Technology | Scholarship for Nigerians and Africans - Part 10

The Norman E. Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (LEAP)

The Norman E. Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (Borlaug LEAP) is a fellowship program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to enhance the quality of thesis research of graduate students from developing countries who show strong promise as leaders in the field of agriculture and related disciplines as defined by Title XII. LEAP is part of the overall Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Borlaug LEAP Fellowship supports engaging a mentor at a Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system center to support and enhance the thesis research and mentoring experience. Awards are made on a competitive basis to students who show strong scientific and leadership potential, have a well coordinated proposal between their home university, a US university mentor, and the CGIAR mentor, and whose research is related to a strong research and support project within the host country. Emphasis is placed on work that has relevance to the national development of the student’s home country.

Currently there are two limited release Request for Applications (RFAs):

1. Applications are requested for sub-Saharan African students conducting research on topics related to USAID’s Feed the Future: Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative. The focus region is sub-Saharan Africa. All topics related to agriculture (as defined by Title XII) and food security are admissible.
2. Applications are requested for developing country students conducting research in partnership with CRSPs (Collaborative Research Support Programs). The focus region is global. All topics related to agriculture (as defined by Title XII) and CRSP priorities are admissible.

Scholarship Application Deadline: May 18, 2011.

Further Scholarship Information and Application

PhD Positions in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands

New forms of power-efficient, photonic integrated circuits are required to address challenges in data networking, computing and sensing. Photonic integration offers massive bandwidths, but the achievable circuit complexity is in its infancy. This research program addresses the key circuit level challenges in realising ultrafast signal processing for multi-Tb/s and THz class solutions.This research is embedded in a soon-to-be-started Dutch project Smartlight on next generation integrated photonic circuits solutions for interconnection and signal processing networks. The role of the PhD student will encompass aspects of design, clean room fabrication and assessment.

The candidate should have a master degree in the physical sciences or engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master’s degree in engineering. The candidate is expected to have a strong background in:
• Semiconductor physics
• Electronics
• Photonics
It is an advantage if the candidate has experience with:
• Clean room processing
• Optoelectronic circuit design
• Computer programming languages and computer aided design
• Measurement techniques

Scholarship Application Deadline:
29/05/2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application

JRF, SRF and RA Positions at Translational Health Science And Technology Institute, India

Translational Health Science And Technology Institute (THSTI) is an autonomous Institute of the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. THSTI has been developed as a part of the interdisciplinary Health biotech Science cluster to be located at Faridabad which is a part of the National Capital Region. The Institute is being mentored by globally recognized National Institute of Immunology (NII) and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology (HMHST). THSTI is designed to be a dynamic and interactive organization with a mission to conduct innovative translational research and develop research collaborations across disciplines and professions to accelerate the development of concepts into tangible products to improve human health. The other members of the cluster include The Regional Centre of Biotechnology (RCB) under the aegis of UNESCO and the NII with which the THSTI will have a seamless collaboration to achieve the interdisciplinary expertise. The cluster will have access to the state of the art experimental animal facility and the platform technology center for the sophisticated instrumentation. The permanent laboratories of the centre will come up in Faridabad within 3 years. The interim laboratories of the centre are functioning from Gurgaon in the South of Delhi area with adequate housing, transportation and schooling facilities. Campus housing may be available when the centre moves to Faridabad.Vaccine and Infectious Disease Research Center (VIDRC) has been set up as a mission center of the THSTI to study infectious disease and pathogens with the aim to generate translational knowledge for developing prophylactic and therapeutic measures against diseases prevalent in India.
Eligibility: RA : Doctorate (PhD/MD) or an equivalent degree or 3 years of research experience after MVSc / MPharm.
SRF: Post Graduate Degree in Life Sciences with 2 years research experience or MBBS.
JRF: Post Graduate Degree in Life Sciences.

Scholarship Application Deadline: 26 April 2011

Further Scholarship Information and Application