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17.4.09

Portugal: Research Assistant Positions in Web Security and Privacy

Research Assistant Positions in Web Security and Privacy, Portugal

Applications are invited for 5 research assistant positions funded under the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal partnership (http://www.cmu.edu/portugal), on the topic of Web Security and Privacy. These posts are part of a multidisciplinary research program involving multiple departments at Carnegie Mellon University, Lab:USE at the University of Madeira, the Information Systems Department at the University of Minho, Instituto Superior Tecnico at the Technical University of Lisbon, and Portugal Telecom. The posts are based in Portugal, will be co-supervised by Carnegie Mellon faculty, and will involve annual visits to Carnegie Mellon. The ideal candidates will have a good first degree or MSc in a relevant subject. Successful candidates may opt to apply for a PhD degree in Portugal, or a joint PhD degree with Carnegie Mellon University.

More details about the project can be found at:
http://www.labuse.org/wesp

Post WSP1: User-controllable privacy - University of Madeira
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either computer science, human computer interaction, or mathematics. The successful candidate will focus on the development and validation of novel policy authoring and auditing tools along with novel machine learning algorithms aimed at empowering users to more effectively control their security and privacy settings. This work will be validated in the context of actual deployments of mobile social software applications in Portugal and at Carnegie Mellon. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in development for online or mobile platforms, and social network analysis. This post will be based at the University of Madeira (Funchal).

Post WSP2: Anti-phishing for the web and the city - University of Madeira
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either computer science, mathematics, security, or human computer interaction. The successful candidate will build on the existing collaboration between PT/SAPO and CMU and will combine the development of advanced filtering mechanisms with novel user training technologies. In addition, this work will consider the use of tag-based solutions for addressing phishing in the context of location-based services. These technologies will be evaluated through a combination of user studies and pilots, including pilots to be conducted with PT/SAPO. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in development for online or mobile platforms, and security protocols. This post will be based at the University of Madeira (Funchal).

Post WSP3: Formal methods for social networks - University of Madeira
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either formal software development and verification, computer science, logic, or mathematics. The post involves the use of formal methods techniques and tools to validate social networks languages developed in the project. Previous knowledge of Java Modeling Language (JML) and B method for software development are assets, though training can be given. Programming experience is also desirable. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written skills in English, and the ability to work independently as well as a member of a team and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in web technologies in general. This post will be based at the University of Madeira (Funchal).

Post WSP4: Trustworthy services - University of Minho
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either computer science, mathematics, or human computer interaction. The successful candidate will develop and evaluate mechanisms and design principles aimed at empowering users to more effectively decide whether or not they can trust different types of mobile and pervasive computing. In collaboration with the rest of the project, this work will develop appropriate policies and trust mechanisms for situated social networking services, particularly those using Bluetooth. Examples of such services include a location-based friend finder, public displays that accept messages from nearby people, and situated games. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in design and development for online or mobile platforms, and an interest in trust and pervasive and ubiquitous computing. This post will be based at the University of Minho (Guimarães).

Post WSP5: Lawful services - IST, Technical University of Lisbon
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either internet law, public policy, or computer science. The successful candidate will deploy automated approaches to detecting copyright breach and develop enforcement of copyright policies in the context of peer-to-peer networks and related services. Upon collecting network traffic and demographic data, the work will focus on developing legal and technical policies to combat the distribution of copyrighted material, and will subsequently evaluate these policies in terms of effectiveness and cost. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in network administration, simulation, as well as interests in policy and economics. This post will be based at IST, Technical University of Lisbon.

Contact
Potential applicants should contact Vassilis Kostakos (vassilis[ at ]cmu.edu) for informal discussions or enquiries.

Applying
The closing date for receipts of applications is June 1st 2009, and we anticipate that interviews will be held in early June. Applications should be made as soon as possible, via email. Applicants should submit a cover letter clearly indicating the position(s) for which they wish to apply, a full CV, and contact details for three referees to Vassilis Kostakos (vassilis[ at ]cmu.edu). The posts will start ideally on July 1st 2009 (or as soon as possible thereafter) by arrangement with the successful candidate. The value of each award is 11760 Euros per annum (tax exempt) for three years.

About Lab:USE and Madeira
The Laboratory for Usage-centered Software Engineering (http://www.labuse.org) is a unique research and development initiative dedicated to making technology more useful, more usable, and more accessible. Lab:USE is a research unit in the Department of Mathematics and Engineering (http://dme.uma.pt) at the University of Madeira. Members of Lab:USE also have responsibilities in teaching in the various courses of the department, in particular in the Professional Master of Human-Computer Interaction that is offered in collaboration with the HCI Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. As of 2009, Lab:USE consists of 15 faculty representing 11 different nationalities. Lab:USE has secured 2 million euros of funding for the next 3 years and is currently expanding.

Madeira is a mid-Atlantic island, positioned near the coast of Africa and the Canary Islands. It is one of the autonomous regions of Portugal. The mean annual temperature in the capital city, Funchal, can reach 20 °C. With its mild humidity, the weather of the island is classified as oceanic subtropical.

France: PhD Studentship in Forestry, Tree Biomechanics, INRA Nancy

PhD Studentship in Forestry, Tree Biomechanics, INRA Nancy, France

Project Title
Modelling the biomechanical response of adult trees induced by their unbalanced biomass.

Short description:
Biomechanical stresses are essential all along tree life, but they can have negative consequences as soon as the trees are felled. In this field, since the XIXth century a lot of knowledge has been established. Most of time, experiments were led on young trees, in controlled conditions. These previous works have established that negative gravitropism is one of the main mechanisms inducing high stress level. However, to transfer this knowledge into operational recommendations concerning adult trees within a context of stand management, some information is still missing and requires adapted studies.

Nowadays, with new tools such as terrestrial LIDAR scanner, an accurate description of the spatial distribution of the volumes (trunk and branches) within trees can be reached, and used to establish links between (i) the mechanical loading supported by the trunk at a given height, and (ii) the response induced at the periphery of the trunk close to the cambium which leads to a differential of maturation strains acting as a muscle for controlling the posture of the tree.

Based on a suitable sampling design, mixing species, development stage, and stand structure, an extensive field experiment will be carried out to constitute a database which will be analysed by means of mechanical modelling.

Keywords: Forestry, Tree measurement, Terrestrial LIDAR, Laser, Metrology, Biomass, Gravitropism, Growth stress, Reaction wood, Modelling, Response function,

General Framework
Prepared Diploma:
PhD in Forestry Sciences delivered by AgroParisTech, and prepared in RP2E Doctoral School.

Period: 1st October 2009-30th September 2012

Gross Salary: 1650 €/month
PhD scholarship is funded by ANR (French National Research Agency) through the EMERGE Project (2008- BIOE- 003) and by Lorraine Region

Location: INRA Research Centre – F54280 CHAMPENOUX (FRANCE) (15 km from Nancy)
Laboratory: LERFoB1 UMR INRA-AgroParisTech n°1092

Application:
To be considered for entry, applicants should hold, or expect to hold by 1st September 2009 master degree or equivalence in a field relevant to the proposed research topic. The topic requires skills in several of the following fields forestry, programming, mechanical engineering, and applied mathematics. A good fluency in English and/ or in French is required. The application should include a letter summarising motivation, research interests and relevant experience, and a complete CV, including obtained grades and a list of publications (if available), and names and contact information of two references.

The deadline for applying is the 1st June 2009.

Contact Persons:
Dr. Thiéry CONSTANT
constant[ at ]nancy.inra.fr
Tel: +33 (0)3 83 39 40 66.
Fax: +33 (0)3 83 39 40 69

Dr. Meriem FOURNIER (ICGREF)
fournier[ at ]agroparistech.fr
Tel: +33 (0)3 83 39 40 01
Fax: +33 (0)3 83 39 40 69

Postal Address:
INRA Research Centre
LERFOB UMR 1092
Route d’Amance
54280 Champenoux
FRANCE

LERFoB = French acronym for Joint Research Unit for Forest and Wood Resource

USA: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Translational Bioinformatics, Boston University

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Translational Bioinformatics, Boston University, USA

The Pulmonomics laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine (http://pulmonomics.org) is seeking a creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow to join the laboratory and participate in our active and well-funded research program aimed at gaining insights into the physiological responses to tobacco-smoke exposure and how variability in these responses contributes to tobacco-related diseases such as lung cancer and COPD. These aims are pursued primarily using genome-wide gene-expression data.

Current areas of interest include using high-throughput sequencing technology to discover tobacco-smoke-exposure- and disease-associated novel small RNAs and transcript variants, using network reconstruction algorithms to discover potential regulatory mechanisms underlying disease-associated gene-expression patterns, understanding how small regulatory RNAs such as microRNAs contribute to this process, and developing sensitive and specific biomarkers able to diagnose disease and/or predict therapeutic outcome. Candidates should have or be close to obtaining a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, biostatistics, computer science, or a closely related field. Applicants must possess good communication skills and be fluent in both spoken and written English. Critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the ability to work semi-independently are required. Prior successful experience working with and developing statistical algorithms for analyzing high dimensional datasets is required. Experience analyzing genome-wide gene-expression data is strongly desired. Experience programming with Perl and the R statistical language, as well as experience with databases such as MySQL is preferred.

The postdoctoral position is a temporary appointment, the chief objective being to qualify the selected candidate for work in senior positions in their disciplines. Grants to the laboratory provide funding for the position through September 2012, and the selected candidate will be encouraged to seek independent fellowship funding. The selected candidate will be jointly supervised by Dr. Avrum Spira and Dr. Marc Lenburg, have access to the robust bioinformatics infrastructure at Boston University, and will receive a competitive salary and benefits package.

Interested individuals should send or email a letter of intent/cover letter, a CV with contact info for three references, and a 1-2 page description of relevant previous accomplishments to Ms. Erika Langer; pulmonomics[ at ]gmail.com; The Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 715 Albany Street, R-304, Boston, MA 02118.

The closing date for receipt of applications for this position is May 25th, 2009.

The Netherlands: PhD Scholarships in Imaging Brain Network Abnormalities, The University Medical Center Groningen

PHD SCHOLARSHIP “IMAGING BRAIN NETWORK ABNORMALITIES IN AGEING-RELATED HEARING DISORDERS”

The University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands is offering various “Ubbo Emmius” PhD-scholarships. Candidates are hereby invited to apply for the position with vacancy number “UE-vac-10″ with the following description.

Various prevalent hearing disorders in elderly people crucially involve neural mechanisms in the brain. For instance, in tinnitus (ringing in the ears), abnormal interactions between auditory and non-auditory brain areas are believed to cause the perception of phantom sounds. In presbyacusis (hearing loss) or deafness, deprivation of acoustic input may result in abnormal cross-modal plastic reorganization. Novel fMRIneuroimaging and neurovisualization methods can identify anatomical and functional connectivity patterns throughout the brain, even during rest.

The candidate will investigate these methods and apply them to study ageing-related hearing complaints, like tinnitus and severe hearing loss, and their underlying neural mechanisms.

The applicant may express his/her interest in this position before 01 May 2009, and will subsequently have the opportunity to submit a research proposal, together with the principal investigators.

More information about the application procedure is available from the website or from the principal investigators prof. dr. Pim van Dijk (p.van.dijk[ at ]med.umcg.nl) and dr. Dave Langers (d.r.m.langers[ at ]med.umcg.nl).

Sweden: Postdoc Researcher in Environmental Risk Analysis, University of Kalmar

Postdoc Researcher in Environmental Risk Analysis, University of Kalmar, Sweden

A two-year post-doc researcher position is available at the Centre for Environmental Science and Technology, School of Pure and Applied Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, Sweden.

We are looking for a post-doc researcher in environmental science focussing on research in environmental risk analysis. Most of the work will be conducted within the EU-funded research project CADASTER, but also with opportunities to gain teaching experience. The position is for two years, but with a good chance of a one year extension.

Some 30 000 existing substances are to be assessed through the process of the new European chemicals legislation (REACH). The REACH regulation advocates the use of non-animal testing methods, but guidance is needed on how these methods should be used. The CADASTER project aims at providing practical guidance to integrated risk assessment and show how to increase the use of models and computational methods as a basis for regulatory decisions. For more information about CADASTER, please visit the web page www.cadaster.eu

The successful candidate for this position will work mainly within the CADASTER work packages 3 and 4; Development and validation of QSARs and Integration of QSARs with risk assessment. In these work packages, models and methods will be developed, validated and subsequently integrated into a probabilistic risk assessment framework, by means of characterization and evaluation of variability and uncertainty.

The requirements for this position is a doctoral degree in a natural science subject, technology, medicine, or similar and experience with statistical methods and modelling. Knowledge in structure-activity modelling, probabilistic risk assessment methods, and chemicals regulations and its implementation will be considered an asset. We expect good skills in English, high motivation, and the ability to conduct independent research and publish in peer-reviewed journals.

For further information please contact Assoc. Prof. Tomas Öberg at +46 (0)70-6412157 (tomas[dot]oberg[at]hik[dot]se) or Personnel Officer Leif Eriksson, at +46 (0)480-446028 (leif[dot]eriksson[at]hik[dot]se). Union representatives may be contacted via the university switchboard at +46 (0)480- 446000.

The application should be addressed to: Registrator, University of Kalmar, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden, and should arrive no later than May 31, 2009. Mark your application with reference number 2009/304.

The application (in English) shall include a short description of yourself and why you are interested in this project, CV, documentations of exams and grades, names and addresses of at least two reference persons (incl. phone and e-mail), and a copy of thesis and a list of other scientific publications. Please also state expected salary in your application.

New Zealand: PhD Scholarship, Revealing Larval Lobster Diet, University of Auckland

PhD Scholarship, Revealing Larval Lobster Diet, University of Auckland, New Zealand

PhD Scholarship
Revealing Larval Lobster Diet
School of Biological Sciences
and Leigh Marine Laboratory
University of Auckland

Rock lobsters or spiny lobsters form the basis of valuable wild fisheries throughout the world, including New Zealand where they provide around $120M a year in exports. However, the larval biology of spiny lobsters is very poorly understood because the larvae spend many months feeding in open ocean waters before swimming back to our coasts to settle on reefs as juveniles. The natural diet of larval lobsters remains a mystery, although they are known to be voracious predators when held in captivity. Recent advances in molecular genetics techniques, especially for forensic purposes, provide powerful new tools with excellent potential for identifying the natural prey of wild larval lobsters from DNA recovered from the guts of larvae caught from the wild. Identifying the natural prey of spiny lobsters for the first time has the potential to provide new insights into huge natural fluctuations in the larval supply and recruitment to important lobster fisheries, and may help with future aquaculture.

This project will enable a PhD candidate to work with leading marine molecular geneticists, biochemists and lobster scientists from NZ, with some collaboration with Japanese counterparts, to collaboratively identify the natural prey species of larval lobsters. Questions to be addressed include: determining the optimum identification methodologies; exploring the theoretical constraints of molecular species identification; and the implications of results from this work for understanding trophic interactions in the open ocean.

The PhD candidate will use molecular techniques to investigate larval lobster prey species, beginning with experimentally fed larvae, and moving on to wild-caught larvae. A variety of techniques will be trialled, including advanced DNA sequencing technologies. The student will be based at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland. The ideal student will have an excellent BSc(Hons) or MSc in Biological Sciences with experience in molecular biology techniques, including DNA sequencing, and good bioinformatics skills.

Applications and enquiries should be addressed to:

Assoc. Prof. Andrew Jeffs: a.jeffs[ at ]auckland.ac.nz or

Dr. Shane Lavery: s.lavery[ at ]auckland.ac.nz or

Dr Tony Hickey: a.hickey[ at ]auckland.ac.nz

Applicants should include a cover letter, a CV and the e-mail addresses of at least two referees.

Germany: PhD Studentships, International Graduate School on Self-organization in Mobile Communication Systems

PhD Studentships, International Graduate School on Self-organization in Mobile Communication Systems, Germany

The International Graduate School on Mobile Communications at the Ilmenau University of Technology requests applications for the following positions:

  • 14 full-time research positions for doctoral students
  • 1 full-time postdoc position
  • 4 qualification stipends to prepare for doctoral studies

The Graduate School guides students to complete the doctoral program in three years.

The research focus is on the interdisciplinary development of mechanisms for self-organization in mobile communication systems considering protocol, network and radio aspects. Self-organization allows for the fast adaptation of highly complex systems to changing environments. This will provide the foundation for flexible future mobile communication networks.

The research goal of the School is the development of mechanisms for the autonomous, dynamic, distributed coordination of future mobile communication systems. Self-organization is applied to the radio system, protocols and the network as a whole. Our specific application scenarios are disaster networks, requiring an aggressive approach to network operation.

Details on the Graduate School can be found at www.gs-mobicom.de. The detailed job announcement is available at this page.

Due to numerous requests, the deadline for applications has been extended to April 20, 2009.

USA: Postdoc in Computational Biology, The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Postdoc in Computational Biology, The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA

Postdoc in computational biology at UCLA

Postdoctoral positions are available at UCLA to work in the area of computational biology of pre-mRNA splicing and gene expression. Our lab combines genome-wide computational and experimental approaches in molecular biology, genomics, systems biology and bioinformatics. Successful applicants should have excellent programming skills, research experience in bioinfomratics and basic knowledge of biology.

We are seeking excellent candidates who are highly motivated and career-oriented. The University of California, Los Angeles, is a preeminent public university in the country. The Molecular Biology Institute building, where the postdoctoral position will be located, is one of the primary loci of biomedical research on campus.

Applicants should send a brief statement of research interest, curriculum vitae, the names and contact details of three references to Dr. Xinshu (Grace) Xiao at gxxiao[ at ]ucla.edu

Please indicate “postdoc application” in the title of the email.

Norway: PhD Fellowship in Cosmology, the University of Oslo

PhD Fellowship in Cosmology, the University of Oslo, Norway

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo announces a PhD research fellowship in Cosmology.

The successful applicant is expected to carry out research on the nature of dark energy and modified gravity. In particular, to test and constrain high energy physics models of dark energy and extensions of Einstein General Relativity using cosmological data from Supernovae, cosmic microwave background radiation, galaxy clusters, lensing, etc.

The fellowship includes generous travel opportunities, excellent local computer resources and the possibility of working in collaboration with people in other institutions around the globe.

No tuition fees. The starting salary is NOK 353,200 (approx. 41,000 EUR) per year.

Note requirements: master degree or at least 4 years of undergraduate studies (preferably including a thesis/dissertation/term project) finished by June 2009.

Application deadline: June 30, 2009.

For further information about the Institute and application details see this page.

For further information please contact David F. Mota (d.f.mota[ at ]astro.uio.no)

Italy: PhD Fellowship in Architecture at Sapienza University of Rome

PhD Fellowship in Architecture at “Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy

PhD Fellowship in Architectural Sciences

The Doctoral School in Architectural Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy offers one Ph.D. fellowship for attaining the degree of “Dottore di Ricerca” (Ph.D.). Four Ph.D. Programmes are currently active within the School:

- Architecture and Construction – Space and Society
- Energy Saving and Distributed Microgeneration
- Space and Furnishing Design
- Retraining and Recovery of Urban Heritage

The fellowship amounts to 19.800,00 € per year; this amount includes national insurance (INPS) contributions that fellowship recipients are required to pay (8,57% for 2009).

The Ph.D. Programme lasts for three years and may be extended to a fourth year (without grant), subject to approval by the School authorities. At the end of the first and second year of attendance, students have to be evaluated as proficient according to the rules of the Schools.

Applications are opened to candidates who:

- are not Italian citizens;
- are not residents of Italy;
- have obtained an academic qualification abroad by a non-Italian institution which satisfies the entrance requirements for admission to the Doctoral Programme, i.e., a degree equivalent to the Italian diploma di laurea / laurea specialistica / laurea magistrale, or expect to obtain it before 31 July 2009. The equivalence of each qualification to the relevant Italian degree will be ascertained (for the sole purpose of this competition) by the Academic Board of the Schools.

Applications must be received no later than April 30, 2009.

For further information, visit the School’s website, http://w3.uniroma1.it/sdsa. Accepted candidates will be notified by May 30, 2009.

Info: Scuola di Dottorato in Scienze dell’Architettura, “Sapienza” Università di Roma
Address: Via Gramsci, 53 - 00197 Rome, Italy
E-mail: draco[ at ]uniroma1.it
Website: http://w3.uniroma1.it/sdsa

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