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Funding Opportunities in the Faculty of Science

Funding Opportunities across the Faculty of Science

Chemistry (Department of)

Complexity Science Doctoral Training Centre
Computer Science (Department of)
 Engineering (School of)
Life Sciences (School of)

Mathematics (Institute of)

Mathematics and Statistics Centre for Doctoral Training Centre (MASDOC)

Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells (MOAC)
Physics (Department of)
Psychology (Department of)

Scientific Computing (Centre for)

  • PhD Programme

Statistics (Department of)

Systems Biology Doctoral Training Centre

Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG)

Funding Opportunities across the Faculty of Science

 

SKTP Internships Programme

 
Shorter KTPs, (sKTPs), formerly known as Internships, are funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Technology Strategy Board.
 
sKTPs are postgraduate internships that offer a new way of putting mathematics to work at the heart of business. The programme places a current UK-based PhD student into a company for a period of between 3 and 6 months, to carry out a stand-alone project that develops or exploits some capability in industrial mathematics.
 
The areas of projects vary greatly and include but not limited to modelling and simulation, algorithm development, technology testing and data analysis.
These are normally available to both Home/EU and Overseas students, normally in their second or third years of study.
 
For all further information, please visit the SKTPs website.

Department of Chemistry

3 and 4-year PhD Programmes

The Life Sciences Doctoral Training Centre, funded by the BBSRC, offers a PhD with excellent opportunities for training and research. Two types of entry are available: 4-year PhDs incorporating a 9-month training course and a number of 3-year PhDs for those already holding an MSc or other professional qualifications or experience. Chemistry has research groups in chemical biology (bioorganic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, biophysical chemistry, structural biology, enzymology, natural products chemistry and biology) and molecular microbiology. For further information: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesciencephd/phd_projects/#Chemistry  
Visit the Department of Chemistry website for further information on doctoral study.
Also see funding opportunities offered by MOAC


school of engineering and department of chemistry

PhD Studentship

PhD Project Title: Emulsion polymerisation in flow

PhD studentship funded by EU project COOPOL and University of Warwick is available as a joint project between the Department of Chemistry and the School of Engineering at Warwick. The project will be based in the brand new Reaction Engineering laboratory in the group of Professor Alexei Lapkin and in the polymer synthesis group of Professor David Haddleton.The project is part of an EU consortium COOPOL aimed at developing intensive polymer synthesis processes with real-time control and optimisation. The specific project at Warwick will be devoted to experimental polymer synthesis under semi-batch and flow conditions. The project will target emulsion polymerisations and will make use of the available multi-sensor apparatus to obtain real-time information on reaction progress for fast process development. This is an experimental project, combining polymer synthesis using novel flow reactors and semi-batch reactors with real time reaction monitoring and optimisation. Student on this project will be expected to fully participate in the overall EU project.Successful applicants would have a minimum of 2.1 M. Chem. or M. Eng. degree in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering and have strong interest in polymer synthesis. Eligible candidates would have residency in the EU (see eligibility rules on EPSRC web page: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/students/Pages/eligibility.aspx)
The project will start in March 2012 or soon thereafter.
 
Awards available: 1 award available
 
Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level. Starting stipend (tax free): £13,590.
L
ength of Award: 3 years (PhD)
 
Application Details: Further information about the group of Professor Alexei Lapkin: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/research/seed/suspro/ Further information about the group of Professor Dave Haddleton: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/chemistry/research/haddleton/For informal enquiries about the project please contact the academic supervisors directly: a.lapkin@warwick.ac.uk or d.m.haddleton@warwick.ac.uk
 
Application process: You must complete the online application form and upload your CV http://www.go.warwick.ac.uk/pgapply.
 


 


Complexity Science Doctoral Training Centre

4-year PhD Programmes

 

Warwick's Complexity Science Doctoral Training Centre is a ground-breaking, inter-disciplinary initiative aimed at training a new generation of scientists at PhD level to understand, control and design complex systems, and to do innovative research in complexity science via critical thinking, interdisciplinary teamwork and end-user interaction.

Complexity Science focusses on systems of many interdependent components, showing Emergent behaviour at the system level, Self-organisation and/or Evolution. Our Centre draws on aspects of these in existing fields, including mathematics from dynamical systems and chaos, physics of phase transitions, self-assembly in chemistry, network modelling in biology and neuroscience, interacting agent modelling in economics and computer science, statistical inference. We also look to apply scientific methods in new fields of opportunity, such as transport, health and social science applications where mass quantitative data is newly available in this information age.

We start by teaching our first year students a coherent core of complexity science concepts, followed by its application in more depth through two successive 12 week miniprojects, chosen by you from carefully selected proposals ranging across the full range of applications at Warwick and our external collaborators. Satisfactory performance qualifies you for an MSc degree in Complexity Science.

PhD topics are chosen towards the end of the first year, again from vetted proposals which should reflect the cross-disciplinary spirit of Complexity Science and will each have two supervisors from different departments. Throughout your three years of PhD research you will be expected to maintain strong contact with the Complexity centre, attending seminars, reporting your own research progress, and joining in our programme of transferable skills.
 We aim to look after our students and to treat them well. We have several EPSRC funded studentships for UK students (premium stipend £15K in 2009/10), and EU students can apply for a limited number of grants covering tuition fees only. Travel funds are available, and there is additional financial support for some mini-projects hosted away from Warwick.  For further information: complexity@warwick.ac.uk

 

 


Department of Computer Science

3-year PhD Programmes  

The Department has a small number of Computer Science Research Studentships which are awarded on a research group basis and therefore are dependent on availability and merit. They are very competitive and usually the decision to award them is made at the end of the summer term. Applicants are eligible to apply for a Studentship when they have received an offer for an MSc or PhD place in Computer Science. Visit the departmental and group websites for new funding opportunities.

 


Engineering (School of)

PhD Studentship – Warwick Engineering in Biomedicine (WEB): Famished Project

Famished Project – The Development of ‘Point-of-care’ technology for the early detection of Colon Cancer and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Application deadline: 1st November 2011. Start date: 1st January 2012.


The Famished (Food and Fermentation using Metagenomics in Health and Disease) study is a national programme to aid in the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of gastroenterological diseases - specifically crohns disease, colon cancer and ulcerative colitis. This specific project combines researchers at both Warwick University (School of Engineering and Medical School) with clinicians at UHCW (University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire) and Rotherham General Hospitals.

Depending upon the skills of the applicant, two different projects are available; the first will be developing a new generation of portable/handheld electronic nose (for which Warwick is internationally renowned) that can be deployed within hospitals to detect and monitor disease states. The second project will be to aid in method development and data processing from the commercial and in-house electronic noses currently available at Warwick. In both cases patient samples (predominantly urine, but also breath, blood and faecal samples) we be used and analysed - investigating the chemical signals that emanate from the sample.

ELIGIBILITY
This studentship is available to UK/EU nationals only. The successful applicant will receive full fees and a stipend of £13,590 per annum for 3 years.

APPLICATIONS

Candidates should have a first or upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in Science, Engineering or a related subject. We ask that you submit the online application and upload your CV and transcripts.

Application form: http://www.go.warwick.ac.uk/pgapply
Department: School of Engineering
Course Type: Research
Course: Engineering (MPhil) (MPhil/PhD) (PhD)
Under Finance: Select ‘Scholarship’ and quote FAMISHED

Enquiries: eng-pgadmissions@warwick.ac.uk (please quote FAMISHED)
Project Website: www.warwick.ac.uk/go/famished


 

PhD Studentship, School of Engineering

 

Hydrodynamics of flow in structured catalyst supports

PhD studentship funded by EU project FREECATS and University of Warwick is available in the School of Engineering at Warwick. The project will be based in the brand new Reaction Engineering laboratory in the group of Professor Alexei Lapkin and co-supervised by Dr Petr Denissenko.

The project is part of an EU consortium FREECATS aimed at developing novel metal-free catalysts based on nanostructured carbon for several industrially-relevant classes of reactions. The specific project at Warwick will be devoted to experimental and computational investigation of hydrodynamics and heat transfer in structured catalyst supports, namely ceramic foams.

This project will combine experiments and simulation and the student will develop skills in measurements in single-phase and two-phase flows, measurements and modeling of mass and heat transfer in complex structures, and get experience in computational fluid dynamics. Student on this project will be expected to fully participate in the overall EU project.

Successful applicants would have a minimum of 2.1 MEng degree in Chemical Engineering and have strong interest in reaction engineering, reactor design, computational fluid dynamics. Eligible candidates would have residency in the EU (see eligibility rules on EPSRC web page: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/students/Pages/eligibility.aspx)

The project will start in March 2012 or soon thereafter.

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level. Starting stipend (tax free): £13,590.

Length of Award: 3 years (PhD)

Application Details: Further information about the group of Professor Alexei Lapkin: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/research/seed/suspro/

Further information about the group of Dr Petr Denissenko: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/people/profile/?tag=pd2

For informal enquiries about the project please contact the academic supervisors directly: a.lapkin@warwick.ac.uk

Application process: You must complete the online application form and upload your CV http://www.go.warwick.ac.uk/pgapply.

Deadline: 1st March 2012

Please note this project will start in March 2012 or soon thereafter.

 


Life Sciences


Doctoral Training partnership, Life Sciences

The Universities of Warwick, Birmingham and Leicester have formed the Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP). The MIBTP has an ambitious vision to train and deliver innovative, world class research across the Life Sciences, concentrating in BBSRC’s priority areas: Food Security, Bioenergy and Industrial Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Bioscience using systems approaches and/or new technology platforms.

MIBTP students will all start their degree with a period of hands-on training from experts in both dry and wet experimentation, including a series of bespoke Master classes. Relevant mini-project experience in distinct training environments and a Professional Internship will be followed by your choice of PhD research project.

A number of funded PhD studentships are available across the Partnership. The application deadline is 31st January 2012. Tuition fees at the Home/EU rate and a maintenance grant will be paid. For application and eligibility details visit http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/study/pg/research/phd/mibtp/.


 

BBSRC CASE PhD project, Life Sciences

PhD Project Title: Increasing latex yield in the rubber tree Hevea brasilensis by targeted expression of aquaporins

This project will combine the academic supervisor’s expertise in the cell biology of plant aquaporins with the leading expertise in rubber plant genomics and transformation technology of the industrial partner, TARRC. The project aims at translating basic cell biology information into increased yield of natural rubber.

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level Length of Award: 4 years (PhD) Eligibility: Mobility: The researcher must not have resided, worked or studied in the United Kingdom for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the time of recruitment. Short stays are not taken into account. Researchers can be of any nationality as long as the rule of mobility is met. Qualification and Research Experience: Early stage researchers have at the time of recruitment not yet been awarded the doctorate degree and are in the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. English language: It is a requirement that overseas students will show that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive the full benefit from the PhD. Please note that the requirement for admission is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent TOEFL score. More information can be found at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/international/apply/englishlanguage/ Please view the following page for full details about this award: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/study/pg/research/phd/studentships/projects2012/lorenzofrigerio3/

Marie Curie ITN PhD Studentship, Life Sciences

PhD project Title: New approaches to overcoming the resistance problem in bacterial pathogens: exploring metagenomes for novel gene clusters Background: Antibiotic resistance amongst bacterial pathogens is a well-established problem and some pathogens are fast becoming untreatable due to excessive use and misuse of antibiotics. An additional problem is the diminishing range of antibiotics used for veterinary purposes which will not result in cross resistance to clinically important drugs. Overcoming this problem requires a new look at the way in which bacterial infections are controlled and how we can discover new drugs with modes of action that are more resilient to bacterial resistance mechanisms. One approach is to put more focus on natural product discovery from bacteria that have not been screened before and clone pathways which could subsequently be used to manipulate improved resilience to resistance.The aim of this research is to exploit the uncultured fraction of microorganisms in diverse habitats, this is possible as in most environments such as soil this fraction represents over 90% of the total bacterial population. The advent of deep sequencing to explore metabolite diversity coupled with new techniques developed in synthetic biology have advanced the potential to recover pathways and synthesize the metabolites from non-culturable bacteria.Funding Details: Full Tuition Fees will be paid. Exact salary (including mobility allowance) will be confirmed upon appointment but will be at least £39,000.Length of Award: 3 years (PhD)Eligibility: Mobility: The researcher must not have resided, worked or studied in the United Kingdom for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the time of recruitment. Short stays are not taken into account. Researchers can be of any nationality as long as the rule of mobility is met.Qualification and Research Experience: Early stage researchers have at the time of recruitment not yet been awarded the doctorate degree and are in the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers.English language: It is a requirement that overseas students will show that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive the full benefit from the PhD. Please note that the requirement for admission is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent TOEFL score. More information can be found at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/international/apply/englishlanguage/.Application Details: For further details about the award please go to:http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/study/pg/research/phd/studentships/elizabethwellingtonDeadline: 29th February 2012

Marie Curie ITN PhD Studentship, Life Sciences

PhD Project Title: New approaches to overcoming the resistance problem in bacterial pathogens: developing bacteriophage therapy. Background: Antibiotic resistance amongst bacterial pathogens is a well-established problem and some pathogens are fast becoming untreatable due to excessive use and misuse of antibiotics. An additional problem is the diminishing range of antibiotics used for veterinary purposes which will not result in cross resistance to clinically important drugs. Overcoming this problem requires a new look at the way in which bacterial infections are controlled and how we can apply novel therapies that circumvent antibiotic resistance. Bacteriophage or phage therapy was seriously explored as a possible way of treating bacterial diseases before the onset of the antibiotic era. The increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance has rekindled interest in this mostly forgotten therapy (Thomas Häusler (2007) Viruses Vs. Superbugs: a Solution to the Antibiotics Crisis? Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN-13: 978-0230551930). The advantages of phage therapy are that as the phages are self-replicating they are effective at low doses and are self limiting and because they are specific they do not disturb the natural body microflora. The latter advantage is also a disadvantage in that you need to know the pathogenic strain is sensitive to the phage preparation used in the therapy.Awards available: 1 award availableFunding Details: Full Tuition Fees will be paid. Exact salary (including mobility allowance) will be confirmed upon appointment but will be at least £39,000.Length of Award: 3 years (PhD)Eligibility:Mobility: The researcher must not have resided, worked or studied in the United Kingdom for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the time of recruitment. Short stays are not taken into account. Researchers can be of any nationality as long as the rule of mobility is met.Qualification and Research Experience: Early stage researchers have at the time of recruitment not yet been awarded the doctorate degree and are in the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers.English language: It is a requirement that overseas students will show that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive the full benefit from the PhD. Please note that the requirement for admission is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent TOEFL score. More information can be found at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/international/apply/englishlanguage/Application Details: For further details about the award please go to: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/study/pg/research/phd/studentships/davidhodgson/ Deadline: 29th February 2012

Institute of Mathematics

 

The department has a number of ESPRC awards for home/EU students. These are currently for 3.5 years. There is not a separate application for these awards - all qualified PhD applicants will be considered for EPSRC funding as part of the PhD application process. Note also that the Department regards teaching as a valuable part of the training of postgraduate students and specific training for teaching is provided. Under normal circumstances the Department expects EPSRC funded PhD students, in return for a modest additional stipend, to take undergraduate supervisions (small classes), support classes, and to get involved in other teaching-related activities.See the department's website for further information.


Mathematics and Statistics Centre for Doctoral Training Centre (MASDOC)

 

The MASDOC doctoral training programme lasts 4 years and comprises an innovative taught-course component and PhD research of the highest standard. The first intake of 11 students began the MASDOC programme in October 2010. Approximately 10 funded studentships, providing fees and a stipend, will also be available in 2011, 2012 and 2013.See the centre’s website for further information. 

 


Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells (MOAC)

 

 The interface between Physical, Mathematical and Biological Sciences is one of the key development areas of modern science. Crossing this interface, the Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells (MOAC) 4-year PhD Programme at Warwick provides the opportunity to combine the abilities and knowledge of several disciplines into one multidisciplinary research project.  MOAC has several EPSRC funded studentships for UK students - EU students can apply for a limited number of studentships covering tuition fees. A one year stand-alone MSc programme is also available.
Who should apply? Mathematics, Science and Engineering graduates who want to apply mathematical and scientific techniques to biological problems at the cellular and subcellular level. You should enjoy crossing traditional subject boundaries, see comparisons and overlaps between scientific concepts and methods, and be prepared for the rigours of research-based study.  Contact the MOAC team on 024 765 75808 or email: MOAC@Warwick.ac.uk

Carl Blakey Scholarship

 

Deadline for applications: 31 July 2011Value: VariableGraduates of the MOAC programme together with current students have established the Carl Blakey Scholarship to enable more students to benefit from the MOAC programme. Applicants to the MSc in Mathematical Biology and Biophysical Chemistry who have not obtained full funding (e.g. as defined by the EPSRC minimum stipend) from any other source may apply for support from the Carl Blakey Scholarship. Students who are recipients of a fees-only scholarship may apply.Visit the MOAC websitefor further information


Postgraduate Studentships, Department of Physics, University of Warwick

 

 The Physics Department at Warwick offers a postgraduate degree programme leading to a PhD or MSc by Research. The intake of students is more than 40 per year and we have a thriving postgraduate research community within the department.
Physics is also part of several interdisciplinary centres within which there are opportunities to study for postgraduate taught and research degrees. Details about postgraduate admissions to the Physics department can be found at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/postgraduate/pgintro/
Information on the department’s research areas, and of the funded-studentships available, can be found at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/postgraduate/pgintro/projects/

Further details about the Physics department can be obtained from http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/
 Informal enquiries can be made to the Physics Postgraduate Admissions Team using the following email address: PhysicsPG@warwick.ac.uk  



Department of Physics - Modelling Proteins Near Surfaces


The traditional view of protein biology is that structure determines function: if one can determine the unique folded low-energy structure of a protein, then one can understand how it works. Much computational effort is spent on predicting these structures from a knowledge of molecular interactions, and comparing with X-ray protein crystallography. However, a class of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) also occurs in nature: their flexible molecular conformations are clearly vital to their function, but it is a major challenge to understand how and why.

This PhD project will use advanced Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulation methods to address, primarily, the first of these questions. Simple coarse-grained models of proteins will be used: essentially spherical and non-spherical units, bonded together in a chain, with interactions chosen to mimic different amino acid residues. The simulations will focus on obtaining a detailed map, or phase diagram, of the proteins both on and off the surface, highlighting the role of the intrinsically disordered regions.
The PhD studentship is funded by a large EPSRC programme grant involving Warwick, Sheffield, Leeds, York, UCL, Cambridge, Copenhagen. Travel to some of these institutions, as well as collaborators in New York, will enrich and accelerate the research project.

This project would suit a student with good computer programming skills, good teamworking and communication skills, and an interest in statistical mechanics. You would need to be capable of working in a multi-disciplinary environment, and quickly assimilating ideas from Physics, Chemistry and Biology.


Further details on the Warwick Theory Group can be found at
go.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/theory

Applications should be made online at go.warwick.ac.uk/physicspg

Informal enquiries can be directed to Prof. Michael Allen (m.p.allen@warwick.ac.uk).


Funding Notes
A fully-funded 3.5 year EPSRC project studentship is available for October 2011 entry.
Due to funding restrictions, only candidates from the UK or EU are eligible for full support.

 


Department of Psychology: Postgraduate fellowships

 

Two Postgraduate Fellowships will available for students wishing to start a PhD in October 2012. The deadline for applications for these awards is 16th March 2012. For further details contact the Psychology Postgraduate Admissions Tutor psychpg-admissions@warwick.ac.uk.Please see the Psychology website for further information about the Fellowship: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/psych/study/pros_postgrad/phd/fund 


 

centre for scientific computing

The CSC has a number of ESPRC scholarships available for home/EU students. The CSC regards teaching as a valuable part of the training of postgraduate students and specific training for teaching is provided. Under normal circumstances the CSC expects EPSRC funded PhD students, in return for a modest additional stipend, to take undergraduate supervisions (small classes), support classes, and to get involved in other teaching-related activities. See the centre's website for further information.

Department of Statistics

PhD Funding The Department of Statistics has a PhD bursary available for students starting during the academic year 2011–12. The bursary will cover Home/EU or Overseas academic fees as appropriate, plus a maintenance allowance of £14,700 (equivalent to a salary of about £18,400 under standard tax rates). The student may be expected to carry out some tutorial duties. Subject to satisfactory performance, the bursary will be renewed at the end of the first year for up to a further two years. Funds might also be made available from this source for successful PhD applicants who have only partial support from elsewhere. See departmental website for further information

Systems Biology Doctoral Training Centre

4-year PhD programme  The Systems Biology DTC provides state of the art training in Systems Biology research and offers a range of exciting PhD projects. Systems biology is an interdisciplinary subject bridging between the biological and physical sciences, including mathematics/statistics and Physics.

Students will take a taught first year MSc in Systems Biology, during which they will learn techniques that are indispensable for Systems Biology research, including mathematical modelling, computational approaches, bioinformatics and advanced biological methodology.

At the end of the first year they choose a PhD project from a varied selection of projects on bacterial, animal, plant or medical systems. In short, we offer training that is second to none, together with a PhD project of your choice in one of the UK's most research-active Universities.
Life sciences graduates who possess basic mathematical skills will be provided with training in modelling & computational techniques, to enable you to master the quantitative approaches that are important for a full understanding of biological systems.

Graduates with mathematics/physics/statistical degrees will receive biology training together with more advanced instruction in modelling and bioinformatics.
Contact Sarah Shute on 024 765 75808 or sysbio2@warwick.ac.uk  

 

Systems Modeling of Plant Stress to Improve Crop Yield and Quality

(Professor Jim Beynon, Dr Vicky Buchanan-Wollaston, Dr Katherine Denby)
Warwick Systems Biology
Human population growth is outpacing our ability to produce sufficient food. This problem is compounded by climate changes altering seasonal growing conditions for the crop plants that underpin all of our food supply. Warwick is a leading research centre applying cutting edge techniques to meet these challenges. To develop new crops with enhanced yields in changing environments we have to improve our understanding of how plants respond to the environmental stresses caused by climate change. In one approach we are using systems biology, the application of mathematical modeling to biological challenges, to generate transcriptional models of the stress networks that control plant growth and development. Identification of the key controlling points within the network will allow us to target specific alleles in crop plants that confer yield advantage under stress.

In this large interdisciplinary programme we are creating and applying state of the art mathematical and experimental tools to identify the key genes and regulatory pathways that control the response of the plant to a variety of stresses such as pathogen attack and water limitation. The PhD projects available in this area will apply a multidisciplinary approach to elucidate key aspects of the stress responsive plant signaling network.

We are seeking motivated students from biological or theoretical backgrounds to join a cohort of fellow students in the Doctoral Training Centre and undertake one year MSc training in Systems Biology to acquire the skills essential for collaborative Systems Biology research. This will be followed by a 3 year PhD project on a topic selected by the student.

For information on the MSc training and the Doctoral Training Centre see
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/sbdtc/. For application, please follow instructions for prospective students on this site and state your research interests on the application form.

For further information on the research project see the PRESTA webpage http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/whri/research/presta/ and contact the staff members shown on this site.
 

 

Dynamics of the Cytoskeleton

Warwick Systems Biology in collaboration with the new Warwick Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology

Food uptake, cell motion and cell division require animal cells to be highly flexible and responsive to their environment. Intracellular forces that govern cellular mechanics and shape changes are mediated by the cytoskeleton which consists of inter-connected structural elements that exert force by dynamically growing and shrinking and are able to act in concert with molecular motors. Following a systems biology approach we combine experiments, quantitative image analysis and computational modeling. Main focus of our research is on the mechanisms of cytoskeletal self-organisation that underpin the biological processes mentioned at the outset.

You will be part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and have a strong interest in theoretical approaches, although your current background might be experimental.
Possible projects are for example: i) development of advanced quantitative image analysis methods to study how spatio-temporal dynamics of actin and microtubules is regulated, ii) computational modeling of actin responses to extracellular signals.

We are seeking motivated students from biological or theoretical backgrounds to join a cohort of fellow students in the Doctoral Training Centre and undertake one year MSc training in Systems Biology to acquire the skills essential for collaborative Systems Biology research. This will be followed by a 3 year PhD project on a topic selected by the student.

For information on the MSc training and the Doctoral Training Centre see
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/sbdtc/. For application, please follow instructions for prospective students on this site and state your research interests on the application form.

For further information on the involved research groups visit http://go.warwick.ac.uk/bretschneider and http://www.mechanochemistry.org/ 
 

Systems Biology: Coordinating and controlling rhythms throughout the cell


The Earth's rotation causes daily rhythms in the environment that have driven far-reaching adaptations in all higher organisms, notably the circadian clock. The clock controls 24-hour rhythms in processes from metabolism to behaviour, including the rhythmic expression of 5-10% of genes in higher eurkaryotes. The clock is an excellent system for mathematical modelling, as only 6-12 of these genes form the regulatory loops that are central to the known clock mechanisms. Environmental light and temperature signals reset the circadian clock by altering "clock gene" expression, so the clock stands at an interface between environmental and internal signals, resulting in complex and interesting regulatory behaviour. We aim to understand the design principles underlying the clock's biochemical mechanisms. We will develop theoretical frameworks for data analysis and experimental design, especially joint analysis of diverse data types, to best exploit the growing range of experimental tools. We are particularly interested in (a) the output pathways that allow the few clock proteins to control rhythmic gene expression at all possible phases and (b) how variation in external time cues is integrated with internal biological signals to maintain biological rhythms at an optimum phase relative to the day/night cycle.

Students take a taught first year MSc in Systems Biology, during which they learn about the methods that are indispensable for Systems Biology research, including mathematical modelling, computational approaches, bioinformatics, bioimaging, microarray analysis and others. An important part of the course is learning from both experimental and theoretical staff members who are already using Systems approaches in their research programmes.


Funding Notes
The Systems Biology Centre may be able to cover fees and stipends for UK residents. EEA citizens may be eligible for waiver of fees. Students from outside the EEA will need to be self-funding.

For information on the MSc training and the Doctoral Training Centre, see
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/sbdtc/

For more information on current research, see http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/systemsbiology/staff/rand

PhD Studentship: Analysing Protein Energetics with Stochastic Computation

3 years, paying full academic fees at the Home/EU rate plus a maintenance stipend. The studentship is open to applications from both Home/EU and overseas applicants, but those classified as'overseas' for fees purpose will be required to pay the difference between the Home/EU and the Overseas fees rates.This Leverhulme Trust funded project will address outstanding questions surrounding one of the most intriguing problems of molecular biology: how proteins adopt a unique functional native structure.50 years ago, the Nobel laureate Christian Anfinsen and colleagues demonstrated that protein molecules can fold into their three-dimensional ‘native state’ reversibly, leading to the view that these structures represented the global minimum of a rugged funnel-like ‘energy landscape’. Since this seminal work, computer simulations have continued to shed light on the phenomena of protein folding and function. However, protein modelling and structure prediction faces two major challenges if progress is to be made in the development of more precise models, which quantitatively describe experimental observations. The first is the difficulty of efficient sampling in the enormous conformational space accessible to protein molecules, whilst the second is the development of the energy function describing molecular interactions for the problem at hand. The microscopic size of protein molecules makes it impossible to measure these interactions directly, and so known protein structures themselves have become the best available experimental evidence. Traditionally, empirical so-called ‘knowledge-based statistical potentials’ have been used to describe such interactions from analysis of a collection of known protein structures.This project will address both of these challenges. The overall goal of this research is to advance knowledge of protein energetics and improve on established modelling techniques that utilize these empirical knowledge-based potentials. We will use an alternative approach, based on a novel statistical machine learning methodology known as ‘Contrastive Divergence’, to infer interaction potentials from a subset of known protein structures. We will also utilize a novel computational method for sampling the conformational space of molecular systems, known as ‘Nested Sampling’, which will allow us to directly investigate the macroscopic states of the protein folding pathway and evaluate the associated free energies.

Warwick Systems Biology Centre is co-located with the MOAC (Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells) PhD Programme and offers a thriving research and postgraduate training environment at the interface of the life sciences and the mathematical and physical sciences.
Candidates should have a good first degree in a relevant quantitative field such as theoretical physics, theoretical chemistry, applied mathematics, statistics etc and a strong interest in molecular biology. Good programming skills in C and previous experience of any of the following would be advantageous: stochastic computation/simulation, Bayesian methods, protein structure and folding.For informal discussions, and applications, please contact Prof. David Wild (D.L.Wild@warwick.ac.uk) in the first instance.
Applicants should include a full CV and accompanying letter outlining their interests and any previous work.

Systems Biology: Tropical Medicine/Systems Biology PhD Studentships

 
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Warwick Systems Biology Centre are inviting applications for distinguished four-year PhD studentships commencing September 2011. Up to six scholarships are available.
 
The course comprises a one-year MSc degree in Systems Biology followed by a three-year interdisciplinary PhD in Medical Systems Biology, co-supervised by scientists in the Liverpool School of Medicine and the Warwick Systems Biology Centre.
 
About tropical medicine: the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine takes the fight to infectious, debilitating and disabling diseases worldwide, to improve the health of the world's poorest people, with research and partnerships active in more than 70 countries worldwide. The Centre for Tropical and Infectious Diseases (CTID) provides a world-class lab facility to address new challenges in the treatment of infectious diseases through drug and vaccine design and development, initiation and management of clinical trials, pesticide and vector control design and development and cell and molecular biology pathogen research. Research takes a whole system approach, taking lab-based research to clinical trials and on to implementation of health systems, where evidence-based studies inform the next generation of research in the laboratory. The Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology group has major research interests in malaria, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), soil-transmitted helminthes (hookworms), trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), and leishmaniasis. The studentships will be in the exciting new areas of systems approaches to immunoparasitology and new chemotherapeutics.
 
About systems biology: the Warwick Systems Biology Centre is an internationally leading centre for the development of systems-level approaches to biological problems. The centre specializes in mathematical modelling, statistics, and bioinformatics to high-throughput proteomics and transcriptomics, as well as image acquisition and analysis. Not only are deep theoretical results developed that drive innovative data-analysis and experimental design techniques, but these new tools are applied, in collaborative efforts with experimental scientists, to concrete problems in such diverse fields as crop improvement, ueterine health, subcellular mechanics, neurocortical circuitry, diabetes, and immunology.

About interdisciplinary degrees: with co-supervisors in distinct disciplines, you become an expert in an experimental subject as well as in the mathematical modelling, statistics, and informatics required to design and analyse the experiments. Multidisciplinary graduates are highly employable, since advances in science and technology are increasingly interdisciplinary, and those individuals who are conversant with two or more disciplines are highly prized as hubs of multidisciplinary teams.
 
Eligibility
Due to funding restrictions, the studentships are open to UK/EU nationals only.
Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a first or upper second honours degree in a relevant subject, either in the biomedical sciences (biology, biochemistry, medicine, bioinformatics) with an interest in tropical medicine, parasitology, epidemiology etc., or in a field with a strong applied mathematics content such as physics, mathematics, statistics or engineering, with an interest in mathematical modelling in the life sciences.

For more information, please contact Professor Richard Pleass (Richard.Pleass@liverpool.ac.uk; science) or Dr Hugo van den Berg (hugo@maths.warwick.ac.uk; mathematics).
 
How to Apply
Go to http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/sbdtc/prospective_students/application/ quoting course code C1P9 and mentioning “Medical Systems Biology”
 
Deadline: 30 September 2012
 

PhD Studentship in Advanced Bayesian Computation for Cross-Disciplinary Research

 
The Studentship
A 3.5 year EPSRC-funded studentship at Warwick Systems Biology Centre is available from September 2011 to work on advanced Bayesian computational methods for bioinformatics and systems biology. The studentship will pay the academic fees at the Home/EU rate (£3,900 for 11-12) plus a maintenance stipend of £13,590.
 
Eligibility
This studentship is available to both Home/EU and Overseas applicants, but Overseas applicants, if successful, would be required to pay the difference between the Home/EU and Overseas fees rates.
Candidates should have a good first degree in a relevant quantitative field such as applied mathematics, statistics, theoretical physics, theoretical chemistry or computer science and a strong interest in molecular biology. Good programming skills in a high level language such as Matlab, R or C/C++ would be advantageous.
 
The Project
The student will be part of a interdisciplinary research project to develop advanced statistical theory and algorithms that will directly address current challenges in scientific modeling in biology, astronomy and econometrics. This research is a collaboration with experts in statistical machine learning (Prof. Zoubin Ghahramani, Cambridge), statistics and econometrics (Dr. Jim Griffin, Kent) and astronomy (Prof. Andrew Liddle, Sussex).
 
A variety of projects are possible, depending on the background and interests of the student, and include:
• Applications of nonparametric Bayesian modeling to a number of contemporary problems in computational biology, including:
- static and time-varying graphs, such as molecular structures and dynamic regulatory networks
- data integration from multiple molecular phenotype platforms, such as transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics
• The development of new methods for Bayesian experimental design
• The construction of efficient algorithms for inference in high-dimensional, highly-dependent structured data sets, based on GPU computation
 
Warwick Systems Biology Centre is co-located with the MOAC (Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells) PhD Programme and offers a thriving research and postgraduate training environment at the interface of the life sciences and the mathematical and physical sciences.
 
How to Apply
For informal discussions, and applications, all applicants please contact Prof. David Wild (D.L.Wild@warwick.ac.uk) in the first instance. Applicants should include a full CV and accompanying letter outlining their interests and any previous work.
 
Applicants who have not yet submitted their admissions application form must also do so.

Deadline for Applications 30 September 2012


Electrospinning PhD Project in WMG


“Using electrospun core-shell nanofibres for the reinforcement of composites”

Project overview:
Fibre-reinforced composites are now widely used in today’s society for applications where a weight saving is desired when compared with manufacturing the part from conventional steels or other materials. Commonly used reinforcements include glass, carbon and aramid fibres; all of which pose problems in today’s sustainable society. Both glass and carbon fibre are energy-intensive processes and aramid fibres require extensive and wasteful chemical treatment.
Electrospinning is a low-energy process where polymer solutions are used to generate fibres with diameters in the range of 100 nm – 5 µm. Electrospun fibres present an opportunity to both improve the properties of the composites involved and reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing process. Given these fibres have a substantially smaller diameter than conventional fibres; the increased surface-to-volume ratio of the reinforcement phase should improve the structural properties of the overall composite.

Objectives:
• To investigate the potential of using electrospun nanofibres as reinforcements in composite structures
• Develop methods to increase the strength of nanofibre-reinforced composites
• Develop novel polymer systems with two or more components to enhance the physical properties of nanofibre-reinforced composites
• Optimise the production of electrospun nanofibres to make the process industrially relevant

The PhD candidate will develop expertise in a range of techniques and methodologies including core-shell electrospun nanofibre production, scanning electron microscopy and macroscopic materials characterisation.

Applicants should ideally have some experience in composite manufacturing and/or electrospinning.
Supervisors: Dr Stuart Coles, Dr Kerry Kirwan (WMG)

Funding Details:
Studentship will cover Home/EU Fees and pay an annual stipend of £13, 590 per year for a period of up to 3 years.

Eligibility:
Applicants should have (or be about to receive) an honours degree (at least II.1 or equivalent) in Engineering or another relevant discipline. Please note that due to restrictions on the funding, this studentship is for UK/EU applicants only.         

WMG: Scholarships for Taught Master's Programmes in WMG  

 

WMG offer a significant number of scholarships for applicants from a wide range of nationalities to their taught Master's programmes.
 
Students applying from the following countries/ regions are currently eligible:
  • India
  • Korea
  • Latin America
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • Pakistan
  • Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia
  • South East Asia
  • Sri Lanka & Bangladesh
  • Sub Saharan Africa
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
 
Find full details of the WMG scholarships here.
 


wmg: Bursaries for Taught Masters Programmes in WMG  

WMG offer a number of Bursaries for applicants from a wide range of nationalities for their taught Master's programmes.Students applying from the following countries/ regions are eligible:

  • Iran
  • Latin America
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Find full details of the WMG Bursary's available here.

 

WMG: PhD Studentship in digital healthcare

Unobtrusive Smart Enviroments for Independent Living (USEFIL)

Awards available: 1

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK LevelLength of Award: 3 years (PhD)

Eligibility: Home Only Home (UK and EU) students are eligible to apply for this award.

The EU funded USEFIL project intends to use low cost “off-the-shelf” technology to develop immediate applicable services that will assist the elderly in maintaining their independence and their daily activities. The USEFIL system’s installation will not require retrofitting of the residence and will be almost invisible once installed thus it can be used in a wide variety of residential environments – something that will be validated within the realm of three different pilot case studies. Because the system will be “software driven,” based on open source platforms such as Android or meego and others, the provided applications can easily be added or subtracted with no real limit in the overall number of services to be offered. Furthermore the USEFIL project intends to provide guidelines for the community of developers and a platform for them to generate applications for the ageing population. Within the realm of the USEFIL project, we will deploy systems and applications that will unobtrusively record elderly behavioural indicators such as cognitive decline, emotional status and health vital signs providing in parallel information services and the means to keep their social life active irrelevant of their mobility state. The implementation will be based on the user acceptance of the technology and understanding of user interaction that truly addresses user needs. The USEFIL developed technology is expected to increase the elderly’s adherence to medical recommendations and treatments and thus extend the time they can live independently at their residencies while limiting the expected increase in public expenditure.The Institute of Digital Healthcare (IDH) is a partner in the USEFIL consortium and is tasked with developing a wearable mobile unit or wrist-worn device to monitor behaviour of the wearer through activity, as well as to interface with existing healthcare devices to measure other physiological parameters. We will do this through developing on existing expertise in the area of intelligent signal processing, to design a platform that can maximally infer behaviour through actimetry, but which also provides an intelligent platform for data management and health monitoring as a well as a fully-fledged communications portal. We will work on processing and converting raw data in terms of sensors to activities, and will be using sensors such as accelerometers to monitor changes in activity which we have previously designed for use with psychiatric patients.PhD Research Student:The PhD student will have a background in the numerate sciences, particularly in engineering, physics, computer science or mathematics – a background in biomedical engineering would be desirable although not essential. The student will be working in developing novel pattern processing techniques for the extraction of information on the well-being of the wearer of the wearable mobile unit we will be designing. To this end knowledge of signal processing, pattern processing/ computational intelligence and programming (C, Java, etc.) as well as the use of Matlab for developing signal processing algorithms, is highly desirable. A background involving engineering, maths, and an undergraduate numerate degree at least at level 2.1 is required for this project. A background in biomedical engineering is not a requirement, but would be an advantage. Due to funding restrictions, this studentship is open to UK/EU applicants only.The Institute of Digital HealthcareThe Institute of Digital Healthcare was established in 2010 and is a five year £4m collaboration located in the International Digital Laboratory on the Central Campus of the University of Warwick.The Institute currently has 9 academic staff including two co-directors, two professors, two assistant professors, one principal research fellow, two research assistants and an administrator and is currently supervising five PhD students.The IDH aims to improve people’s health and wellbeing through the use of innovative digital technologies.By combining the talents and resources from WMG, WMS, NHS Midlands and East, NHS Trusts, private enterprises, charities and other bodies, the IDH will design and deliver appropriate care solutions that will have a real benefit to patients and their care support networks.

Please see The Institute of Digital Healthcare website for further details.Application Details: Apply directly through PG Admissions (note the reference number).

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for this Studentship.If you would like more information, please contact Julia.hyde@warwick.ac.uk, in the first instance or Prof. Christopher James C.James@Warwick.ac.uk

Deadline: 29.02.2012 


PhD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Analysis techniques for real world fuel efficiency in automotive applications

EPSRC CASE Award supported by Jaguar Land Rover

Professor Paul Jennings and Dr Simon Robinson (JLR)

This project will build on current collaborative research between JLR and WMG which is leading to a more detailed understanding of naturalistic driving behaviour for use in new product development. The specific aim is to learn how to determine the necessary fidelity and type of driver data for particular modelling applications. The motivation is to design new technology such that it is robustly optimised for fuel efficiency over a representative range of real world behaviour rather than just legislative drive cycles.

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level.

Length of Award: 3.5 years (PhD)

Application Details:

For further details about the award please go to:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012


EngD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Development of TiB2 Reinforced Aluminium Alloys for Extrusion Processing

Aim

To optimise the processing of the existing A20x alloy for extrusion. To identify and evaluate an alternate commercial alloy composition which will be reinforced with TiB2 to obtain product with required target application properties through extrusion processing. In both cases comparison against an un-reinforced variant will be conducted.

Supporting Company: Aeromet

Timescales

  • Start: October 2012
  • End: March 2016

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 4 years (PhD)

Application Details:

Please view the following page for full details about this award: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/idc/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012


EngD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Using Magnesium Sheet in Niche Automotive Vehicles

Sponsor Company: Superform

Research Challenge

This project, in association with a consortium of manufacturing companies, a niche automotive manufacturer and Universities will focus on developing appropriate technologies to enable magnesium alloy to be used as the primary material in the construction of a body-in-white structure to produce improved structural performance at reduced weight.

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 4 years (PhD)

Eligibility:

Essential Requirements:

  • · Minimum 2:1 honours degree or equivalent, ideally within a materials or engineering-related subject.
  • · Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a range of stakeholders.
  • · Candidates will need to demonstrate a genuine interest in working within this area, and based on their own particular background, be able to bring innovative ideas and perspectives to this project.

Desirable Requirements:

  • · Good computer programming skills.
  • · Basic knowledge of and interest in new process development.

Application Details:

Please view the following page for full details about this award: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/idc/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012

 


EngD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Sustainable Luxury

Supporting Company – JLR

Research Scope and Challenge

Legislation has driven automotive OEM's to identify innovative solutions to reduce tailpipe emissions (CO2), improve operational efficiency and resource management. Consumers are also increasingly demanding that the products they buy be made in ways that do not harm the environment or the workers who make them either directly or through the supply chain. So where does a luxury brand fit in a sustainable future? This is a challenge that both of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands face in delivering customer expectations for performance, quality and desirability. At the same time we must ensure that the products we produce meet the environmental legislation requirements, sustainable behaviours and profitable growth for our shareholders.

The values luxury brands stand for in many cases do have alignment with sustainable practices. These include timelessness, durability, innovation, craftsmanship, and a meaningful brand and retail experience; all characteristics that mirror the underlying goals of sustainability.

This project is to identify the requirements for luxury brands to achieve long term profitable growth in a sustainable world, while maintaining brand DNA, image and value. Identifying what sustainable luxury means to JLR in the future.

  • - Identifying consumer trends / global trend impacts
  • - Corporate values / behaviours and sustainability and the impact on brand value
  • - Preserving brand DNA while taking a sustainable approach
  • - Factors which drive / deliver sustainable luxury i.e. technology and manufacture

Competencies required

  • · High level of innovative thought and lateral thinking to develop and promote performance improvements.
  • · Good analytical and research skills
  • · Highly diplomatic and professional, with ability to interact with all areas of business
  • · Excellent communication and relationship building skills
  • · Highly motivated and great enthusiasm for the subject
  • · Self-motivated, capable of working with minimal guidance and supervision, and within a team

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 4 years (PhD)

Application Details: Please view the following page for full details about this award: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/idc/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012


EngD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Sustainable Manufacturing Business Model - Triple bottom line accounting

Supporting company: Jaguar Land Rover

Research Scope and Challenge One of the greatest challenges facing any manufacturing company in the 21st century is balancing the need to ensure long-term productivity and profitability against wider social and environmental concerns. Business models driven purely by profit, with no consideration of environmental impact and no recognition of the social value of goods and services, will not prosper in a sustainable future. The environmental Triple bottom Line (TBL) focuses manufacturing organisations not just on the economic value they add, but also on the environmental and social value they add and / or destroy.

Any specific skill sets sought in candidates

  • · High level of innovative thought and lateral thinking to develop and promote performance improvements.
  • · Good analytical and reporting skills
  • · Highly diplomatic and professional, with ability to interact with all areas of business
  • · Excellent communication and relationship building skills
  • · Highly motivated and great enthusiasm for the subject
  • · Self-motivated capable of working with minimal guidance and supervision, and within a team
  • · Financial or economic experience is desirable

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 4 years (PhD)

Application Details:

Please view the following page for full details about this award: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/idc/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012

 


EngD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Benchmarking Towards High Value, Low Impact Manufacturing and the Path to Excellence

Sponsor Company: Institution of Mechanical Engineers

This doctorate research will explore how we can help companies achieve High Value, Low Impact manufacturing through benchmarking and a program of improvement leading to excellence. The student will be closely involved with the annual IMechE manufacturing excellence awards (MX Awards), will assist expert assessors, review documentation and provide high quality feedback reports to entrants. The student will make international comparisons in policy, methods and tools on manufacturing excellence and devise and appraise appropriate tools for UK companies.

Qualifications & Competencies Required

  • Minimum 2:1 honours degree or equivalent in an Engineering subject
  • · Good understanding of Information Technology and the Internet
  • · Strong investigative and analytical skills with an ability to think clearly and logically
  • · Strong interpersonal skills to be able to collaborate with various stakeholders
  • · Excellent oral, written and presentation skills
  • · Highly motivated, versatile in work, independent team player

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 4 years (PhD)

Application Details:

For further details about the award please go to: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/idc/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012


 

EngD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Supporting Low Environmental Impact through use of Artificial Neural Networks in Process Simulation of Self-Piercing Rivets

Sponsor Company: Jaguar Land Rover

Research Challenge

This project, in association with Jaguar Land Rover, will adapt an innovative approach to analysethe Self-Piercing Rivets (SPR) process and will develop and implement the best model(s) to providemaximum value to the manufacturing process and support the objective of lowering environmental impact. For this you will use Artificial Neural Network (ANN), a completely different approach to the traditional FEA technique, which has the ability of learning from examples through inputs and outputs to find patterns in data and can then predict SPR process parameters.

Objectives underlining this challenge are to:

  • · Establish boundary conditions for accurate prediction using a single joint configuration
  • · Develop low level models for a range of joint configurations and higher models with greater functionality
  • · Complete production trials and validation of models
  • · Selection of best model(s) and implementation

Essential Requirements:

  • · Minimum 2:1 honours degree or equivalent in an Engineering subject (Mechanical or
  • · Manufacturing strongly preferred)
  • · Strong computer skills with the ability to learn new software quickly
  • · Strong interpersonal skills to be able to collaborate with various stakeholders
  • · Excellent oral, written and presentation skills
  • · Strong investigative and analytical skills
  • · Candidates will need to demonstrate a genuine interest in working within this area, and based on their own particular background, be able to bring innovative ideas and perspectives to this project.

Desirable Requirements:

  • · experience in using Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 4 years (PhD)

Application Details:

Please view the following page for full details about this award: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/idc/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012

 


EngD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Development of TiB2Reinforced Aluminium Alloys for Production Sheet & Plate

Supporting Company: Aeromet

Aim: To optimise the processing of the existing A20x alloy for sheet and plate manufacture. To identify and evaluate an alternate commercial alloy composition which will be reinforced with TiB2 to obtain product with required target application properties through hot and cold rolling. In both cases comparison against an un-reinforced variant will be conducted. Timescales Start: October 2012 End: March 2016

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 4 years (PhD)

Application Details: Please view the following page for full details about this award: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/idc/

Applicants are asked to contact j.kirkwood@warwick.ac.uk before submitting an application.

Deadline: 30th April 2012


 

PhD Studentship, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Title: Learning to ignore the interferer: monitoring and improving vocoded speech intelligibility in challenging listening conditions.

Supervisors: Dr James Harte & Dr Friederike Schlaghecken

This project aims to develop a new training programme to help cochlear implant (CI) users improve their abilities to communicate in noisy conditions. Speech is a reliable means for communication, even when it is degraded or masked by competing sounds. A normal hearing person can make use of the context, rhythm, stress and intonation in the speech, to make sense of it. At present, CI users are very poor at this, as much of the information in the speech signal is lost due to the way CIs process sound.

Applicants should hold a minimum upper-second honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject such as electrical engineering, psychology or neuroscience. A Master’s degree in a similar area is desirable.

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding Details: The 3-year studentship will provide full support for tuition fees and an annual minimum tax-free stipend of £15,000. The project is available to UK/EU nationals only due to the nature of the funding and will commence March 2012, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Length of Award: 3 years (PhD)

Application Details: Any enquiries relating to the application process should be directed to Jennifer Kirkwood at engd@warwick.ac.uk. Any enquiries relating to the project should be directed to Dr James Harte at harte_j@wmg.warwick.ac.uk.

Please see the following site for further details: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees/phd/

Deadline: 13th February 2012

Research in the School of Life Sciences

Page contact: Graduate School Last revised: Tue 31 Jan 2012
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