Ph.D. Positions (fully funded) in Big Scientific Data at Imperial College

One or more fully funded  3-3.5 years Ph.D. positions are available in the new scientific data management lab at the Department of Computing, Imperial College, London, UK. The positions are available from April 1, 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter.


The positions are within the general area of scientific data management. The group focuses on scientific data management and high impact interdisciplinary research, i.e., developing groundbreaking and novel data management techniques strongly motivated and used in other disciplines (examples of past research and demos are available here: http://wp.doc.ic.ac.uk/theinis/research/ and here http://wp.doc.ic.ac.uk/theinis/demos/).


Keywords: Scientific Data Management, Big Data, Distributed Indexing & Processing, Spatial Data, Spatial Indexing, Spatio-Temporal Indexing, High-dimensional Indexing/Clustering, In-Memory Indexing


To apply you will need to have a strong background in computer science (M.Sc. or B.Sc. in Computer Science or very closely related) with very good grades (please check http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/entryrequirements/graduate for entry requirements). Good knowledge of database management is desired, as are implementation skills. Preference will be given to applicants with publications in the relevant areas.


You must have excellent communication skills and prioritise work to meet deadlines. All applicants must be fluent in spoken and written English. 


More information about the position is available here: http://wp.doc.ic.ac.uk/theinis/jobs


To apply, you should send a message including the material listed below to t.heinis@imperial.ac.uk:


1) CV (including documentation of English proficiency, e.g., TOEFL, Cambridge certificates)
2) Diplomas and grade transcripts for bachelor's studies (and master's where available)
3) Contact information for 2 references who have agreed to speak about you, your work, and your potential (will only be contacted after initial interview)
4) Motivation letter outlining research experience and ideally also sketching research ideas
5) PDFs of relevant publications (if applicable)


About Imperial:
Imperial College is first class address to pursue excellent, high impact research. Imperial College consistently ranks among the top 5 schools in the world (Times Higher Education & QS rankings). The Department of Computing is also a leading department of Computer Science among UK Universities. It has consistently been awarded the highest research rating (5*) in Research Assessment Exercises (RAE), coming 2nd in the 2008 RAE, and was rated as â?oExcellentâ? in the previous national assessment of teaching quality.


About London:
Noisy, vibrant and truly multicultural, London is a megalopolis of people, ideas and frenetic energy. The capital and largest city of both the United Kingdom and of England, it is also the largest city in Western Europe and the European Union. Situated on the River Thames, London is an international capital of culture, music, education, fashion, politics, finance and trade which offers ample activities (besides research that is) for every interest, be it culture, sport events, shopping and clubbing.

5 PhD positions on Question Answering in 4 EU countries; info event 21 Jan @ Bonn; apply by Feb

WDAqua (Answering Questions using Web Data), a Marie SkÅ,odowska-Curie International Training Network (ITN), is seeking 15 highly skilled PhD candidates.


http://www.iai.uni-bonn.de/~langec/wdaqua/


== Essential Facts ==


PhD students in WDAqua will spend 3 years working at one of 6 research institutions in Europe (France, Germany, Greece, UK), will participate in an outstanding web science and data science training programme, and will have the chance to visit other of these organisations plus further application partners. The gross monthly salary (including social security, before taxes) is 3,110 â,¬ (adjusted depending on the country of employment) plus a mobility allowance of 600 â,¬/month and, if applicable, a family allowance of 500 â,¬/month.


== Timeline ==


21 January 2015: information event in Bonn, Germany (exact schedule to be announced)
February 2015: application deadline (for exact dates, see the partnersâ?T specific job postings)
March 2015: first job offers made to successful applicants
July 2015â?"June 2018: typical duration of a PhD in WDAqua


== Background ==


Smart infrastructures and citizensâ?T participation in the digital society are increasingly data-driven. Sharing, connecting, managing, analysing and understanding data on the Web will enable better services for citizens, communities and industry. However, turning web data into successful services for the public and private sector requires skilled web and data scientists, and it still requires further research. WDAqua aims at advancing the state of the art by intertwining training, research and innovation efforts, centred around data-driven question answering. Question answering is immediately useful to a wide audience of end users, and we will demonstrate this in settings including e-commerce, public sector information, publishing and smart cities. Steps to answering a question are (1) understanding a spoken question, (2) analysing the questionâ?Ts text, (3) finding data to answer the question, and (4) presenting the answer(s). Every individual research project in WDAqua co!
 nnects at least two of these steps.


== Partners and Projects ==


Further details to be found on the homepage: http://www.iai.uni-bonn.de/~langec/wdaqua/


University of Bonn, Germany
3 positions (one of them with a dual degree with Saint-Ã?tienne)
Topics: linked data publishing, data quality assessment, data cleaning, federated queries


University of Athens, Greece
2 positions
Topics: dataset alignment and merging, user interaction, interactive disambiguation


Université Jean Monnet Saint-�tienne, France
3 positions (two of them with dual degrees with Bonn)

Topics: provenance, trust, link discovery, data dynamicity and evolution, named entity recognition, disambiguation, reasoning


Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS), Germany
2 positions (PhD awarded by the University of Bonn, one position with a dual degree with Saint-Ã?tienne)
Topics: cloud computing, plugin architecture, voice input, natural language processing


University of Southampton, UK
3 positions
Topics: visualisation, verbalisation, natural language synthesis, interaction flows, information discovery


Open Data Institute, UK
2 positions (PhD awarded by the University of Southampton)
Topics: visualisation, verbalisation, data licensing, pricing of services, privacy


Partner organisations (where PhD students may spend secondments):
* Antidot, France
* ATC Innovation Lab, Greece
* Data Publica, France
* Fundacio Barcelona Media/Yahoo Labs, Spain
* Unister Research & Development, Germany
* Wolters Kluwer Strategy and Innovation, Germany


== How to apply ==


The individual project partners make individual, specific job postings (accessible from http://www.iai.uni-bonn.de/~langec/wdaqua/). Candidates apply for individual jobs, with individual organisations, as listed above.


The ideal candidate must not have resided for more than 12 months in the country of their employment in the 3 years before starting to work. He or she holds a degree in computer science or a related field and is able to combine theory and practice in her/his work. Fluent English communication and a passion for developing modern software solutions (e.g. in Java/Scala, JavaScript) are fundamental requirements. Command of  the language of the country of employment is a plus but not required. The candidate should have experience and commitment to work in teams and on the forefront of research in one of the following fields:


* semantic web technologies and linked data
* knowledge representations and ontology engineering
* software engineering and modern application development
* database technologies and data integration
* HCI and user interface design for Web content
* data analytics


Application deadlines will be in February; each organisation will define a specific date. You will need to submit a CV, university transcripts, a motivation letter including a short research plan targeted to one of the above projects, two letters of recommendation and English writing sample (e.g. prior publication or master thesis excerpt). The individual organisations will announce specific requirements and guidelines.


== Questions? ==


The information event on 21 January is a good opportunity to ask questions. You may also, at any time, email or phone
Christoph Lange
WDAqua assistant coordinator
langec@cs.uni-bonn.de
Phone +49 2241 14-2428

Post-doc position in Neuroscience/Psychology available in Singapore

Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience/Psychology

The Cognitive Engineering Lab of Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology 

(SINAPSE) is seeking to appoint a Research Fellow/Scientist for a period 2 years; 

position to be filled as of March 1, 2015 or sooner if it is filled). 

Contact person

Prof. Anastasios (Tassos) Bezerianos, Cognitive Engineerng Lab, SINAPSE, National 

University of Singapore (NUS), Email: lsiba@nus.edu.sg, phone: +65-66013054, 

http://www.sinapseinstitute.org/projects/cognitiveengr/ 

Research Topic

The project examines the feasibility of cognitive training in augmenting brain 

performance. We are looking for a research fellow who is interested in developing 

and (or) employing neuroscience/psychology training protocols and advanced 

multimodal neuroimaging techniques to understand the training and transfer 

effect on the brain plasticity.  

Scientific profile 

 Recent  Ph.D. degree in neuroscience/psychology related project 

(preferably in cognitive training); 

 Solid programming skills; the project involves programming in Matlab and 

other programming tools (E-prime);

 Knowledge in multivariate statistical analysis is necessary.

 Multimodal neuroimaging  (fMRI/ EEG)  background is preferable. 

Personal profile

 Good communication and English writing skills is essential;

 Interdisciplinary communication and team competence;

 Creative and highly self-motivated.  

If you are interested in the job, please send applications via email to Prof. Tassos 

Bezerianos (lsiba@nus.edu.sg), including:

 Cover letter (with research interests)

 Complete CV including full education (preferably list the theses’ titles and 

abstracts), lists of papers, projects;

 Names and email address of at least two referees;

Multiple PhD and Postdoc Positions on PROCESS MINING at Eindhoven University of Technology

### Multiple PhD and Postdoc Positions on PROCESS MINING at Eindhoven University of Technology ###


We are continuously looking for excellent candidates working on process mining, i.e., analytical 
approaches on the interplay between data mining/machine learning and process modeling and analysis.  
Therefore, we are looking for candidates with a strong background in data mining, machine learning, 
process analytics, formal methods, predictive analytics, and/or Big Data. 


(1) For 2014, we are still looking for:


***** PhDs working on Process Mining in Collaboration with DSC/e and Philips *****


The AIS group is one of the leading groups in the exciting new field of process mining 
(www.processmining.org). Process mining techniques focus on process discovery (extracting process 
models from event logs), conformance checking (comparing normative models with the reality recorded 
in event logs), and extension (extending models based on event logs). The work resulted in the 
development of the ProM framework that is widely used in industry and serves as a platform for new 
process mining techniques used by research groups all over the globe. Moreover, many of the 
techniques developed in the context of ProM have been embedded in commercial tools. See also 
www.processmining.org.


The Data Science Centre Eindhoven (DSC/e) is TU/e's response to the growing volume and importance 
of data and the need for data & process scientists (http://www.tue.nl/dsce/). The DSC/e has recently 
started a long-term strategic cooperation with Philips Research Eindhoven on three topics: data science, 
health and lighting. As a first concrete action,
70 PhD students are being hired for these three topics using joint funding from the TU/e and Philips, of 
which 18 PhD students will work on the data science topic. These students will together with 
researchers from the TU/e and Philips form a strong research community working together on scientific 
and industrial challenges.




=========== PhD positions on process mining ============== 
The following four PhD positions will be related to the topic of process mining:


1) Product-centric Consumer Data Analytics: Product Usage Lifecycle Analysis [part of the >>Data Driven 
Value Proposition<< theme] Digital components are being added to Philips lifestyle products. The data 
from these products as well as from Philips touch points must be combined to optimize user experience 
and maintain customer satisfaction. Process mining techniques will be used to analyze the usage of 
products over a longer period of time.


2) Transforming Event Data into Predictive Models [part of the >>Healthcare Smart Maintenance<< 
theme] Philips has strong leadership positions in healthcare imaging and patient monitoring systems. In 
the healthcare domain, reducing equipment downtime and cost of ownership for hospitals is of vital 
importance. Smart maintenance exploits that professional equipment is connected to the internet and 
aims to use event and sensor data for overall cost reduction. Process mining techniques will be used to 
learn dynamic models that can be used for prediction and optimization.


3) Predictive Analytics for Healthcare Workflows
4) Radiology Workflow Optimization and Orchestration [both part of the >> Optimizing Healthcare 
Workflows << theme] The delivery of patient care in hospital is a complex workflow based on fixed 
protocols. 
Optimization of patient care at reduced cost requires the orchestration of multiple clinical workflows.  
Timely getting the imaging/lab tests done and getting the results back to physicians can help quickly 
diagnose/treat the patient, and save lives. The rapid digitization of diagnostics in radiology and 
pathology calls for a data-driven optimization of the workflows. Process mining will be used to learn 
models for the as-is situation. 
However, process technology will also be used to improve the processes. Hence, people With a 
background in operations research, simulation and/or BPM are encouraged to apply.


=========== How to apply ==============


The Data Science Center Eindhoven (DSC/e) is looking for in total 18 PhDs in the area of data science. 
The entire project is divided into 5 themes. Within three themes there is a need for process mining (see 
above). If you are interested in a PhD on process mining please clearly indicate so in your application!


Apply via http://jobs.tue.nl/nl/job/18-phd-positions-on-data-science-joint-project-data-science-center-
philips-190316.html. 




=========== Job qualifications ==============


Candidates should:
- have an MSc in Computer Science or a related discipline (e.g., Statistics or Operations Research)
- have a strong interest in data science research and in process mining in particular
- be highly motivated
- able to develop software to allow for experimentation
- be a fast learner, autonomous and creative, show dedication and be hard working
- possess good communication capabilities and be an efficient team worker
- be fluent  in English, both spoken and written


PhD students are expected to:
- perform scientific research in the domain described
- collaborate with other researchers in this project
- present results at (international) conferences
- publish results in scientific journals
- participate in activities of the group and department, at both sites
- assist in teaching undergraduate/graduate courses
- participate in EIT doctoral training on entrepreneurship and related topics
- be willing to work at two locations (TU/e campus and Philips High Tech Campus)


Appointment and salary



We offer:
- a full-time temporary appointment for a period of 4 years, with an intermediate evaluation after 9 
months
- a gross salary of ? 2,083 per month in the first year increasing up to ? 2,664 per month in the fourth 
year
- a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually)
- assistance in finding accommodation (for foreign employees)
- the opportunity to perform research in a large-scale joint project from a leading technical university 
and a leading high-tech company
- support for your personal development and career planning including participation in the EIT doctoral 
training, courses, summer schools, conference visits, research visits to other institutes (both academic 
and industrial), etc.
- a broad package of fringe benefits (including excellent technical infrastructure, child day care, savings 
schemes and excellent sport facilities).


Selection procedure


Candidates must apply using the web form on this page, providing a detailed CV and a motivation letter 
that indicates one or more of the PhD projects that the candidate wishes to apply for.  Selection will be 
on-going in the period July 1, 2014 - November 1, 2014. This means that suitable candidates will be 
interviewed and if deemed fit, be hired immediately without waiting for applications of other 
candidates.


More information:


For more information about the project, please contact Wil van der Aalst 
(http://wwwis.win.tue.nl/~wvdaalst/). 
Before asking very general questions, please make sure to have a good overview of the process mining 
work done at AIS.
For example, visit www.processmining.org, read 
http://wwwis.win.tue.nl/~wvdaalst/cover_process_mining_book.pdf,
and play with the ProM software. Also visit http://wwwis.win.tue.nl/~wvdaalst/ and 
http://www.win.tue.nl/ais/.
You may also consider registering for the Massive Open Online Course on Process Mining: 
https://www.coursera.org/course/procmin. 
There is no detailed description of each PhD position. The process mining techniques to be applied and 
developed are/should be generic and will be used in different projects within Philips.


For information about employment conditions please contact Mrs. C.M. van Dam, HR advisor TU/e, 
email: pzwin@tue.nl, telephone +31 40 247 2735, or Mr. C.M. Kuiters, HR advisor TU/e, email: 
pzwin@tue.nl, telephone +31 40 247 2321.




(2) Next to the PhD positions that we aim to fill in the next couple of months. 


For 2015, we are also looking for:


*********** Postdocs working on Process Mining  **************


These positions will only open next year. However, given the large demand for experts working on 
process mining we are already looking for people having the right background to fill these positions. 
Please send expressions of interest to Wil van der Aalst (http://wwwis.win.tue.nl/~wvdaalst/). Please 
include a clear motivation letter demonstrating your experience and knowledge of process mining. 
General applications without a clear motivation letter will be discarded. 

Microsoft EMEA Scholarship in Massive Data Analysis in Warwick UK

In exceptional cases, it may be possible to support students from outside the EU.

==================================================================================

Microsoft EMEA Scholarship in Algorithms for Massive Data Analysis


A Microsoft Research scholarship place is available to study algorithms for massive data analysis, leading to a PhD in Computer Science. Increasingly, we are faced with larger and larger volumes of data from which to extract insights and intelligence. Of particular interest is data that can be represented as a graph or (adjacency) matrix. A promising approach is to look for ways to "sketch" such structures: to build a representation that is much more compact than the input, but which allows some function of interest on the original data to be approximated accurately using the sketch. Such sketches are well-known and widely used for data that can be represented as a vector (such as to identify the most frequent elements, or to count the number of distinct items). The goal of this scholarship project is to develop new algorithms for sketching of massive graphs and matrices, and to demonstrate their usefulness via theoretical analysis and empirical
 evaluation. The hope is to ad!
 vance our knowledge of the theory in this area, and design algorithms which can be used in practice, such as for querying data represented as a (massive) graph, clustering/partitioning graph structured data, and optimization problems over large graphs.


The scholarship will support tuition fees and stipend to study at University of Warwick, under the guidance of Professor Graham Cormode and Dr. Milan Vojnovic of Microsoft Research. The Microsoft PhD Scholarship Programme recognises and supports exceptional students who show the potential to make an outstanding contribution to science and computing. Each Microsoft scholarship consists of an annual bursary for up to a maximum of three years.


During the course of their PhD, Scholars are invited to Microsoft Research in Cambridge for an annual Summer School that includes a series of talks of academic interest and posters sessions, which provides the Scholars the opportunity to present their work to Microsoft researchers and a number of Cambridge academics. There is also the possibility of internships at Microsoft Research. Applicants require a first-class Honours degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Mathematics or Computer Engineering, experience in programming and aptitude for mathematical subjects. Knowledge of algorithms, linear algebra, graph theory and probability is essential. A Masters degree is desirable. Before the Scholarship can be awarded the candidate must also undergo the formal admission procedure to the university of Warwick, and approval from Microsoft Research. The scholarship covers fees for students from European Union countries. In exceptional cases, it may be
 possible to support students from outside the EU.


To apply, please contact Graham Cormode or Milan Vojnovic directly with a CV and description of your experience relevant to this project. Please apply by January 31 2015 for full consideration. Further details and suggested reading is available from Prof. Graham Cormode.

Two PhD Positions in Smart Grid Communications and Cloud Computing

Application deadline: October 31, 2014

We are looking for two self-motivated, highly qualified PhD students with solid analytic background and interest in communications and networks. The successful candidates will pursue their PhD studies at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Clarkson University, starting as early as Spring 2015 or Fall 2015.


Clarkson University is New York State’s highest ranked small research institution with rigorous programs in engineering, arts, sciences, business and health professions. Clarkson is a private research university located in Potsdam, New York founded in 1896.


The students should have earned Master’s Degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering or computer science. Strong mathematical background and hands-on experience on physical testbeds, as well as in simulation environments are desired. Successful candidates are expected to contribute to research projects of the supervisor, work in an international team and participate in teaching activities of the department. Good written and oral communication skills are required.


Students with interest in smart grid communications, wireless communications, demand management, cyber-physical systems and wireless power transfer should contact Dr. Melike Erol-Kantarci (merolkan@clarkson.edumerolkan@clarkson.edu>) with a letter of interest, and CV with academic background, publication list and list of references.


Students with interest in cloud computing and communications, big data, social networks and crowdsensing systems should contact Dr. Burak Kantarci (bkantarc@clarkson.edubkantarc@clarkson.edu>) with a letter of interest, and CV with academic background, publication list and list of references.

PhD Studentship opportunity in the Birmingham School of the Built Environment

Birmingham City University - Birmingham School of the Built Environment

Qualification type:	PhD
Location:	Birmingham
Funding for:	UK Students, EU Students, International Students
Funding amount:	£13,863
Hours:	Full Time

 

Placed on:	19th September 2014
Closes:	24th October 2014

As part of our ongoing investment in research, the University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment is pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded PhD research studentship to start in February or May 2015. We welcome applications from UK, EU and Overseas students. The Birmingham School of the Built Environment, and its associated research centres, has an international profile in a number of research areas including environmental and spatial planning, ecosystems services, construction, digitising the built environment, Building Information Modelling, sustainable systems, and environmental governance. We work closely with professional bodies and employers across the built and natural environment, and much of our research is designedly interdisciplinary. We have identified a number of PhD topics – details and contacts are available on our website – that extend our existing research strengths and welcome applications in these areas.

The Award: The studentship covers the cost of tuition fees at the UK/EU rate or, in exceptional circumstances, the overseas rate and a stipend. In the 2014/2015 academic year, the stipend is £13,863. The studentship is available to support three years' full-time study, subject to satisfactory progress, and there is an expectation that students will also deliver up to 6 hours of teaching/demonstrating per week. 

Requirements: We welcome applications from candidates with a good undergraduate degree (1or 2:1) or masters degrees (merit/distinction) in relevant disciplines. Applicants can have a variety of backgrounds but must be willing to cross disciplines and be able to communicate effectively with people at many levels: good written and verbal communication skills are essential.

Criteria: Studentships will be awarded based on academic excellence, alignment of expertise with the outlined research interests, and potential for future achievement. You are encouraged to informally contact individual staff to discuss specific topics outlined on the centre’s website:

http://www.bcu.ac.uk/research/-centres-of-excellence/centre-for-environment-and-society/phd-mphil

Deadline for applications: 24th October 2014.Interviews for shortlisted candidates: 10-14 November 2014.

How to apply: For further details, eligibility and an application form, please follow the link:

http://www.bcu.ac.uk/computing-engineering-and-the-built-environment/research/phd-mphil