PhD student position in molecular immunology

PhD student position in molecular immunology
at the Division of Rheumatology of the University of Munich available.
Applications are invited from graduates with a diploma (master degree or equivalent) in molecular biology, biochemistry or immunology to study the molecular mechanisms involved in the generation of regulatory T cells.
The project is funded by the „Förderprogramm für Forschung und Lehre (FöFoLe)“ at the University of Munich. Close interactions with projects within the graduate program „Oligonucleotides“, the center grant „Autoimmunity“ (SFB 571) and other projects within the FöFoLe are required throughout the work. The molecular biology laboratory of the Division of Rheumatology has been constructed in 2007 and allows the complete spectrum of all methods required in modern molecular immunology.
Experience in flow cytometry, cell culture and molecular biological and immunological techniques would be advantageous.
Applications should be sent no later than October 15th 2009 to:
Prof. Dr. Hendrik Schulze-Koops; Division of Rheumatology, Medizinische Poliklinik, University of Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 8a, 80336 Munich, Germany. e-mail: hendrik.schulze-koops@med.uni-muenchen.de Read More...

12 PhD Grants Ruhr-University Research School Germany´s Excellence Initiative (Bochum, Germany)

12 PhD Grants Ruhr-University Research School Germany´s Excellence Initiative (Bochum, Germany)
10 PhD Grants from Ruhr-University Bochum
1 PhD Grant from Alfied Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation1 PhD Grant from Schäfersnolte-Gedächtnis –Stiftung in the field of cancer research
The Research School promotes top-level postgraduate education throughout Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany, offering unique interdisciplinary research opportunities in Germany.We provide wide prospects for an individual research project in an attractive and international research environment.
Grants include:- 1.000 € per month (max. 36 months)- in addition support for consumables and travel- special support service for foreign students- state-of-the-art research facilities- structured scientific programme- transdisciplinary Science College- training of transferable skills- supervision- and mentoring arrangements- career guidanceDeadline for application October 31, 2009
Details on admission procedure can be obtained at www.research-school.rub.de/application Read More...

Post-Doc or PhD Position for Cognitive Computational Neuroscience

Post-Doc or PhD Position for Cognitive Computational Neuroscience
A Post-Doc or PhD position is available at the Technical University of Chemnitz in the Department of Computer Science. The position is for three years, starting immediately.
The research position is part of the research network “Neuro-cognitive mechanisms of conscious and unconscious visual perception” (http://www.uniulm.de/unbewusst/index.htm).
The goal in our project is to elucidate the role of reentrant processing for visual masking and stimulus encoding. Subliminal perception is typically investigated using masked stimuli. Previous priming experiments of the partners in the network have demonstrated various effects of subliminal perception that altogether suggest unconscious stimulus processing to a significant degree, even when stimuli are masked. In previous computational work we have established a framework of attentive visual perception by means of reentrant processing (Hamker, 2005; Hamker, 2007), which has been used as a theoretical basis for the design of experimental studies of the partner groups in the network. We intend to extend this framework to include mechanisms of visual masking with a particular focus on reentrant processing based on previous work of learning receptive fields (Wiltschut & Hamker, 2009). This computational work complements the experimental studies of the Haynes, Ansorge and Mattler groups and also relates to the work of other partner projects. We will provide a description of the neural stimulus trace of masked stimuli that will be important for the interpretation of the experimental results obtained in other groups of the network.
See http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/informatik/KI/veroe.php for references.
The canditate should have prior experience in developing neurocomputational systems, particularly with respect to data in the neurosciences and psychology. Experience in interdisciplinary projects or own experimental studies is welcome. Good programming experience is essential.
The salary is according to German standards (E 13 TV-L). The university is an equal opportunity employer. Women are encouraged to apply. Disabled applicants will receive priority in case they have equal qualifications.
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the state of Saxony and close to scenic mountains. Major cities nearby are Leipzig and Dresden with a rich tradition of music and culture.
Applications should be sent by email (preferebly in PDF format) to (fred.hamker@informatik.tu-chemnitz.de) as soon as possible. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Read More...

Ph.D. Positions in Physics/Chemistry/Biology

Ph.D. Positions in Physics/Chemistry/Biology
Description : International Max Planck Research School (Ph.D. Program) Physics of Biological and Complex Systems The International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Physics of Biological and Complex Systems is a newly-founded Ph.D. program. It involves close interdisciplinary collaboration between 40 renowned research groups of the University of Göttingen, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-organization. Göttingen is a national region of excellence in the life sciences. The program is dedicated to the elucidation of primary functions of living systems. The courses will train and bring together students from different areas of research, including biomolecular dynamics, function, and design, nano-imaging and biophotonics, computational biophysics and simulation, molecular motors, biological membranes, molecular aggregates, and single molecule spectroscopy, liquid and solid state NMR, EPR, biomolecular and time-resolved X-ray crystallography, X-ray optics, electron microscopy, cytoskeletal structure and dynamics, microfluidics, complex fluids, soft matter, self-organization and cooperative phenomena in complex systems and large networks, biochemical networks, synaptic transmission, computational neuroscience, and artificial neural networks. Open for students from all world-wide, the program attracts highly-qualified and motivated young scientists which aim for a doctoral degree in physics, chemistry, or biology. It offers dedicated teaching programs, high quality research experience, outstanding research facilities, and generous financial support, thus providing a unique and inspiring environment. The Ph.D. program belongs to the Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB). All courses are in English. Each Ph.D. candidate receives individual counseling and is guided in his/her thesis work by a thesis committee of three faculty members. All participants are expected to complete their degree within three years. We invite applications for Ph.D. Positions in Physics/Chemistry/Biology Scholarships and institutionally financed Ph.D. positions are available. Candidates holding a Master’s degree in physics, chemistry, or biology and an excellent academic record may apply by 15 September 2009. Women and members of underrepresented minority groups are especially encouraged to apply. For details regarding the application and admission procedures, the doctoral program, research groups, projects, please refer to www.ggnb.uni-goettingen.de/imprs-pbcs .
Homepage : www.ggnb.uni-goettingen.de/imprs-pbcs
Category : Ph.D. Positions
Contact address : Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry International Max Planck Research School for Physics of Biological and Complex Systems Am Fassberg 11 37077 Göttingen Germany Phone: +49-(0)551-201 2322 Fax: +49-(0)551-201 2302 E-mail: imprs-pbcs@gwdg.de www.ggnb.uni-goettingen.de/imprs-pbcs

Keywords : doctoral candidate, Ph.D. program, graduate school, life science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Master, Diploma, Biophysics, Read More...

Doctoral Fellowships at the Jena Graduate School Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change (GSBC)

Doctoral Fellowships at the Jena Graduate School Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change (GSBC)
Description : Outstanding candidates with a background in one of the following disciplines: Psychology, Economics, Sociology and Applied Ethics who are interested in interdisciplinary research are invited to apply for Doctoral Fellowships at the Jena Graduate School Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change (GSBC). The Jena Graduate School, funded by the Federal Programme “ProExzellenz” of the Free State of Thuringia, is supported by the School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, the School of Economics and Business Administration, and the Max Planck Institute of Economics. The common research approach within the GSBC is interdisciplinary oriented and addresses the analyses of human behaviour with respect to social and economic change. We are particularly interested in the analysis of individual as well as collective behaviour and decisions that lead to change, or adapt and even resist to change at the level of individuals, groups, industries, regions and countries. Our major concerns are the dynamics of these behaviours and/or decisions and their interrelatedness, as well as the underlying, often feedback driven, mechanisms of change. We investigate these phenomena from different disciplinary angles, which taken together provide a better understanding of social and economic change. Methods include analytical models, controlled experiments, empirical and field studies and historical investigations. From applicants we expect a sustained research interest in one of the following four interdisciplinary research areas: • Responses to accelerated change • Innovation as intended change • Changing social and economic contexts and changing identities • Change across the lifespan For further information on the research programme as well as on the application requirements please visit www.gsbc.uni-jena.de. Fellowships start any time
(latest: January 2010, Deadline for application: September 30th, 2009).
Doctoral fellowships include funding for up to three years (2+1). The language of the GSBC is English. The job advertisements and the application form are available at http://www.gsbc.uni-jena.de/index.php?id=9. For further questions please contact Kristina von Rhein: kristina.von-rhein@uni-jena.de.
Homepage : www.gsbc.uni-jena.de
Contact address : Dr. Kristina von Rhein Scientific Coordination Jena Graduate School “Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change”(GSBC) Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena Carl-Zeiss-Straße 3 07743 Jena, Germany Phone +49 (0)3641 – 943205 Fax +49 (0)3641 – 943202 Read More...

Post-Doc Scholarship at the Jena Graduate School Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change (GSBC)

Post-Doc Scholarship at the Jena Graduate School Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change (GSBC)
Description : Outstanding candidates with a background in one of the following disciplines: Psychology, Sociology and Applied Ethics who are interested in interdisciplinary research are invited to apply for a Post-Doc Scholarship at the Jena Graduate School Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change (GSBC) The Jena Graduate School, funded by the Federal Programme “ProExzellenz” of the Free State of Thuringia, is supported by the School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, the School of Economics and Business Administration, and the Max Planck Institute of Economics. The common research approach within the GSBC is interdisciplinary oriented and addresses the analyses of human behaviour with respect to social and economic change. We are particularly interested in the analysis of individual as well as collective behaviour and decisions that lead to change, or adapt and even resist to change at the level of individuals, groups, industries, regions and countries. Our major concerns are the dynamics of these behaviours and/or decisions and their interrelatedness, as well as the underlying, often feedback driven, mechanisms of change. We investigate these phenomena from different disciplinary angles, which taken together provide a better understanding of social and economic change. Methods include analytical models, controlled experiments, empirical and field studies and historical investigations.
From applicants we expect a sustained research interest in one of the following four interdisciplinary research areas: • Responses to accelerated change • Innovation as intended change • Changing social and economic contexts and changing identities • Change across the lifespan For further information on the research programme as well as on the application requirements please visit www.gsbc.uni-jena.de. Fellowships start any time
(Deadline for application: September 30th, 2009)
All fellowships include funding for two years. The language of the GSBC is English. The job advertisements and the application form are available at http://www.gsbc.uni-jena.de/index.php?id=9. For further questions please contact Kristina von Rhein: kristina.von-rhein@uni-jena.de.
Homepage : www.gsbc.uni-jena.deContact address : Dr. Kristina von Rhein Scientific Coordination Jena Graduate School “Human Behaviour in Social and Economic Change”(GSBC) Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena Carl-Zeiss-Straße 3 07743 Jena, Germany Phone +49 (0)3641 – 943205 Fax +49 (0)3641 – 943202 www.gsbc.uni-jena.de Read More...

PhD position at LIG research lab, Grenoble, France

PhD student position
Location: Laboratoire d’Informatique de Grenoble
http://lig.imag.fr/
Group: Multimedia Information Modeling and Retrieval
http://mrim.imag.fr/
Funding: 36-month fix term contract, about 1380 Euros net per month.
Application deadline: 30 September 2009.
Starting date: 1st November or 1st December 2009.
Supervisors: Georges Quénot (Researcher at CNRS)
Philippe Mulhem (Researcher at CNRS)
Contact: Georges.Quenot@imag.fr, Philippe.Mulhem@imag.fr.
Title: Using context for semantic indexing of image and video documents
The automated document indexing image and video is a difficult problem
because of the “distance” between the arrays of numbers encoding these
documents and the concepts (e.g. people, places, events or objects)
with which we wish to annotate them. Methods exist for this but their
results are far from satisfactory in terms of generality and accuracy.
They generally operate by supervised or semi-supervised learning: the
system learns to recognize concepts from positive and negative examples;
it “generalizes” from these examples. Existing methods typically use a
single set of such examples and consider it as uniform. This is not
optimal because the same concept may appear in various contexts and its
appearance may be very different depending upon these contexts. The
context may be: the type of broadcast (television news, fiction,
entertainment, advertising, etc.), Date, place, country or culture of
broadcasting or production, or the modalities present or absent (for
documents in black and white and / or without sound, for instance).
The context may generally be regarded as another concept or as a set
of other concepts. The concepts and relations between them can be
represented in ontologies. One can interpret the relationship within
an ontology like the fact that the elements are likely to be together
or not in an image or a in a video shot and this information can be
used for their automatic annotation.
The proposed subject concerns the use of the context to improve the
performance of classifiers. The main idea is to consider, for each
concept to be recognized, a number of contexts in which it may appear
and to train a classifier for each of these contexts. During the
recognition, the appropriate classifier is used according to the
identified context. Alternatively, a weighted combination (fusion)
of classification results can be used if we only have probabilities
of being in a given context. Such an approach presents several
difficulties. The first one is the identification of context during
the recognition: in some cases, it may be known explicitly (from
metadata, for example) but, in general, it is actually another
concept, which also has to be recognized. The second difficulty is
the need for a very important total volume of training data so that,
for each context, there are enough examples to properly train a
classifier. There is a complexity that is related to simultaneously
manage the tuning of multiple classifiers for each concept. The
third difficulty concerns the problem of merging the outputs of
different classifiers in the frequent case in which there are
uncertainties about the context actually present during the
recognition. Implementation will possibly be based on the use of
network operators (extractors of features, classifiers and merge
modules), of ontologies to manage relationships between concepts
and of active learning for automatic training data collection.
The developed methods will be evaluated in the context of national
and international campaigns like TRECVID
(http://www-nlpir.nist.gov/projects/trecvid/). The work will be
done in the context of the Quaero program (http://www. quaero.org).
This will, among other things, give access to a large volume of
annotated image and video data.
http://mrim.imag.fr/georges.quenot/postes/These-Quaero-2-FR.pdf
http://mrim.imag.fr/georges.quenot/postes/These-Quaero-2-EN.pdf Read More...

PhD Opportunity, Query Processing and Optimization, IRIT Lab., Toulouse, France

The pyramid team of the IRIT laboratory (http://www.irit.fr/, Toulouse, France) has a research stipend (scholarship) for a Ph.D. student beginning october 2009, to work on the following theme: Query Processing in Large Scale Environments. Location : IRIT, Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France Team Pyramide: http://www.irit.fr/-Equipe-PYRAMIDE- Advisor : Abdelkader Hameurlain, Program : ARPEGE (ANR 2009) PAIRSE Project : Preserving Privacies in P2P environments: A Web Service-based Approach Consortium : LIRIS, IRIT, Telecom Institut, Semsoft, Swid, MTIC Starting : Octobrer 2009 Duration: 3 years Funding: ~ 1330 € net per month Description & Objectives Since ten years, the grid and perr-to-peer P2P systems are hot research topics. Recently, the grid systems open towards the management of heterogeneous and distributed data on a large-scale environment. The Grid or P2P data management raises new problems and presents real challenges: resource discovery and selection, query optimization, cost models, monitoring, replication, autonomic data management, security issues…. The main characteristics of these systems are: large scale (e.g. high numbers of data sources, users, and computing resources) and dynamicity of nodes (unstable system). The synergy and convergence of interests between grid, P2P and agent systems have been clearly pointed out. So, mainly, P2P techniques and agent systems are often used in resource discivery process. In this context, a promising approach consists in integrating and efficiently exploiting mobile agent paradigm in distributed query processing and dynamic optimization. More precisely, the objectives of this PhD Thesis consists in : 1. providing a survey and a qualitative comparison of existent and promising approaches and methods for resource discovery, 2. choosing an approach and proposing a viable resource discovery method, 3. defining an adaptable and efficient execution model for distributed query optimization base on mobile agents in order to bring scaling and decentralized control, 4. developing an experimental platform in order to validate and evaluate performance of proposed methods. A target application is efficiently querying biomedical data integration systems where data sources are heterogeneous and distributed on large scale environments. Required knowledges and skills : – In depth knowledge in databases including following topics : query optimization, and cost models – knowledge on Grid and P2P systems. Application: Interested candidates are invited to send an application (CV, academic record, motivational and recommendation letters) by email to hameur@irit.fr and morvan@irit.
Applications should be received before September 20th, 2009. Read More...

France: PhD Scholarship in Chemical Physics (Application deadline: 30 Sep 2009)

France: PhD Scholarship in Chemical Physics (Application deadline: 30 Sep 2009) .
Description : Title: Experimental Measurement and Modeling of the Thermodynamic Properties of Electrolyte Solutions with chemical equilibrium. Keywords: thermodynamics, statistical physics, molecular simulation, energy and process engineering.
Location: ENSTA, Chemical Engineering Dept., 32 Boulevard Victor, 75015 Paris, France. Supervisors: Walter Fürst and Patrice Paricaud. Electrolyte solutions are encountered in many industrial applications, and the determination of their thermodynamic properties is often crucial to the design and optimization of chemical processes Because of strong deviations from ideality in these solutions, the prediction of thermodynamic propréiétés of these systems remains a challenge. The modeling of these systems implies using molecular based models and the laws of statistical thermodynamics. The thermodynamic models are usually extensions of models for nonelectrolyte mixtures obtained by adding a specific term to take into account the electrostatic interactions between ions. However, these models are accurate only if they also take into account the interactions between ions and molecular species, i.e. the phenomena of solvation of ions by solvent molecules.
The aim of the thesis is twofold. First, it consists of the development of a new model incorporating a term for the original representation of solvation. The development of this new model can be made with the help of data generated by molecular simulation. As in the case of an equation of state electrolyte previously developed in our laboratory, the model should have predictive features. Secondly, we will apply the thermodynamic model to systems with a strong industrial interest and exhibiting chemical equilibria (sulfur-iodine cycle for hydrogen production, solvent mixtures, metal complexes, absorption of acid gases, …). This part of the work will use data from the literature and new speciation measurements. These new measurements will provide the experimental aspect of the thesis. This thesis wil allow students to deepen their knowledge in many scientific areas: thermodynamics, statistical physics, condensed matter, numerical methods and experimental measurements. Candidates should have strong skills in mathematics, numerical methods, statistical physics and thermodynamics, allowing them to be autonome. Experience in programming and modeling of phase equilibria will be particularly appreciated. Contacts: Send your CV, a covering letter and if possible reference letters to Patrice Paricaud (patrice.paricaud @ ensta.fr), and Walter Fürst (walter.furst @ ensta.fr)
Homepage : www.ensta.fr
Category : PhD thesis
Contact address : ENSTA, Chemical Engineering Dept., 32 Boulevard Victor, 75015 Paris, France.Keywords : thermodynamics, statistical physics, molecular simulation, energy and process engineering. Read More...

PhD scholarship in computational biochemistry

PhD scholarship in computational biochemistry
We are looking for talented candidates for an international-level PhD degree in computational evolution of metal proteins at The Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
This new, international research project with collaborators at Stanford University involves the study of iron-containing proteins: Why did they evolve to their particular current structures, and how are these structures evolutionary optimized for protein functions?
Mapping the evolved structure-function principles of metalloproteins has far-reaching consequences, because metals are of such importance in all of biochemistry. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from computer simulations will be used to develop new tailored metal sites, cleaner and more effective catalysts for use in industry (green chemistry), and for the design of new, improved medicine. These research areas are very active and of growing future importance, because of the need to process increasingly complex information. The techniques play a dominant role in rational molecular design and will continue to grow in importance, both within academic research and within the private sector.
QualificationsCandidates should have a master’s degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master’s degree in engineering. Skills within several of the following areas are relevant: Physical chemistry, computational biology / chemistry, mathematical modeling, bioinorganic chemistry, biophysics, quantum chemistry, computers/programming.
Approval and Enrolment
The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.
Salary and appointment terms
The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students (approximately € 3,500 / month). The period of employment is 3 years.
You can read more about our research on www.kpje.com. Or see: Jensen, K. P.; Bell, III, C. B.; Clay, M.; Solomon, E. I. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 12155-12171; Jensen, K. P. Computational-chemical evolution of metal sites, in: Encycl. Inorg. Bioinorg. Chem. 2009, in press; Jensen, K. P. Inorg. Chem. 2008, 47, 10357-10365.
Application
We must have your online application by 15 October 2009.
Apply for the position at www.dtu.dk/vacancy – Please open the link “apply for this job online” and fill in the application form and attach your application, CV and information about academic grades.
All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. Read More...

PhD Fellowship in Regional Economics at the Department of Border Region Studies, Denmark

The fellowship is part of the development plan for the new group in Regional Economics. Research covered by the group includes 1) localisation of economic activities and the implications for regional development, 2) the importance of labour markets and human capital for the spatial economic development, 3) convergence and divergence of different geographies and the economic development of regions, 4) public finances and services and the economic importance in different geographies and 5) economic integration between different geographies. Due to the department focus on border regions, these types of regions have particular interest for research group. The research in the group is theoretical as well as empirical. The fellowship is awarded to a project with a strong focus on topics in Regional Economics using quantitative or mathematical modelling. This may both take the form of econometric models or theoretical mathematical models.
Closing date 22 September, 2009 at 12 noon
Further Scholarship Information and Application Read More...

PhD Scholarship in Lipid-mediated Signalling, Denmark

A PhD scholarship in Lipid-mediated signalling is available in the group of Associate Professor Nils J. Færgeman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark. The position is to be filled by 15 October 2009 or soon thereafter.
We are seeking a candidate interested in understanding how lipids act as signalling molecules and how lipids regulate cellular signalling pathways. The project aims to characterize how perturbations in lipid metabolism affect cellular signalling cascades and protein modifications in mammalian cells and in model organisms. The work will include use of genetic and biochemical techniques in combination with state of the art mass spectrometric instrumentation.
The scholarship is available for students with four years of academic studies within biochemistry, molecular biology and/or biomedicine. Applicants with prior experience in molecular genetics, lipid biochemistry and with C. elegans are preferred. The applicant will be enrolled within the 4+4 PhD programme at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark.
Application Deadline: 15 September, 2009 at 12 noon
Further Scholarship Information and Application Read More...

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) program

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) program provides scholarships to world-class doctoral students, supporting those who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health, as well as leadership skills.
The Vanier (CGS) program was designed to support Canada’s science and technology policy direction, which capitalizes on people, strengthens knowledge and encourages entrepreneurial advantages to build a competitive Canada.
Eligibility:
Both Canadian and International Students are eligible to be nominated for a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Value & Duration:
The award is valued at $50,000 per year, for up to three years.
Deadline to apply:
Sept. 30, 2009
For More Information:
Visit the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Fellowships & Awards website to learn more!
Attend the External Funding Information Sessions for Students to learn more about the Vanier (CGS) program.
Further Scholarship Information and Application Read More...

Ph.D. student in the field of Avian Behavioral Ecology, Belgium

The University of Antwerp is a knowledge centre with 3.600 co-workers that performs ground-breaking and innovative research of international standing. The university takes special care to ensure optimum support and supervision of students, and pays constant attention to educational innovation. The university is an autonomous pluralistic institution that is committed to the enhancement of an open, democratic and multicultural society, and it pursues an equal opportunities policy.
The university is seeking to fill the following vacancy (m/f) at the Department Biology-Ethology of the Faculty of Sciences:
Ph.D. student in the field of Avian Behavioral Ecology
Job description: The Ph.D. student will join a group of researchers working on all four major aspects of animal behaviour: causation, development, function and evolution. Recent work of the Ethology group (Head: Prof. Dr. Marcel Eens) is focusing on (1) the function and evolution of bird song with particular attention to costs and constraints that limit the expression of song; (2) the relationships between hormones, behaviour and life histories, including (hormone-mediated) maternal effects The project aims to study the functional and evolutionaryconsequences of hormone-mediated mat ernal effects in birds. Maternal effects are thought to have evolved to signal environmental conditions to the offspring (”weather-forecasting”), preparing the offspring for the post-hatching environment. The proximate effects of maternally derived hormones on offspring development have already been studied in great detail, but most of the studies have focused on branding the effects as positive or negative to the offspring. However, this view ignores that changes in offspring development may also provide costs to parents,e.g. via changes in the food demand. Furthermore, (hormone-mediated) maternal effects have the potential to generate crucial evolutionary trade-offs: “what’s best for the parents may not be best for an individual offspring”. Maternal yolk hormones may therefore not only serve as benign “weather-forecasters”, signalling environmental conditions, but enable female birds to manipulate offspring in their interest. We therefore want to know how the effects of maternally derived steroid hormones on offspring development impinge on maternal/parental fitness, and whether maternal yolk hormones serve the evolutionary interests of offspring or mother/father.
Profile and requirements: * You hold a MSc degree in Biology or related fields * You have experience with animal research * You are interested in behavioural ecology and/or endocrinology
We offer: * An initial 1-year contract, extendable up to 4 years afterpositive evaluation * The position should yield a Ph.D. degree of theUniversity of Antwerp * A dynamic research environment with significantfreedom in developing your own research interests * The position can betaken up from November 2009, preferably before February 2010
Interested? Please send all application material including 1) yourcurriculum vitae 2) a brief (250 words) summary of your motivation and3) a letter of reference as single PDF-file to wendt.muller@ua.ac.be.
Closing date: 30.09.09. Further information can be obtained from:Dr. Wendt Müller, wendt.muller@ua.ac.be, phone +32 32652292, http://www.ua.ac.be/wendt.muller
Wendt Müller University of Antwerp Department of Biology-Ethology CampusDrie Eiken C-127 Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Antwerp (Wilrijk), Belgium
e-mail: Wendt.Muller@ua.ac.beweb: http://www.ua.ac.be/wendt.muller Read More...

Griffith University International Postgraduate Research 2009, Australia

Griffith University International Postgraduate Research 2009, Australia: The GUIPRS is designed to attract and support highly ranked international applicants during the University’s annual postgraduate research scholarship round. The scheme extends the provision of tuition fees scholarships beyond the University’s allocated International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS). The GUIPRS covers tuition fees for the student and overseas student health cover (OSHC) for the student and ependant(s). No other expenses are paid by this scheme, but award recipients may seek additional funding from alternative sources.
Application Deadline: 31 October 2009
Eligibility
The IPRS is available to international students only. Applicants must have completed, or expect to complete, four years of higher education studies at a very high level and be intending to enrol full-time in an approved doctoral or research masters program.
Part-time awards may be offered to students who, for social or medical reasons, are unable to study full-time.
Duration
The IPRS may be held for up to two years for a research masters program and up to three years for a doctoral program. A six month extension may be granted to doctoral students in certain circumstances.
How to apply
Applicants must submit the following to the Griffith Graduate Research School1.
New applicants
New applicants must submit:
a research higher degree and scholarship application form2 (includes two academic referee reports)
certified or original transcripts
500 word statement
curriculum vitae (CV)
Current students
Current students must submit:
a covering letter
a research higher degree and scholarship application form2 (includes two academic referee reports)
updated research outline
copies of publications (where applicable)
Closing date
Applications for the Annual Scholarship Round must be submitted by 31 October. Applications may be submitted at anytime before this date, however cannot be considered until after 31 October.
Further Scholarship Information and Application Read More...

Commonwealth and La Trobe University, Australia, Equity Scholarships, 2010

In 2010 La Trobe University will offer the following Commonwealth and La Trobe University Equity scholarships to commencing domestic undergraduate students, unless otherwise specified in guidelines. All scholarships are allocated as the result of a competitive application process. Most are available to students enrolled in all disciplines of the university, and across all campuses (except where specified elsewhere in these guidelines).
• Commonwealth Indigenous Scholarships:
o Indigenous Access Scholarships (IAS)o Indigenous Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarships (I-CECS)(open to both commencing and continuing indigenous students)o Indigenous Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarships (I-CAS)(open to both commencing and continuing indigenous students)
• La Trobe Study Support Scholarships (LSSS)• La Trobe Indigenous Students Scholarships (LISS)• La Trobe Vice-Chancellor’s City of Whittlesea Scholarships (LVCWS)• La Trobe Vice-Chancellor’s Regional Scholarships (LVCRS)• R.E. McGarvie Memorial Scholarship (McGMS)
A range of scholarships are also available for students enrolled in specific courses, at particular campuses, or who live on one of La Trobe’s campuses. These scholarships usually have different application requirements and closing dates. Information regarding faculty, campus and residential scholarships, including guidelines and application forms where applicable, and further contact information, is available at: www.latrobe.edu.au/scholarships or visit the individual faculty, campus or residential college websites.
Applications for all the scholarships listed above need to be made through VTAC at: http://www.vtac.edu.au/myinfo and
CLOSE at 5.00 pm on Friday, 30 October 2009
Refer to advice at the end of this document for how to submit your application. Late applications WILL NOT be accepted or considered.
The 2010 scholarship application will be available online from the MyInfo section of the VTAC website on Monday, 3 AUGUST 2009
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:Please note that the VTAC Scholarship Application is a single online application. The information you provide in your application will determine your eligibility for each of the scholarships outlined above, and your application will be considered for all scholarships for which you meet the eligibility criteria.
NEW COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIP ARRANGEMENTSPending the passage of legislation through the Commonwealth Parliament in 2009, the Federal Government has announced that from 1 January 2010, the existing Commonwealth Scholarship categories CECS, NPS (CECS Priority Discipline), CAS and NAS will be abolished and replaced by two new scholarship categories – the Student Start-Up Scholarship and the Relocation Scholarship. These new scholarships will be administered by Centrelink. Further information is available at: http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/budget_students.htm and at:http://home.deewr.gov.au/NewsItem_Budget200910_initiatives_HigherEd.htm#student
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UWA Postgraduate Research Scholarships for Local Students

The University of Western Australia has a range of postgraduate research scholarships available for local (domestic) students, including Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA), University Postgraduate Awards (UPA) and prestigious University scholarships funded from bequests. These awards are tenable at The University of Western Australia for up to two years for Masters by research candidates and three years for Doctoral candidates. PhD scholarships may be extended to a maximum of three and a half years.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply for postgraduate research scholarships an applicant must:
be an Australian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident or a New Zealand citizen.
An applicant must also:
have obtained, or expect to obtain at least an upper division Second Class Honours degree* or equivalent;
be undertaking or intend to enrol in a Masters by Research or Doctoral degree in 2010;
be enrolling as a full-time student. Approval may be given for a part-time award where an applicant is able to demonstrate heavy care commitments or a medical condition which would preclude full-time study;
not have completed a degree at the same level or higher level as the proposed candidature;
not expect to receive another equivalent award, scholarship or salary to undertake the proposed study which is greater than 75% of the stipend rate;
be free to take up a postgraduate award if offered, by 31 March 2010. Special approval may be granted on written application for a later commencement date for candidates with unavoidable commitments but any awards offered will lapse if not taken up before 30 June 2010.
Applications Close: Friday 30th October 2009
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IBA Scholarship Fund 2010, Australia

The Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) Scholarship Fund provides financial support to enable recipients to achieve nationally recognised qualifications – with a focus on financial, commercial and/or economic management. IBA is seeking applicants who are able to share their qualifications to enhance their community’s economic and financial development.
Scholarships are intended for those who face financial barriers that might otherwise restrict their options for further study. IBA’s Scholarship Fund acknowledges that mature-age students are often required to make great personal and financial sacrifices in order to complete qualifications that will help advance their personal and career goals.
The IBA Scholarship Fund provides recipients with a broad range of financial support covering not only course fees, but day-to-day study expenses (telephone, broadband, child care, transport) and costs that may arise if living away from home (relocation costs, accommodation costs and travel costs for family visits).
What type of studies does the IBA Scholarship Fund support?
Your studies should be related to the fields of commercial and economic management; for example, business, accounting, financial management, commerce, tourism management, and governance.
Qualifications can be attained through Vocational Education and Training (VET) or TAFE courses, Undergraduate degrees or Capability Training short courses.
Are you eligible?
To be eligible for IBA’s Scholarship Fund, you must be:
• of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent
• an Australian resident
• of mature age – no younger than 19 years old, and have not finished secondary school within the past 18 months
• able to demonstrate support from your employer, community or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisation to undertake study.
IBA recommends you read the Scholarship Fund Guidelines for further information about the application and selection process, and the expectations and requirements of scholarship recipients.How do you apply?
Once you have read the Guidelines, complete and submit a printed Scholarship Fund Application Form
Applications must be received by IBA by COB on 30 September 2009.
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