[Comp-neuro] PhD Scholarships in Computational Neuroscience in Sydney, Australia

Dear All,

PhD scholarships are available at the MARCS Institute/University of Western Sydney, for work in computational neuroscience with Dr. Klaus M. Stiefel, Prof. Andre Van Schaik and Prof. Jonathan Tapson.

We are interested in a variety of topics, including cortical network dynamics, liquid state machines, oscillations, sensory coding, attention and neuromodulation. Details of potential research topics are here:
http://www.uws.edu.au/bioelectronics_neuroscience/bens/postgraduate/phd_opportunities

The MARCS institute is highly inter-disciplinary and collaborations with experimentalists (in vitro recordings, microneurography) and neuromorphic engineers are a possibility during these projects.

Sydney is a great place to live, and intellectually vibrant with several research universities in town. All those poisonous Australian animals kill relatively few students. The details of the scholarship and application process are described below:

The MARCS Institute

PhD Scholarships—up to 5 scholarships available

 

The MARCS Institute is a vibrant interdisciplinary research institute of the University of Western Sydney (UWS) situated on the Bankstown, Campbelltown, Kingswood and Parramatta Campuses with members and collaborators from many disciplines: Medicine, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Linguistics, Psychology, Music, and Communication Arts. MARCS research focuses on the explanation and enhancement of human-human and human-machine communication. Using behavioural, neuroscience and computational approaches, we conduct pure and applied research on perceptual, cognitive, creative and social skills from infancy to adulthood, in real and virtual worlds, and within normal, heightened (e.g., performing arts) and impaired (e.g., developmental delay, sensory loss) contexts.

MARCS invites applications from highly motivated graduates seeking to undertake a PhD in one of the five research programs. At MARCS there is a broad range of expertise, facilities and equipment, which affords the development of exciting interdisciplinary projects. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Program Leaders to discuss their interests and to ensure their research proposal is relevant to one or more research programs.

MARCS Research Programs and Leaders:

Bioelectronics and Neuroscience: Professor André van Schaik, a.vanschaik@uws.edu.au,

Human-Machine Interaction: Professor Simeon Simoff, s.simoff@uws.edu.au,

Multisensory Processing: Professor Chris Davis, chris.davis@uws.edu.au,

Music Cognition and Action: Professor Kate Stevens, kj.stevens@uws.edu.au,

Speech and Language: Professor Denis Burnham, d.burnham@uws.edu.au, 

Essential Criteria

Applicants should hold a First Class Honours degree, or equivalent qualifications and/or research experience (including research publications) in a field such as psychology, sensory neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive science and technology, cognitive robotics, linguistics, psycholinguistics, music, creative arts, human movement science, computer science, informational and communication technology, biomedical engineering or physics.

International applicants must also demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the English language. Please refer to the University's website for information about English Language Requirements.

What does a Scholarship at MARCS provide? All students receive:

· Support for conference attendance (domestic and international), fieldwork and additional costs as appropriate.

· Access to the extensive range of MARCS specialised equipment, laboratory space and facilities.

· A rich environment of support and academic expertise via supervisory panels, seminars, colloquia, international and industry collaborations.

 

Domestic Students receive: · Tax free stipend of up to $34,653 per annum for up to 3 years and a funded place in the doctoral program. International Students receive:

· Tax free stipend of up to $34,653 per annum for up to 3 years. · Outstanding students have the opportunity to apply for a waiver of tuition fees valued at around $24,000 per annum for up to 3 years.

· Up to $2,600 towards the cost of an Overseas Student Health Care Policy.

 

To apply:

Please send your CV and contact Klaus M. Stiefel, André van Schaik or MARCS Institute Executive Officer Sonya O'Shanna: s.oshanna@uws.edu.au.