Electrical Energy Management Group, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
A fully-funded 3½ year PhD studentship is available in the Electrical Energy Management Group at the University of Bristol for research involving modular and scalable pico-hydro generation (1kW) for grid-tied DC mini-grids. This project provides a unique opportunity to combine state-of-the-art electrical engineering research, development work in remote areas overseas with a well-known charity, and sponsorship by a company that is world leading in design and manufacturing. The work will include power electronics, mechanical design, and a mix of other theoretical and practical work. The PhD candidate will be expected to have an electrical engineering background, and demonstrate a strong interest in mechanical design and development work.
Salary: Up to £18,000pa tax free. The fully funded PhD studentship is available to any nationality, however if you are not a UK Home student (or EU student who has spent the past three years in the UK), the salary would need to be reduced to cover overseas university fees. When you apply, please indicate whether you are eligible for UK Home funding, or if you have other sources of funds.
The studentship is available now and the closing date for applications is 31 January 2009.
Please either email a cover letter stating your interests and a full CV (including grades) to Dr Bernard Stark (bernard.stark[ at ]bristol.ac.uk) or email to arrange an informal discussion.
The Geography Department and Coastal and Marine Resources Centre of University College Cork, Ireland, have two funded research studentships available to commence in October 2008. The studentships cover university fees at the EU level, and an annual stipend. The PhD project aims to address issues of the use of Geoinformatics technologies for predicting the effects of climate change with respect to those coastal areas that are most at risk.
The potential benefits of integrating remotely sensed data derived from satellite, airborne and field sources, with other spatial information will be considered. Automated image processing routines will be developed in order to better understand the coastal system at present. Through scenario testing of potential climatically induced terrestrial, marine and meteorological changes, the response of different coastal habitats will be modelled to provide greater insight into the present and future functioning of marsh, dune, lagoon and estuarine environments along the Cork coastline. The use of geovisualisation for communication of results to local interest groups will also be explored.
The MSc project will explore the utility of high spatial resolution, multispectral optical and SAR satellite data to map the habitat distribution and vertical expansion/contraction and stability of raised bogs. Methods to characterise habitat distribution include the investigation and classification of the combined multispectral optical and SAR data. Advanced supervised classification techniques will be explored using both hard and soft/fuzzy classifiers in attempting to classify peatland species and habitats. Interferometric techniques, using a time series of C-band and L-band SAR images, will be used to determine the feasibility of identifying and quantifying centimetre level vertical displacements within the bog.
Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:1 Honours degree or equivalent in an Earth, Environmental or Engineering Science discipline. Experience in remote sensing, image processing, quantitative environmental science and in undertaking fieldwork would be an advantage. For further information please contact:
Dr Fiona Cawkwell (e-mail: f.cawkwell[ at ]ucc.ie, telephone: +353 (0)21490 2707) for the PhD project or Dr Ned Dwyer (e-mail: n.dwyer[ at ]ucc.ie, telephone: +353 (0)21 470 3104) for the MSc project.
Applicants should send a copy of their CV, with the names and addresses of 3 referees, plus a brief statement outlining their academic interests and their reasons for wishing to undertake this research project to the email addresses above.
Commonwealth Scholarships in New Zealand are administered by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors' Committee (NZVCC). Funding for the scholarships to developing countries is provided by the New Zealand government aid agency, NZAID. Awards to citizens of Canada and the United Kingdom are supported by the universities themselves.
Scholarships are available for either Masters or doctoral level study. In the case of Masters study, awards may be tenable for up to two years, with a possibility of a three month extension. In the case of doctoral study, the maximum length is four years. Approximately 10-20 new awards are made each year. Awards are tenable at any of the following universities:
* www.auckland.ac.nz * www.aut.ac.nz(AUT do not currently support Developed Country students) * www.canterbury.ac.nz * www.lincoln.ac.nz * www.massey.ac.nz * www.otago.ac.nz * www.vuw.ac.nz * www.waikato.ac.nz
Awards are tenable in all disciplines, but candidates supported by NZAID should be working on topics of relevance to the development of their home country. In addition, selection committees seek to obtain a gender balance and geographical spread of countries represented.
# Subject: Open, preference will be given to those candidates studying subjects of developmental relevance to their home country.
# Length of Tenure:
Up to two years for Masters study. Up to three and a half years for PhD study.
# Value: of NZAID funded scholarships (from 1 January 2006):
NOTE: Value of the allowances may differ between institutions for scholars from Canada and the United Kingdom.
Unaccompanied stipend rate: NZ$15,600 per annum
Accompanied stipend rates: - Student plus spouse/partner (or one child only ): NZ$26,000 per annum
- Student plus spouse/partner and one child (or two children only): NZ$30,420 per annum
- Student plus spouse/partner and two or more children: NZ$34,840 per annum
Other allowances include tuition fees, travel, health insurance and establishment allowance. Full details are available in the NZAID Commonwealth Scholarship student handbook which have been sent to participating agencies.
# Applications: Applications must be made in the first instance to the Commonwealth Scholarship agency in the country in which the applicant has his/her permanent home. Please choose the relevant country from the list of Agencies below to get more details and the correct application form.Please note that not all developing countries may be eligible to receive NZAID Commonwealth scholarships. Please check the country eligibility though the NZAID website before contacting your home agency.
Information regarding General Commonwealth Scholarships for citizens of Bangladesh can be obtained from:
University Grants Commission of Bangladesh Agargaon Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Dhaka 1207 Tel 880 2 811331/9114707 Fax 880 2 822948 Email info@ugc.com
It should be noted that the University Grants Committee undertakes the selection process on behalf of the Ministry of Education.
Countries offering awards to Bangladesh in recent years have included Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Awards are publicised via advertisements in at least four daily newspapers. The UGC estimate that the number of applications received for awards last year was over 500 (United Kingdom), 250-500 (Canada) and 50-100 (New Zealand).
Selection is undertaken by a committee chaired by a specially created sub-committee, including Chairman and members of the UGC, Education Ministry representatives and representatives of the host country concerned. The committee expect candidates to have first class academic records, including publication for those seeking doctoral awards. Preference is also given to fields of study which meet national needs, and candidates aged 35 or below.
Successful candidates are required to sign a bond indicating that they will return to serve in the country following their award.
The application forms are in pdf format and you will require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view them. You can download Acrobat Reader from here on the Adobe website.
Information on this page is based on details supplied by the UGC in June 2002
