[Germany] PhD Program “Global Food Security” for International Students, University of Hohenheim

The Food Security Center (FSC) is a university center of excellence in development collaboration at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. FSC is one of five excellence centers of the program “exceed – Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation”, which is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany. FSC’s mission is to make effective and innova-tive scientific contributions in research, teaching, and policy advice to eradicate hunger and achieve food security in collaboration with partner research and education organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and national and international development and research organizations. Thematically, FSC’s activities deal with issues of sustainable food availability, food access, food use, and food utilization.

Scholarship description :

FSC awards 12 scholarships for PhD students from developing countries (see OECD DAC list) for a period of 36 months, beginning September 01, 2011 (with a month German language course). The Center wishes to attract outstanding PhD students pursuing a career in academia or development collaboration. The scholarship aims at increasing their previously gained scientific knowledge and skills relevant to food security related issues. The successful candidates will receive scholarships for participating in the PhD program “Global Food Security” to conduct their doctorates.

The scholarship is given for a stay at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. The monthly grant is EUR 1,000 (for the time in Germany, during the field research there will be a different rate applicable). In addition, FSC pays for traveling to/from Hohenheim. Health insurance and other costs must be paid for from the stipend.

Selection criteria :

Besides the general selection criteria for the PhD program “Global Food Security” (see announcement of the PhD program “Global Food Security”), the following criteria have to be met additionally, if applying for an “Excellence scholarship”:

- Latest academic degree completed no more than 6 years prior to start of scholarship;
- Indication for return to his/her home country and institute;
- Be a national of a developing country according to OECD DAC list.

Application:

The applicant has to submit the application documents for the PhD program “Global Food Security” and indicate in FSC’s application form, whether s/he applies for an “Excellence scholarship”. In addition to the general application, the applicant has to provide proof regarding the additional selection criteria mentioned above.

The deadline for the application for an “Excellence scholarship” is September 30, 2010

Web Link

https://fsc.uni-hohenheim.de/79512.html

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[Italy] PhD Positions for International Students in The Graduate School in Social, Economic and Political Sciences, University of Milan

The University of Milan has launched a call for application, based on qualifications and interviews, for admission to the Graduate School in Social, Economic and Political Sciences (GSSEPS) for the following Ph.D. Programs:

• Ph.D. in Business History and Management – Coordinator: Prof. Mario Benassi(mario.benassi@unimi.it)
• Ph.D. in Economics – Coordinator: Prof. Michele Santoni (michele.santoni@unimi.it)
• Ph.D. in Labour Studies – Coordinator: Prof. Lorenzo Bordogna(lorenzo.bordogna@unimi.it)
• Ph.D. in Political Studies – Coordinator: Prof. Marco Giuliani; Acting Coordinator: Prof. Francesco Zucchini (dottostp@unimi.it)
• Ph.D. in Sociology – Coordinator: Prof. Antonio Chiesi (antonio.chiesi@unimi.it)

For the academic year 2010/2011 the GSSEPS will assign a total of 34 places, 17 with scholarship and 17 without scholarship:

17 places with scholarships will be assigned as follows:

• Ph.D. in Business History and Management – 2 scholarships
• Ph.D. in Economics – 5 scholarships
• Ph.D. in Labour Studies – 3 scholarships
• Ph.D. in Political Studies – 3 scholarships
• Ph.D. in Sociology – 4 scholarships.

Up to 10 scholarships are reserved for non-EU citizens’ applicants resident abroad (outside Italy) only if they result in the final ranking for each Ph.D. program in a position not inferior than the corresponding one which gives license to use the awards as indicated for each Ph.D. program.

If in the final ranking of each Ph.D. program do not appear any suitable non-EU citizen resident abroad candidate, the mentioned 10 scholarships will be awarded to EU candidates who hold those positions. 1 scholarship has to be necessarily designed to non-

EU applicants:

17 places without scholarship will be assigned as follows:

• Ph.D. in Business History & Management – 2 places without scholarship
• Ph.D. in Economics – 5 places without scholarship
• Ph.D. in Labour Studies – 3 places without scholarship
• Ph.D. in Political Studies – 3 places without scholarship
• Ph.D. in Sociology – 4 places without scholarship.

1. Admission requirements

The call for application to the GSSEPS Doctorates is open to candidates who are in possession of the Italian “Laurea Magistrale” or of an equivalent master of science-level degree obtained from a foreign University. In case the applicant’s degree has not yet been declared equivalent to an Italian Laurea Magistrale, candidates may apply to the Faculty committee of the Ph.D. program of interest, for the declaration of equivalent value.

The first phase of selection will be based on the evaluation of the following documents:

• a research project in English (max 2.500 words).
• two letters of reference (see Appendix B).
• the applicant’s university career (useful examinations passed, graduation mark and final GPA – grade point average).
• copy of the graduation dissertation including an English abstract.
• any publication, any professional experience and any other qualifications hold by the Applicant.
• a curriculum vitae.

The second phase of selection will be based on interviews – either in English or in Italian.
Selected participants must be fluent in written and spoken English.

Fluency in English will be evaluated on the basis of an English course certificate (TOEFL or equivalent), if candidates hold one, and/or on the basis of an interview.Applicants must download and read carefully the official call for application availableon the University of Milan website at the following link http://www.unimi.it/ricerca/dottorati/44415.htm

Applicants who hold a foreign academic qualification must send, by the deadline of application (August 31st, 2010), a degree certificate, in Italian or in English, with specification of the marks achieved, in one of the following ways:

• by fax: 0039 0250313731.
• by e-mail: ufficio.dottorati@unimi.it.
• by direct delivery to the Ph.D. and Master Office (Sportello Dottorati presso Segreterie Studenti), Via S. Sofia 9/1 (Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9 to 12 am). Candidates can apply for more than one Ph.D. program providing for each application all the items.
• application form, payment and documentation – required.

To complete the application:

1) Candidates must put in an envelope the following documents:

• a research project in English (max 2.500 words).
• a paper copy of the graduation dissertation including an English abstract.
• curriculum vitae with a description of any work experience and other qualification held by the applicant.
• any eventual certificate for skills like: logical, quantitative, linguistic, verbal abilit evaluation such as GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.).
• list of publications and copy of them (self certification for EU citizens and declared authentic copy for non EU citizens).
• Appendix C (only for resident abroad applicants who request on-line interview).
• Appendix D filled and signed.

The deadline for application is strictly: August 31st 2010

The Call is now available to download at the following:

Download the English Synthesis of the Call for Application.

Web Link

http://www.graduateschool.unimi.it/call_2010_11.html

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[UK] KESS Scholarship-Mapping the Sector: The cultural, social and economic benefits of the promotion of the performing arts in Wales

Aberystwyth University in association with Creu Cymru, are seeking to recruit a 1-year Mphil student to work on a project entitled: “Mapping the Sector: The cultural, social and economic benefits to be gained from theatre and arts centres working in partnership through creative, management and professional development collaborations.”

The prospective applicant should have a minimum of a 1st or good 2:1 in a relevant degree. The project is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) through the European Union’s Convergence programme administered by the Welsh Assembly Government.  KESS MPhil scholarships are collaborative awards with external partners (in this case, Creu Cymru).

To apply, please submit the following:

To Professor Elan Closs Stephens by 10th September 2010: a completed KESS application form in the top right hand box of the application form, two references, an up to date CV and a covering letter in which you expand on the relevant contents in your CV and wider experience, and why you think you are a good candidate. The KESS Application Form and the Project Description are available to download at the links below.

To the Postgraduate Admissions Office by 10th September 2010:   A Research Programmes Application Form, two references (which may be the same as the above) and an Mphil proposal of up to 1,000 words.  Application and reference forms may be downloaded from http://www.aber.ac.uk/pga/web/apply.htm and guidance on writing a proposal may be found on our  admissions page.  Please also refer to the Project Description at the link below.

Eligibility: To be eligible to apply for a KESS award, you must be resident, upon application, in the Convergence Area of Wales and you must be able to take paid employment in the Convergence area on completion of the scholarship.

The Convergence Area means the following counties of Wales:
Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd,  Conwy, Denbighshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Caerphilly, Torfaen

Informal enquiries should be made to Professor Elan Closs Stephens, ecs@aber.ac.uk or 01970 622828

Closing date for applications: 10th September 2010

Web Link

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/tfts/prospective-students/prosp-pg/phd-mphil/kessminicreucymru/

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[Switzerland] PhD Studentship in Symbiotic Cooperation between Humans & Robotic Swarms at IDSIA

Job Description: 

The objective of the research is the development of novel methods for self-organized control and coordination of heterogeneous teams of humans and robot swarms interacting in symbiotic peer-to-peer modality. The applicant will devise novel ways to include humans’ unique sensory-motor and cognitive skills in the loop of robotic swarms. The applicant will investigate different means and combinations of multi-modal communications based on visual cues, human gestures, vocal commands, stigmergic signalling, and radio messages. Particular attention will be also devoted to the modelling of human and swarm emotions and to the study of how to use them to effectively affect motivations, goals, action selection, and learning.

The investigated topics will be a follow-up of IDSIA’s previous research in the domain of swarm robotics.
The research will be carried out in the context of a Swiss research framework.

Candidate Profile:

We are looking for an excellent and highly motivated candidate with a strong interest and a scientific background in: robotics, cognitive sciences, machine learning, and swarm intelligence. The candidate must have a MASTER degree (or equivalent). She/he is expected to have good programming and mathematical skills, and to have a positive attitude toward interdisciplinary research and teamwork.

Time frame, Enrollment, and Salary information:

Expected duration of the studentship:  4 years, starting from December 2010.

The candidate will be affiliated to the Faculty of Informatics at USI and will be supervised by Prof. Luca Gambardella (IDSIA).

English is the official language both at the Faculty of Informatics of USI and at IDSIA.

The gross salary is roughly 40,000 CHF (29,000 EURO) per year (corresponding to a net salary of about 2,700 CHF/month). There is travel funding in case of papers accepted at conferences and for project meetings.

Research Environment:

IDSIA is a research institute affiliated to the University of Lugano and the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland.

IDSIA is a truly international, stimulating, and dynamic environment. It currently hosts about 50 people, including senior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and Ph.D. students. The research activities carried out at IDSIA address a number of different domains, including: swarm robotics, machine learning, combinatorial optimization, networking, bio-inspired computing, data mining, information theory, complex systems, and simulation.

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted electronically to Dr. Gianni A. Di Caro
at the following address: gianni AT idsia DOT ch.
They must include:

• Detailed curriculum vitae (including grades).
• List of two references (including email addresses).
• Statement about the research interests of the candidate, pointing out their relationship with the topics of the project (1 page)
• Links to master thesis and publications.

Position is open until filled. Candidates are strongly encouraged to send their applications before September 30, 2010

Web Link

http://www.idsia.ch/~gianni/positions.html

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[Germany] Masters, PhD Scholarships for International Students in Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience at the University of Tuebingen

The Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience is the first international neuroscience Graduate School was established at the University of Tübingen in 1999. In the future, three Schools will provide research oriented career tracks – leading to a master or doctoral degree – that provide an ideal preparation for a career in science and academia. The three graduate programs will complement one another at best and, thus, provide a markedly broad sprectrum of neuroscience research and training opportunities in Tübingen. Teaching is entirely in English.

Application –Scholarships– Fees

• Entry requirements: BSc for master program; MSc, Diploma or MD for doctoral program.
• Application deadlines: January 15 for master program. Doctoral students may apply throughout the year.
• The selection procedure for a place on the master program is three stepped: (1) written application, (2) subject test, (3) interview. Students interested in a doctoral project may contact research groups of their interest directly.
• Scholarships are available for excellent international students. Doctoral students are generally funded through research grants.
• Tuition fees for master students amount to 610 Euros per month. Doctoral students are exempted.

Contact Address:

Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience

International Max Planck Research School

University of Tübingen

Österbergstr. 3

72074 Tübingen – Germany

neuro.school@uni-tuebingen.de

The program is scheduled to start in winter term 2011/12 (the application deadline will be January 15, 2011).

Web Link

http://www.uct.ac.za/usr/pgfo/notices/appstud/FLYER_neuroschool.pdf