Postgraduate D.Phil. Studentships, University of Oxford

Postgraduate DPhil Studentship on Coevolution, Interconnections and Communities of Social and Political Networks in the US Congress

Vacancy Reference: BK/08/062

Closing Date: 10/02/2009

STUDENTSHIP: £12,600 + home fees for College and University.
Applications are invited for a postgraduate studentship, leading to a D.Phil. degree and funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation, to work on “Coevolution, Interconnections, and Communities of Social and Political Networks in the United States Congress” with Dr Mason Porter from the Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, part of the Mathematical Institute). The student will also interact frequently with Oxford’s complex systems research group.

The purpose of the project is to study longitudinal (time-evolving) political networks, with a focus on social and political networks in the United States Congress. It is expected to lead to state-of-the-art advancements in both network analysis and in the application of such analysis to social and political applications. The project will emphasize community structure and will include the development of generalizations of community-detection techniques to time-dependent

The studentship is available starting on 1 October 2009 start and lasts for four years. It covers the University and College fees charged to UK students (not the higher level of fees charged to students from outside the UK) and a yearly stipend (which is £12,600). The studentship is available to applicants of any nationality. If appointed, a non-UK citizen may apply for outside sources of funds to cover the higher fees (the current difference is approximately £8,500 per annum). Success in such applications cannot be guaranteed.

The studentship is attached to Somerville College.

Applications can be made online at

www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/apply/how_to_apply.html and should include a CV, a covering letter, three references, and a transcript of your undergraduate degree. Alternatively, applications can be sent to Margaret Sloper at the Mathematical Institute, 24-29 St Giles’, Oxford OX1 3LB using the University’s application form for graduate study, which can be downloaded from the above link, and must arrive by 11:00 am on 10 February 09.

Applicants must arrange for their referees to send references directly to the the Graduate Studies Assistant (fax or e-mail is sufficient) by the closing date. For further details about the projects, including the application process please contact Graduate Studies, email graduate.studies@maths.ox.ac.uk. Please quote reference BK/08/062

Oxford University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.