PhD position in Mathematics at Vilnius Univ, Lithuania

One full-time PhD position is available at Faculty of Mathematics
and Informatics, Vilnius University (Lithuania) in the framework of
Marie Curie Network SAGA (ShApes, Geometry, and Algebra).

Topic: Mathematics of surfaces with applications to geometric
modeling.

Possible project examples:

Improved blends between primitive surfaces

The majority of mechanical parts in CAD have a boundary
representation that combines planes and primitive surfaces (like
sphere, circular cylinder/cone or torus) with smooth blends between
them. Usually these constructions are only approximate, and the
resulting blends are NURBS surfaces with gaps along boundaries. The
project goal is to construct new efficient smooth blends between
primitive surfaces of reasonable parameterization degree that have
no gaps on the boundaries. The results should be possible to
integrate into industrial CAD systems.

Fair surfacing constructions: filling multisided holes

Current CAD technology is essentially based on NURBS. The natural
modeling process of smooth surfaces with complicated topology
usually generates NURBS with n-sided holes (n not equal to 4).
Several methods were proposed for fair filling of such holes using
rational patches or special polynomial patchworks. The goal is to
find structural representation of such constructions. This may lead
to new kind of splines naturally extending NURBS, and that can
represent/approximate surfaces of arbitrary topology.

Qualifications

Degree: A Bachelor's or equivalent 4-year degree in Mathematics,
Computer Science, or related field is required: it must have been
obtained within 4 years from the start date of the PhD. Possessing
also a Master's degree in a relevant field is an advantage.
Nationality: The candidate cannot be of Lithuanian nationality, and
cannot have resided or worked in Lithuania for more than a year
during the 3 years before the PhD start date.
Languages: Fluency in English is required. Other languages would be
an advantage.

Financial support

Gross salary of about 2380 Euro per month (1400 Euro net), or about
2590 Euro (1520 Euro net) if married (family not necessary comes
together).
Travel allowance to/from country of residence, support for
travelling related to the PhD etc.

Dates and application procedure

Start date: anytime till November, 2009, for 3 years; one semester
will be spent in another SAGA partner.
Application deadline: the earlier the better.
Application procedure: Email your complete CV to
rimvydas (DOT) krasauskas (ETA) mif.vu.lt,
including relevant courses with grades, your Bachelor's/Master's
thesis, any academic publications, and names/addresses of professors
who may provide recommendations.