The ITRI Graduate Scholarship Program pays full scholarship for MS graduates to get their PhD in Taiwan at National Chiao Tung U or National Tsing Hua U, particularly in the areas of Information and Communication Technologies, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Optoelectronics and Photonics.

The thesis topic can be aligned with the long-term R&D needs of ITRI and local industry, and a job opportunity at ITRI awaits after PhD is completed. Potential project areas include Wireless Sensor Networks, All-IP Networking System & Services, Broadband Wireless Communications, and WiMAX on High-Speed Rail.

ITRI is Taiwan’s leading applied technology research institute, while NCTU and NTHU are two of its top science and engineering schools.

For full details and application information, please visit the Program Website at this link.

Contact: itriphd[ at ]itri.org.tw

RESEARCH ASSISTANT (FOR PHD STUDIES)
Position opens: January 2009
Project duration: 2009 – 2012 (4 years)
Project title: Simulation Based Solutions for Industrial Manufacture of Large Infusion Composite Parts (INFUCOMP) – Framework program 7 of the European Commission

K.U. Leuven is responsible for the work package of the project: “Characterisation of the fabric deformation”

Objectives of the work

1. The modelling work follows two parallel (but interrelated) routes;
   a. macro-model development for models to be implemented in existing state-of-the-art draping software PAM-FORM;
   b. and mathematical meso-modelling to extend the WiseTex software, with the aim to replace/reduce testing and provide (future) direct input to FE analysis.
2. Compare the macro-models; one (or both) will be selected and used for drape modelling and provide input for infusion/mechanical performance data.
3. New tests on the selected project fabrics will be performed to gather essential data on deformation, shear and through-thickness compression behaviour. Data will be used for fabric modelling and, furthermore, permeability testing/modelling.
4. Experimental work will contribute to ‘standardisation’ of fabric testing and, where necessary, new procedures will be proposed. It is expected there will be a useful contribution to future standards.

PhD Scholarships in Characterisation of the Fabric Deformation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium … read more »

Applicants are invited for a PhD scholarship at the Department of Management Engineering, the Technical University of Denmark for appointment 1 January 2009.

The aim of the project is to develop knowledge and test methods for involving users and their insights in the production of new textile qualities and new types of products. This is expected to create new insights in the conception of and practices concerning textile materials, products, and processes based on user engagement and user oriented knowledge for innovation and design processes.

Description of the project
The research will be based on studies of users and use practices. Also the role of professional users mediating between producers and end users will be included. The outcomes not only aim at designers and product developers, but touch all phases of the product creating process. It is expected to engage users and knowledge of use practices as a resource for a renewal of products, design processes, procedures, and innovation strategies.

The activities will entail:
Identification of places where use practice and use can be made object of observation and dialogue by employing methods inspired by anthropology. These will create a basis for communication between users, designers, architects, engineers and others involved.

Establishing concepts and experience of textile qualities and products, which can support a professional effort when using the flexibility and ambiguity connected to the observation and communication of user practice and needs.

The innovative task in relation to user-driven processes demands new skills and responsibility in management of how product development and design is managed in the companies.

PhD Scholarship Engaging Users in Innovation and Communication of Textile Qualities, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Denmark … read more »

Applicants are invited for a PhD scholarship at the Department of Management Engineering, the Technical University of Denmark for appointment 1 January 2009.

The aim of the project is to analyse road-mapping methods, their contexts and their use as a strategy tool in industrial product development and in public governance of strategic research. A critical analysis of the assumptions and theoretical foundation of road-mapping methods will also be part of the research. Road-mapping is seen as a strategic management tool in strategic research, design and innovation activities.

Description of the project
Road-mapping has gained international recognition as part of a broader discussion of R&D management and governance of strategic research. Road-mapping has been developed as a management tool for aligning strategic research, product development and marketing activities. As such it can be used in different contexts for making decision about research strategies and putting priorities on product development, design ideas and investments in innovation. ?

Much of the scientific literature on road-mapping is rather descriptive and focused on practical use and experiences. There is a need for developing the theoretical foundations as well as the methodology used in road-mapping. Theoretical contributions can be found in the fields of strategic management (with emphasis on learning, decisions and strategising) and innovation economics (with emphasis on path dependencies, clustering of innovations, and trajectories). Also the field of sociology of knowledge and technology might offer relevant contributions with emphasis on the flexibility of interpretations, the building of semiotic networks, and the focus on co-production offers relevant insights into the innovation process.

PhD Scholarship in Road-mapping for Design and Innovation, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark … read more »

Genetic Programming and Evolutionary Computing research group

Background
The Genetic Programming and Evolutionary Computing research group at Victoria University of Wellington was recently awarded a large research grant in Genetic Programming (GP) for data mining tasks by the Marsden Fund of New Zealand (similar to the National Science Foundation in USA). We are looking for a good PhD student in this field. The grant will provide full funding for the student to cover the tuition fees, living allowance, and travel cost.

The Project
Data mining tasks arise in a wide variety of practical situations, ranging from classification to regression, clustering, and optimization tasks. Since the 1990s, genetic programming (GP) has become a promising approach to building reliable data mining models quickly and automatically. GP uses ideas analogous to biological evolution to search the space of possible models to evolve a good solution for a particular task. GP has been applied to many data mining tasks and achieved some success. However, there are still limitations in program structures, representations, genetic operators, search algorithms and theoretical foundations in GP that restrict GP for difficult data mining tasks.

PhD Scholarship in Genetic Programming for Data Mining Tasks, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand … read more »