THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

                         School of Medicine
                           Job description

Job Title: Research Assistant (Random Graphs for Complex Biological 
Systems)
Date:  January 1, 2006 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Department:   School of Medicine
Grade: RA1A (up to spine point 11)
Reporting To: Prof Chris Cannings and Dr. Nick Monk

Job Purpose:  the development of mathematical and computational models of 
random graphs and their application to complex biological networks and 
amorphous computing.

Summary of the main purpose and objectives of the post: the post is funded 
for 48 months on a Research Grant from the EPSRC Computer Science 
Committee under the Novel Computation Initative. Project "Amorphous 
computing, random graphs and complex biological networks", is a four year 
project in collaboration with University of Leeds, Royal Holloway College, 
London and BT, and involves co-workers at these institutions and at King's 
College, London and University of Southampton. Total funding is £1.8million, 
of which £850k is to University of Sheffield. The Sheffield component has 
Principal Investigator, Prof Chris Cannings, who is also the overall project 
leader, and Co-Investigator Dr Nick Monk, and has 2 four-year post-doctoral 
RA's (research assistants), a two-year post-graduate RA, two Ph.D. Studentships 
and a half-time co-ordinator.

We use the term "amorphous computing" to describe the process by which a set 
of microprocessors which have been thrown down at random (perhaps in some 
medium such as paint or cement, or dropped from an aeroplane) can, via signals 
between near-neighbours, assemble themselves in such a way as to carry out 
some prespecified task (perhaps detection of stress in a building, or of 
pollution). The outcome needs to be fault tolerant and error correcting. Thus the 
notion has much in common with issues in biological processes, where the 
behaviour of systems is not deterministic but a fairly standard pattern must 
emerge despite random perturbations. An understanding of the issues here needs 
deep investigation of dynamics on, and of, random networks.
 
The objective of the project overall is the development of novel amorphous 
computation paradigms via random graph models of complex networks deriving 
insight from neuroscience, epidemic and gene-regulatory networks. The specific 
role of the current position is to work on the mathematics of random graphs, 
extending some of the various classes of models and their properties, and to 
study the behaviour of, and on, these graphs under various dynamical regimes.  

Medical School:  The Medical School at Sheffield is a complex organization 
that integrates teaching, research and the practice of medicine.  Our courses 
expose medical students to best current practice, through learning with the 
excellent Primary and Secondary care providers in the region.  Further, we are 
engaged in developing the medicine of tomorrow, through the highly rated 
research work of our academic staff members.

Organisation:  The Division of Genomic Medicine is one of three Divisions 
making up the University of Sheffield Medical School.  The Division is housed 
on several floors of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, and in the adjacent 
Sheffield Medical School, on the main campus of Sheffield University.  The aim 
of the Division is to foster a multidisciplinary approach to the biological 
mechanisms underlying diseases of major importance to public health.  

Main Duties:  The development and analysis of mathematical models of the 
random networks and their application to real-world networks. The development 
of algorithms to derive structural features from networks. Efficient computer 
simulation of the model where needed, and interaction with the computer 
programmer who will be appointed at end of year two to produce a good front 
end for applying our results.

The RA will provide support to the other groups regarding random graphs, 
possibly in the form of occasional tutorials and/or lectures. One of the most 
important aspects of the project is to bring together the disparate biological areas 
(neural, epidemic and genetic) through the language of graph theory. For that 
reason the project has monthly meetings of various subsets of the researchers 
involved, has six-monthly workshops and may run seminars and courses for the 
IT industry as insights emerge. All RA's will be expected to play a full part in 
these and to gain understanding of issues facing others within the project. 
Interfacing with all the other groups is a priority. There is good funding for 
attendance at conferences.

End Results: a detailed mathematical description of the theory of random 
graphs appropriate for the assembly of amorphous computers, in order to 
achieve robustness, adaptability and self-repair.

Skills Required: expertise in mathematical theory of random graphs. A 
willingness to apply this in a biological context, and in a computation context; 
good inter-personal skills; ability to operate across discipline boundaries.

Further Information:  Prof Chris Cannings  ([log in to unmask]; 0114 271 
2252), Dr Nick Monk ([log in to unmask]; 0114 222 1832).