【博士奖学金】最新PhD招生和奖学金信息（134）

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Active wearables for efficient living

University of Sheffield

Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering

Sheffield

United Kingdom

Supervisor：Dr D Damian

Applications accepted all year round

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Project Description

There has been a surge in the use of wearables for sensing health indices such as blood pressure or body stress, to replace or augmenting physical capability [1-4]. Based on our experience in the fabrication of soft sensors and actuators, in this project, we aim to design, develop, and test advanced robotic wearables that increase the productivity and well-being of people at work, school or home.

This research will take place in the Sheffield Biomedical Robotics Laboratory. More details about the projects that run in our laboratory and publications are at the link: https://sites.google.com/site/danadamian/research

Funding Notes

Self-funded applicants may apply all year round. Applicants can also apply for a scholarship from the University of Sheffield but should note that competition for these scholarships is highly competitive. Scholarship applications should be made in the autumn with a strict deadline in late January. 

References

[1] Shull P. and Damian D.D. (2015) Haptic Wearables as Sensory Replacement, Sensory Augmentation and Trainer for Sensory Impairments – A Review, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 12:59

[2] Damian D.D., Roberts P. (co-first author), Shan W., Lu T., and Majidi C. (2012) Soft-Matter Capacitive Sensor for Measuring Shear and Pressure Deformation, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 3514-3519
[3] Damian D.D., Ludersdorfer M., Kim Y., Hernandez-Arieta A., Pfeifer R., and Okamura A. (2012) Wearable Haptic Device for Cutaneous Force and Slip Feedback, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp 1038-1043
[4] Damian D.D., Hernandez-Arieta A., Martinez Salazar H.R., and Pfeifer R. (2012) Slip Speed Feedback for Grip Force Control, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 59:8, pp. 2200 – 2210

2. Adaptive Learning in brain-robot interactions 

University of Sheffield

Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering

Sheffield

United Kingdom

Supervisor：Dr M Arvaneh

Applications accepted all year round

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Project Description

This project aims to develop a non-invasive brain-machine interface (BMI) that allows a user to direct a semi-autonomous robot to perform different tasks through brain signals. For this purpose, we aim to employ a two-way co-adaptation paradigm where both the user and robot adapt to each other such that the likelihood of committing the same error in future is reduced. Importantly, a limiting factor in the current BMI technology is a high mental workload required for controlling the robot. To reduce the mental workload of the user, we are interested in using principles of the adaptive shared control, such that the robot adaptively learns to anticipate the user’s mental intent based on a number of sensory readings. Thus, the user will address the task at a high level and all the low level details are handled automatically by the robot.
This project has a large number of potential applications in healthcare and rehabilitation. This research involves developing novel intelligent/adaptive algorithms, offline and online data analysis, conducting experimental research, and online evaluation of the developed adaptive strategies with a robotic application. The prospective students can work on one or a number of these aspects.
Students with good degrees on robotics, electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, cognitive science or subjects where signal processing and artificial intelligence/machine learning may be applied are encouraged to apply. If you are interested in research in brain-machine interfaces, and are unsure about whether you have the right background, please get in touch.

Funding Notes

Self-funded applicants may apply all year round. Applicants can also apply for a scholarship from the University of Sheffield but should note that competition for these scholarships is highly competitive. Scholarship applications should be made in the autumn with a strict deadline in late January. Specific information is available at: View Website

3. Electrostatic Levitation using Active Metamaterials

Queen Mary University of London

School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science

London

United Kingdom

Supervisor：Dr F Castles

Application Deadline：Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Project Description

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD Studentship starting in September/October 2020 to undertake research in the area of active metamaterials.

Metamaterials are artificial materials that may be engineered to exhibit novel properties not seen in natural materials. Similarly, active materials (those that have an internal source of power) may exhibit properties that are fundamentally impossible in passive materials. Recent research at Queen Mary has shown that by combining these concepts, active metamaterials may be created that exhibit negative static electric susceptibility—the hitherto missing electric analogue of diamagnetism (https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201904863). It is believed that these materials should be capable of the novel phenomenon of levitation using static electric fields (analogous to the well-known phenomenon of diamagnetic levitation in static magnetic fields), with potential application in quantum computing. This PhD project will develop the theory and modelling of materials with negative static electric susceptibility towards a practical demonstration of electrostatic levitation.
Applicants should have, or be expected to obtain by the start date, a 1st class or 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related subject.
The student will be supervised by Dr Flynn Castles and will be a member of the Antennas and Electromagnetics Group, based in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at the University’s main Mile End campus in East London. Queen Mary is a leading research-intensive Russell Group university, ranked 5th among multi-faculty institutions in the UK for research outputs (Research Excellence Framework 2014), and 110th in the world overall (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020).
Informal enquiries regarding the post may be made by email to Dr Flynn Castles (f.castles@qmul.ac.uk).
Applications should be made by following the online process at https://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/subjects/electronic-engineering.html. (“PhD Full-time Electronic Engineering – Semester 1 (September Start)”).
The closing date for applications is Tuesday 30th June 2020. Interviews are expected to take place in the week beginning Monday 13th July 2020.

Funding Notes

Funding is for three years, covering student fees and, in addition, a tax-free stipend starting at £17,285 per annum. Applications are welcomed from candidates of all nationalities.

4. PhD Position on “Optical Control and Analysis of Brownian Machines and Active-Particle Swarms”

University of Leipzig

Peter Debye Institute For Soft Matter Physics

Leipzig

Germany

Supervisor：Prof F Cichos

Application Deadline：Sunday, May 24, 2020

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Project Description

A PhD position is available to work under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Frank Cichos at the department Molecular Nanophotonics on the optical control and analysis of Brownian machines and active-particle swarms. This experimental PhD project is part of a recently granted German–Czech (DFG–GACR) research collaboration. The project also includes a collaboration with the Soft Condensed Matter Theory Group of Prof. Dr. Klaus Kroy at the Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Active matter includes flocks of birds, swarms of insects, ensembles of robots, and colonies of bacteria. We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate with a Master’s degree in Physics or Physical Chemistry with excellent English proficiency. The successful candidate will perform cutting edge experimental research on the dynamics and non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamics of these systems, with a main focus on many-body effects and confining environments. The candidate should therefore be committed to collaborative and interdisciplinary work, and have excellent oral and written communication skills (records of creative and independent scientific research and active participation in its dissemination in peer-reviewed journals are welcome).
The experimental work will and allow the successful applicant to acquire expert skills and knowledge on innovative micro-optical multi-particle manipulation and detection techniques as well as on machine learning algorithms applied to active particle detection and control. Experience with modern optical microscopy and tweezers techniques and image and time-series analysis, which will be employed to control and study active-particle swarms and microscopic thermodynamic machines, would be useful.
The working language is English. Salaries will be according to DFG standards.
Applications including 1) a letter of interest (max. 1 page), clearly stating the specific motivation of the candidate to join the group, work on this project, career goals, etc., 2) a CV, 3) grade transcripts or equivalent record of excellent academic performance, clearly indicating courses taken and grades in each course (for MS and BS), 4) the names of at least two consenting referees should be sent to cichos@physik.uni-leipzig.de. The application deadline is May 24, 2020.
Please visit our group website for more details about our research:
https://www.uni-leipzig.de/~mona

5. Bacterial lipocalins: Novel role in bacterial protection against antibiotic-induced membrane lipid peroxidation

Queen’s University Belfast

School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences

Belfast

United Kingdom

Supervisor：Prof M Valvano

Applications accepted all year round

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Project Description

We recently discovered that bacteria can resist antibiotics by mechanisms operating extracellularly in response to near-lethal antibiotic concentrations. This means microbes fight antibiotics even before they reach bacterial cells. Key molecules involved in this mechanism are the polyamine putrescine and lipocalins (LP), a highly conserved group of barrel-shaped proteins of unknown function produced by >6,500 bacterial species. We demonstrated LPs scavenge different classes of antibiotics from the extracellular milieu. Also, LPs bind isoprenoids (e.g. octaprenyl-phosphate) into the interior of the barrel, while low-affinity antibiotic binding occurs at the rim of the molecule. The physiological role of LPs remains unknown.
Bacteria exposed to near-lethal antibiotic concentrations (e.g. during treatment of chronic and biofilm infections), also mount an oxidative response, which in turn stimulates transcription of LP encoding genes. We have now discovered that bacterial mutants defective in LP production display enhanced membrane lipid peroxidation and fail to survive under conditions that stimulate peroxidative stress. This means that LPs may have a novel role in protecting bacteria against toxic byproducts of lipid peroxidation. How bacterial cells overcome lipid peroxidation, especially the double membraned Gram-negatives, is virtually unknown. Our experimental results bridge this knowledge gap and uncover LPs as components of a novel mechanism to protect bacterial cell membranes from lipid peroxidative damage.
This programme will address two questions: (i) What are the structure-function properties of diverse LPs involved in antibiotic binding and protection against lipid peroxidation? and (ii) What other bacterial components are needed for protection against lipid peroxidation? The model bacteria employed are the Gram-negative members of the ESKAPE group, namely Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Enterobacter species. This research project combines molecular microbiology, biochemistry, metabolomics, bioinformatics, and infection models to elucidate the role of LPs in antibiotic binding and in maintaining the homeostasis of the bacterial membranes under oxidative stress, commonly found upon exposure to near-lethal doses of antibiotics.
The PhD student will investigate the function of LPs in the bacterial defences against lipid peroxidation by tackling 3 aims:
1. To determine the structure-function of LP and its secretion state in protection against lipid peroxidation
2. To identify and characterise additional components to LP required to protect bacteria from lipid peroxidation upon exposure to antibiotic stress and in vivo infection
3. To assess the global effects of LP and related proteins in bacterial physiology by comparative transcriptomics on mutants vs. the parental strain pairs both exposed to sublethal concentrations of antibiotics.
PhD candidates will join a vibrant, world-class team engaged in interdisciplinary studies on microbial pathogenesis using molecular biology, structural, biochemistry, and cell biology approaches, and are strongly advised to consult the following links (http://publish.uwo.ca/~mvalvano/Advice-to-grads.html) and (http://publish.uwo.ca/~mvalvano/index.html) for additional information on what to expect in the Valvano lab.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Candidates should have or expect to obtain a 2:1 or higher Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant biomedical or life sciences subject.
English Language
Candidates applying from countries where the first language is not English should produce evidence of their competence through a qualification such as IELTS or TOEFL score.
The minimum recommended score for the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science is:
• IELTS score of 6.0 with not less than 5.5 in each of the four component elements of listening, reading, speaking and writing taken within the last 2 years;
• TOEFL score of 80+ (internet basted test), taken within the last 2 years, with minimum component scores of; Listening 17, Reading 18, Speaking 20, Writing 17);
• A valid Certificate of Proficiency in English grade A or B;
• A valid Certificate of Advanced English grade A; or
• A first or upper second class honours degree from a university based in the UK, Republic of Ireland or other suitably quality assured location in a country deemed by the UK Border Agency to be majority English speaking.
For a list of English Language qualifications also accepted by the School and University please see the following link:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/International/International-students/Applying/English-language-requirements/#English

Funding Notes

Funded by BBSRC
Depending on arrangements with the PI and the source of funding for the international PhD candidate, bench fees up to £15,000 (over the 3-year period) may be required.

References

Please visit the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Experimental Medicine, website for further details about the Centre:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/CEM/
When applying, please choose 'MEDICINE' as your subject area/School.