PhD Studentship in Web Technologie - De Montford University

PhD Studentship
De Montfort University

WEB COLLIDER (Keywords: Semantic Web, Internet, Search Engine, Creative Computing and Future Computation)

Institute of Creative Technologies, De Montfort University, Leicester, England

STARTING OCTOBER 2010

A PhD research studentship at the Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT), De Montfort University (DMU) is available to suitably qualified students.


The next generation of the web is known as Semantic Web, or Web 3.0. Here, users’ search intentions are interpreted semantically by search engines, so that search results returned will, in theory, be closer to what they wanted. However, as the web becomes better at understanding and steering user intentions, much of the more serendipitous and creative aspects of surfing will be lost.

This PhD project aims to provide users with a 'breadcrumb trail' of unique navigations through tagged content of all types: text, images, sounds and media. These navigations will provide creative stimulation and offer new insights into relationships between information that is not based simply on chance or even oppositional encounters, but rather on a more poetic sense of unity. To achieve this kind of result the tool will interrogate the way in which current search algorithms distinguish 'positive' and 'negative' information in order to achieve a new system of values for the classification of data. The supervision team will include Professor Hongji Yang, Professor Andrew Hugill and Professor Jim Hendler. For more information please contact Professor Hongji Yang by email: hyang@dmu.ac.uk or call +44 (0)116 250 6398.

This research opportunity is one of 15 scholarships funded by DMU in 2010/11 to build on our excellent achievements in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. It will develop the University’s research capacity into new and evolving areas of study, enhancing DMU’s national and international research partnerships.

Applications are invited from UK or overseas students with a good first degree (First, 2:1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject and a keen interest in computer science. Doctoral scholarships are available for up to three years’ full-time study starting October 2010 and provide a bursary of £13,500pa in addition to University tuition fees.

Applicants should contact Lisa McNicoll at lmcnicoll@dmu.ac.uk to receive an application pack.

Please quote ref: DMU Scholarships 2010

CLOSING DATE: Monday 2 August