PhD Scholarship in Computing

PhD Research Studentship

Examination and recovery of deleted data on iOS devices in the context of digital forensics examinations

Glasgow Caledonian University -School of Engineering and Built Environment

Examination and recovery of deleted data on iOS devices in the context of digital forensics examinations

Reference Number:  11/12_14

Applications are invited for this full-time PhD research studentship within the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Glasgow Caledonian University.  The studentship is for a period of three and a half years (42 months), subject to satisfactory progress and provides payment of tuition fees at the UK/EU rate plus an annual stipend of £14,600 [please note that students from outside the EU are required to pay the difference between International and EU fees, currently this would amount to £6,672 per annum].  The successful candidate is expected to undertake up to 6 hours of academic support activity per week.

Project Description:

The demand for understanding of digital forensic methods continues to increase as criminals exploit rapid technological advances to achieve unintended opportunities in the commission of crime, and employ ingenious methods to invalidate evidence. However, devices can inadvertently serve as silent witnesses to user activity, by storing information about user interactions.

The popularity of iOS devices is causing challenges for law enforcement, including those related to the effects of natural data movement in push-based cloud solutions. Understanding basic device functionality (e.g., what and how data is stored) is vital so this project aims to consider the forensic impact of deleting data on iOS devices, and establishing novel techniques for recovery.

The project will address challenges such as uncontrolled data transfer, data contamination, and the unintended prospect for obstructing and obscuring investigations for law enforcement and corporate forensic examiners. This project will allow the candidate to be part of a large Scottish digital forensics community, and will include collaboration with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA).

Project Lead:  Dr Michelle Govan (Michelle.Govan@gcu.ac.uk)

Further information available here

Required background and/or experience of the candidate:

The candidate should possess a 1st or 2.1 honours degree in engineering or computer science. It is desirable for the candidate to have strong programming and systems skills, and should have a desire for digital detective work. It is anticipated that the candidate will liaise with industry and that he/she will have to travel nationally/internationally for meetings and conference presentations.

How to Apply:

Application forms are available here  and once completed should be returned to GCUStudentships@gcu.ac.uk 

Please state the Project Title and reference number (as above) on the completed application form.

The closing date for applications is Friday 7^th September; short-listed candidates will be contacted by 28^thSeptember with interview details.

PhD Scholarship in Computing

PhD Research Studentship

Improved Visualisation of Network Attacks

Glasgow Caledonian University -School of Engineering and Built Environment

Reference Number:  11/12_29

Applications are invited for this full-time PhD research studentship within the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Glasgow Caledonian University.  The studentship is for a period of three and a half years (42 months), subject to satisfactory progress and provides payment of tuition fees at the UK/EU rate plus an annual stipend of £14,600 [please note that students from outside the EU are required to pay the difference between International and EU fees, currently this would amount to £6,672 per annum].  The successful candidate is expected to undertake up to 6 hours of academic support activity per week.

Project Description

As computer networks grow with an increasing number of users and connecting devices, and a wide variety of communicating applications, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between good and bad network traffic. For criminals, the Internet provides a fertile playground for nefarious activities in which they can often hide and move about with relative ease. While there are numerous tools for detecting network attacks, it remains a challenge to present the information in a manner that facilitates clear and consistent actions by a network investigator or administrator. 

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop new, usable methods for visualising network attacks that take into account the 'human factor'. Such a result will require effort in other areas, such as the source and manner of network data collection, and the method of data analysis so that the project is likely to involve novel contributions in these areas as well.

This project will allow the candidate to be part of a large Scottish networking community and encourage the application of their technical skills to practical problems. The candidate will gain experience in a number of skill areas, including networks, network security, machine learning, human-computer interaction, and visualisation.  

Project Lead:  Dr Mike Just (Mike.Just@gcu.ac.uk)  

Further information available here 

Required background and/or experience of the candidate:

The candidate should possess a 1st or 2.1 honours degree in engineering or computer science. It is desirable for the candidate to have strong networking skills to facilitate data collection, and ideally have some experience with either machine learning or human-computer interaction techniques.  The candidate should also be creative, and possess a strong curiosity for understanding the behaviour of networks. It is anticipated that the candidate will liaise with industry and that he/she will have to travel nationally/internationally for meetings and conference presentations.

How to Apply:

Application forms are available here  and once completed should be returned to GCUStudentships@gcu.ac.uk 

Please state the Project Title and reference number (as above) on the completed application form.

The closing date for applications is Friday 7^th September; short-listed candidates will be contacted by 28^thSeptember with interview details. 

Erasmus Mundus PhD Scholarships

ICE
Interactive and Cognitive Environments
Duration: 3 years
Programme description:
The Joint Doctoral Programme in Interactive and Cognitive Environments offers an education programme in the field of research related to computer science, electronic and telecommunication engineering and industrial design. Candidates must hold a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree or equivalent title.
The programme has three major focuses that will be iteratively pursued during the whole progress of the candidate’s track. The first concerns the acquisition and the formalization of knowledge in specific advanced domains, achieved through lectures and seminars. The second aims at keeping PhD students in strict touch with leading research groups that have proven experiences in research activities in basic disciplines necessary for the PhD course in the five partner universities. The third involves actual industry/academy joint
research activities on projects in cooperation with leading ICT companies, typically under international institutional umbrellas, such as the European Research Frameworks.
The doctorate offers a complete panorama of the aspects that characterize the target professional figure subdivided in 5 research areas:
− Assistive Technologies for Health and Autonomous Living. This curriculum covers research and development of technologies for improving autonomy and independence of individuals, taking into account the needs of end users and their guardians;
− Network Embedded System. This specialization deals with various technological issues concerning embedded systems and networks of the future;
− People Inspired Technologies. This specialization offers research and study applications in advanced methodologies and tools related to artificial intelligence, machine learning, simulation environments, HCI, psychology and safety;
− Designed Intelligence. The goal of such a curriculum is to facilitate and promote student learning. It is intended to generate a meaningful learning experience: learning to determine what to perform, how to achieve this performance and why to achieve this;
− Multi-sensor Surveillance. Main activities concern the study of specific techniques for detecting, localizing and tracking multiple objects in cluttered scenes as well as study of novel algorithms for robust scene understanding using heterogeneous sensors. 
A mobility scheme ensures that students will spend training / research periods in at least two different higher education institutions. The language of instruction is English. Local language learning and integration in the
society will be promoted through ad-hoc courses and university staff support.
The ICE PhD Course will represent added value for PhD students from inside and outside Europe in several respects:
- ICE involves five top level universities and field-related research groups from 5 European countries;
- ICE awards joint/double degrees by university pairs (recognized by all partners within the consortium), internally following the same educational organization framework and common macroobjectives, that will allow PhDs the highest possibility of adequate and recognized job placement;
- ICE provides an organized higher-education European network, associated with the ICE brand, for additional cultural offer, logistic facilities, direct interaction with European industries.
Website: http://www.icephd.org
Partners:
UNIVERSITY OF GENOA, Italy (Co-ordinating institution)
UNIVERSITY OF KLAGENFURT, Austria
QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, United Kingdom
POLITECHNICAL UNIVERISTY OF CATALONIA, Spain
EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Netherlands
Contact:
Carlo Regazzoni / Lorenzo Ciardelli / Francesca Grasso
University of Genoa
Via all'Opera Pia 11A
16145 GENOVA - Italy

icephd@dibe.unige.it

Erasmus Mundus PhD Scholarships

Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates
EuroSPIN
European Study Programme in Neuroinformatics
Duration: 3 – 4 years
Programme description:
The human brain is by far the most intricate and complex organ known. With 1011 neurons and 1015 connections, it effortlessly performs operations that far exceed the capability of any computer. Understanding how it achieves this will revolutionise science, health care and technology. Radical improvements in
experimental methods are transforming the study of the brain into a data rich discipline, which requires the emerging discipline of neuroinformatics. Neuroinformatics combines neuroscience and informatics research to develop and apply computational tools and approaches that are essential for understanding the structure and function of the brain. Neuroinformatics thus forms an essential foundation for current and future brain research, and is critical both for basic research into brain function and biomedical research aiming at finding treatments for neurological and psychiatric diseases. Understanding the brain is also expected to have far reaching implications for information technology.
The objective of this doctoral training programme is to provide top quality training for PhD students within the neuroinformatics area. Four partners participate:
- Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Sweden
- University of Edinburgh, UK
- National Centre for Biological Science, India
- Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
These four partners are research leaders in the neuroinformatics field, but they have complementary strengths. Each PhD candidate will pursue an interdisciplinary research project leading to a joint or a double PhD degree from two universities. The mobility periods, as well as the courses a student will follow, are planned based on which constellations of partners are involved. During the whole PhD period, which is a maximum of four years, the student will have visited all partners during an annual workshop in which all students and most of the supervisors participate. During the PhD period each student has one main supervisor from each of the two universities that grant the PhD degree. In addition to providing for the training within the field of neuroinformatics, all students are also offered training in secondary skills. The
instruction language within the programme is English, and English scientific writing courses are offered, as are courses in the local languages in the different countries.
Website: www.kth.se/eurospin
Partners:
KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Sweden (Co-ordinating institution)
ALBERT-LUDWIG UNIVERSITY OF FREIBURG, Germany
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, United Kingdom
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, TATA INSTITUTE OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH,
India
Contact:
Jeanette Hellgren Kotaleski
Royal Institute of Technology, Dept. Computational Biology,
School of Computer Science and Communication,
AlbaNova University center
106 91 STOCKHOLM - Sweden
jeanette@csc.kth.se, mundus-eurospin@kth.se

Erasmus Mundus PhD Scholarships

ENC Network
European Neuroscience Campus network
Duration: 3 years (5 consecutive editions)
Programme description:
Brain disorders are among the most prevalent and debilitating diseases. Because most major brain disorders are chronic, an individual’s quality of life and socio-economic prospects are dramatically impaired. Increased
life expectancy further raises the impact of brain dysfunction on society. In the coming decades this burden is expected to grow into one of the most pressing and costly problems of the EU. Prevalent neurological and psychiatric diseases are typically caused by the interplay of environmental factors and genetic variations in multiple genes. Genetic variation is currently being identified by large international efforts to genotype patient populations. Scientific research should now aim at generating integrative neuroscience work-packages as a
next step to identify interactions between genetic variations and environmental factors and to reveal how these translate into brain diseases.
To succeed, a new generation of neuroscientists is needed, capable of integrating information across different levels of research, from genes and proteins to synapses, and from networks up to complex brain
(dys)function. In order to boost future multidisciplinary brain research in Europe, the programme offers a stimulating, multidisciplinary training environment for young neuroscientists to prepare them for future
challenges in neuroscience research. Training in complex trait analysis and integrative neuroscience ensures first-class career opportunities and prospects to become future leaders in neuroscience. The ENC Network joint doctorate programme aims at integration and translation from bedside-to-bench and from
bench-to-bedside as the key guides in training and in research approach.
The strategic objectives of the ENC joint PhD programme are to provide research-training by (a) focusing on a basic understanding of brain disease mechanisms, (b) developing the knowledge base, tools and resources needed to decipher the function of genes and gene products, neuronal networks and inter- and intracellular processes relevant to human health and (c) bilateral translational links between lab and clinic (and back). The five ENC Network home-institutes all have a long and established track record in PhD
training in the field of molecular, cellular and integrative neurosciences. The key training objectives are to offer: 1) scientific training with innovative and multidisciplinary brain research methodology (task Academic
Partners); 2) advanced technology courses (task Academic Partners); 3) training through original research aimed at the translation from bedside-to-bench and from bench-to-bedside (task PhD supervisors); 4)
academic skills training (task of associate partners); 5) training in Technology Transfer methods (task of associate partners, including two SMEs)
Website: www.enc-network.eu
Partners:
NEUROSCIENCE CAMPUS AMSTERDAM, VU UNIVERSITY AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Co-ordinating
institution)
CENTRE FOR NEUROSCIENCE AND CELL BIOLOGY, Coimbra Portugal
NEUROSCIENCE CENTER ZURICH, Switzerland
EUROPEAN NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE GÖTTINGEN, Germany
BORDEAUX INSTITUTE OF NEUROSCIENCE, France
Contact:
Maaike Leusden - EU coordinator
Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam
VU University Medical Center
De Boelelaan 1087
1081 HV AMSTERDAM - Netherlands
maaike.leusden@neurosciencecampus-amsterdam.nl

Computer Science PhD Scholarship

PhD Position Deep Web Entity Monitoring

University of Twente - Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EWI)

De uitdaging / The challenge 
A large part of the web, the invisible web or deep web, cannot be indexed by web crawlers, for instance dynamic web pages that are returned in response to filling in a web form, or performing a search in a search engine. Instead of crawling deep web data, the approach will monitor web pages for certain (types of) queries. The objective is to develop approaches for monitoring web data that allow users to see a page's full history of relevant/important changes by identifying entities: people, organizations, products, geographic locations, events, etc. The approach should relate changes in multiple web sites, giving the user a data-warehouse-like overview of the pages they monitor; drilling down to time periods, persons, events, etc.

The research will be done in co-operation with WCC. WCC, www.wcc-group.com, started in 1996 and is a successful software company based in Utrecht (NL) and Reston (USA). WCC's current focus areas are the Employment and Identification Security markets. Both commercial and government customers worldwide use WCC's smart search & match solutions to support their primary processes. Both WCC and the Database Group of the University of Twente have made significant advances in entity matching and entity ranking applied to for instance Employment Matching and Expert Search. This project will extend this work to monitoring of deep web pages, such a social networking sites, micro-blogging sites, job sites, etc. The candidate will spend part of the time at WCC in Utrecht.

The research is part of a larger national research project on Information Retrieval for Information Services, (COMMIT P1). Validation of the research will be done in co- operation with the partners in the national project, using developed prototypes and fields trials in real-life settings.

Our offerWe offer a full-time PhD position in a dynamic and international environment. The duration of the contracts is four years. The gross salary will range from € 2.042,00 in the first year to € 2.612,00 per month in the fourth year. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development. In addition, we offer a holiday allowance (amounts to 8%) and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (which is approximately an extra month of salary) and a number of additional benefits. The labor agreements are in accordance with the CAO-NU for Dutch universities.

Your profileWe are looking for a candidate with a MSc. degree in computer science or an equivalent degree. The work involves both theory and practice (implementing a research prototype and evaluation). The candidate should have good programming skills. Affinity with web technology, information retrieval, and information extraction are desirable. The candidate must be a team player and must have good communication skills, in writing as well as oral.

Please use this email address only for obtaining information! 
Dr. D. Hiemstra, email d.hiemstra@utwente.nl.

If you can meet the above mentioned requirements, you are invited to submit your application letter together with:

- curriculum vitae
- a list of publications
- a list of courses you have followed (with grades) 
- the names and addresses of two referees 
- one or two of your research papers and/or (a link to) your MSc thesis before June 12, 2011, through the application link on our website.

The organisationThe University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over six faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

In the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EWI) is the place where these three disciplines shape Information and Communication Technology at the University of Twente. ICT is more than communication. In almost every product we use mathematics, electronics and computer technology are present, and ICT now contributes to all of societies' activities. It is no longer about gadgets that we do or do not want to use. The real integration of ICT is just beginning. What we need is more intelligence in our systems and improvement of their natural interaction with humans.

To apply for this position, visit AcademicTransfer for the original posting, and many other scientific vacancies.

Simulation Science PhD Scholarship

PhDs in Simulation Science

University College Dublin - UCD Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory

Brief Project DescriptionThe use and application of Simulation Science is critical to drive forward future innovations in the competitive environment of industry and scientific research; educating tomorrow's scientists requires that students acquire substantial depth in these techniques.

These PhDs are aimed at students with strong backgrounds in Mathematics and Computation who want careers using, and developing advanced computational modelling and simulation tools.

There are doctoral opportunities in: Molecular Simulation; Systems Biology and Systems Medicine; Computational Social Science; Extreme Events and Risk; Financial Mathematics and Computation; Earth System Simulations; High Performance Computing & Frontiers of Simulation Science.

Specific projects are available in areas such as:

• ICT Solutions for Innovation Policy Modelling
• Computational Chase of Economic Returns for R&D Investment
• Validating Simulations of Social Innovation Systems
• Modelling environmental effects on coherent excitation energy transfer in photosynthetic light harvesting complexes
• Active motion in confinement
• Master Equation-based QM/MM Modelling of Structure and Dynamics in Photosystem II
• Rogue Waves and Extreme Events in Hydrodynamic-Optical Systems
• Numerical and Analytical Aspects of Singular Behaviour in Magnetohydrodynamics
• Numerical simulations of three-dimensional phenomena: phase separation, mixing, and turbulence
• Design and implementation of parallel algorithms for scientific computing on heterogeneous HPC platforms
• Green scientific programming: models, algorithms and tools for development of scientific applications optimized for both performance and power consumption
• Reconstructing Regulatory Biological Networks from Systematic Perturbation Data
• Dynamic Control Networks in Cancer
• Virtual Organs: Simulating Health and Disease
• Designing Virtual Cancer Patients
• Rational biosensor design based on molecular dynamics simulations
• The impact of geophysical variability on the evolution and stability of ecosystem diversity: application to oceanic plankton
• Design principles of genetic regulation of metabolic networks
• Collective motility, chemical communication and navigation of cells
• Exploring model uncertainty in doubly intractable distributions
• Classification Problems from Food Authenticity Studies and Cancer Diagnosis
• Network Models with Endogenous Link Formation

The training programme will provide substantial depth in computational techniques, mathematical modelling, and data intensive science, and give students unparalleled opportunities for Simulation Science research in their scientific, social science or engineering disciplines.

As part of their programme, all students will pursue training in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, through the Innovation Academy.

BackgroundThe Structured PhD Programme in Simulation Science is a new multi-institutional collaborative PhD programme involving University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and supported by the Irish Centre for High End Computing.

The SimSci Fellowships are funded under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) Cycle 5 which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Additional funded places on the Structured PhD Programme in Simulation Science will be available through other national and international Research Projects.

Terms and conditions

• All PhD candidates must hold a minimum of a 2.1 degree, or equivalent, in a relevant discipline
• These SimSci Fellowships are fully funded for 4 years and include a stipend of 16,000 Euro per year together with an allowance for research travel and expenses and cover fees for EU students. Non-EU candidates will be liable for additional fees and will need to provide evidence of support for these prior to acceptance.
• Applicants whose primary language is not English should have attained a reasonable command of English

Further info/applyFurther info/application form available by following the links to the PhD Programme on http://www.ucd.ie/simulationscience/.  Enquiries may be emailed to sim.sci@ucd.ie.

Closing date for applicationFirst round applications by 6 May 2011

Start date

These positions are due to commence in the session 2011/12. Specific start dates are negotiable.

http://www.ucd.ie/simulationscience/