[agents] 2 PhD Positions in Agent-Based Simulation funded by EPSRC, Manchester UK

[Bruce Edmonds]

Two PhD Studentships at the CPM available
(as part of the SCID project)
Stipend: £13,290 per annum + applicable fees
1+3 years or 3 years deending on experience

Centre for Policy Modelling
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

Applications are invited for 2 phd students to work on modelling
projects associated with the EPSRC project: the Social Complexity of
Immigration and Diversity (SCID).  This project is in association with
the University of Manchester's Institute for Social Change and its
Department of Theoretical Physics.  This is a high-profile and
ambitious project that aims to develop a new approach to using
simulations to gain understanding of important social issues.

The project will last for 5 years starting 1 September 2010.

The period of study will involve the development of detailed
agent-based simulations reflecting as much of the evidence as possible
about a case study from one of 3 areas (fof details see the project
description):

    * Diversity, homophily and social trust
    * Socio-political integration
    * Socio-economic inequality

The evidence will be provided by experts at the Institute for Social
Change. The central challenge of the PhD will be to integrate as much
of this evidence as possible within Agent-based Simulations.  For more
details see the project description at:
http://cfpm.org/scid/SCID-Description.html

Applicants should preferably have a Masters-level degree in  a
relevant discipline, preferably with an element of computer science or
computational social science. The candidate should thus have a
reasonable level programming and/or simulation experience. An ability
to learn to program simulations in Java/Repast is a must.  Knowledge
of sociology in one of the above areas is also an advantage.  The
candidate has to be an EU national.

The CPM is one of the few research centres in the world that focuses
on social simulation.  Since its inception in 1992 it has developed
its unique blend of trans-disciplinary research, crossing the areas of
: artificial intelligence, complexity scicence, philosophy and
computational social science (to get an idea of its scope browse its
discussion papers).  It has built up a reputation and track-record
over that time being involved in a number of EU and UK projects
(Ocopomo, EMIL, Nania, NeWater, GIACS, CAVES, CCDEW, FIRMA, IMIS).
The CPM is a happy, informal, fairly chaotic but, we believe, very
creative lab.  For more information about the work of the Centre see
its website at http://cfpm.org

For informal discussions about the post, contact Bruce Edmonds on +44
(0) 161 3886 or email to bruce at edmonds.name.

To apply, send a CV with a covering letter to Bruce Edmonds, Centre
for Policy Modelling, MMUBS, Aytoun Building, Aytoun Street, M1 3GH,
UK.

The University is committed to an Equal Opportunities Policy.

-- 

Regards.

---------------------------------------------------
Bruce Edmonds
Centre for Policy Modelling
Manchester Metropolitan University
Aytoun Building, Aytoun Street, Manchester M1 3GH, UK.
Tel. +161 247 6479  Fax. +161 247 6802
http://bruce.edmonds.name