals. Candidates should be able to work in an international multidisciplinary team. Moreover, given the nature of the MeDDiCA project, the candidate should be willing to participate in all project related networking activities. As this research is sponsored under the Marie Curie initiative, the Marie Curie mobility rules apply. So, before applying, candidates are requested to check their eligibility.

Fellowship Application Deadline: 19 November 2010

Apply Here

Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship

The PhD Scholarship Programme recognises and supports exceptional students who show the potential to make an outstanding contribution to science and computing. This programme supports PhD students in computing and those working at the intersection of computing and the sciences.

Only PhD supervisors should apply. If their project is selected, the supervisor has up to a year to find the best possible student for the project.

Eligibility Criteria:

We usually consider only one application per university department or per laboratory of a national research institution.

Only applications from institutions in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East will be considered; students may be of any nationality, however.

For an application to be considered, the proposed research must be closely related to the research carried out at Microsoft Research in Cambridge. These research topics are:

Computational Science
Computer-Mediated Living
Constraint Reasoning
Machine Learning and Perception
Online Services and Advertising
Programming Principles and Tools
Systems and Networking

Application Process:

Applications are on a competitive basis and we anticipate a high level of demand for scholarships (the average selection rate has been around 20 percent over the last six years).

Applications are accepted only through a student’s institution, such as from the PhD supervisor or a departmental secretary. We do not accept applications from students directly.

Applications should contain the following:
- An online web form that includes contact details of supervisor(s) and possible reviewers.
  Ideally, one of the suggested reviewers should be from Microsoft Research. If no suitable Microsoft researcher can be identified, it may mean that the proposed research project is too far from our areas of interest.
- A project proposal of maximum six (6) A4 pages in 10-point font, including references.
  Accepted formats: plain text or Microsoft Office Word only.
The research project proposal should address the following points:
- Evidence that the research supervisor would be suitable to supervise a PhD student for the proposed research project.
  This may include a short list of the supervisor’s recent and relevant publications. Please consider including the URLs of the publications to make it easier for reviewers to find them.
- Evidence that the department or laboratory offers a suitable environment for research in the proposed area.
- Basis for the research (motivations and brief state-of-the-art, including key references).
- Hypothesis under investigation and main aims.
- Research strategy with significant milestones if identified.
- Methods of research (for example, main techniques, experiments, and trials).
- Details of any collaboration with other departments/research bodies.
- Expected outcomes (for example, software tools).

Applications must be complete, submitted online, and received by the announced deadline to be considered. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered.

Application deadline: 15 September 2010, 17:00 GMT

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This research is sponsored under the Marie Curie initiative

Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship