Hello from the Centre for Multilevel Modelling.  We have three items of news
this month.  Apologies for any cross-posting.

1) Realcom and Realcom-Impute software updated
2) New society: 'Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies'
3) Invitation to apply to the post of ESRC +3 PhD Studentship in Social
Statistics  (closing date 11-Dec-09)

1) Realcom and Realcom-Impute software updated

New versions of the REALCOM and REALCOM-IMPUTE applications are now
available with fixes to known bugs. Further details here:

<http://www.cmm.bristol.ac.uk/research/Realcom/index.shtml>

2) New society: 'Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies'

At a recent conference in Cambridge organised by Longview  - a think tank
setup in 2005 to promote longitudinal and life course research and
development (http://www.longviewuk.com) - it was decided to establish a new
international learned society - the 'Society for Longitudinal and Life
Course Studies'. The unique feature of the Society will be its
multi-disciplinary nature, bringing together members across the health
sciences, behavioural sciences, social sciences and methodology, with a
shared interest in longitudinal and life course research. In addition to the
opportunity to bridge disciplinary boundaries, the Society will offer to its
members:
    * An annual conference for which there will be a reduced fee
    * The opportunity to participate in on-line policy debates and forums
linked to the Longitudinal and Life Course Studies Journal and to make
collaborative contacts throughout the longitudinal research community
    * Access to, and opportunity to develop, new capacity building
initiatives, including PhD summer schools, on-line master classes and
methodological and longitudinal practice workshops, for which resource
material will be made available by members

An Interim Executive Committee has been set up to build membership and
organise elections for the Honorary Officers of the Society and the
Executive Committee.

The Committee is moving ahead with membership recruitment straight away. You
can become a Foundation Member of the society for which applications must be
received by the end of January 2010.

We are offering a special privilege to Foundation Members:
    * Membership will extend for 2 years for the price of 1 year's
membership fee. The initial fee comprises 50 euros per annum for ordinary
members and 20 euros for students (with £ and $ equivalents).

In the interim period of establishing the Society, Longview, which is a
Registered Charity and Company Limited by Guarantee, will receive all
membership fees to be held in Trust on behalf of the Society.  Once the
Executive Committee is established and the Society is in a position to
manage accounts the funds will be transferred.   Fees can be paid in a
convenient exchange currency, without paying a premium for transfer, i.e. in
Euros, £s or $s.

A new website has been established for the Society, as a sub-domain of the
Longview website:  http://www.longstudies.longviewuk.com. An application
form for completing on-line is supplied there.

The Society's membership year runs from beginning of February to end of
January. For the first year we plan to invoice all registered applicants for
their fees by the end of January 2010. But if you prefer to pay your fee now
please do so on-line, or by BACS or by cheque, using the form supplied at
the above web address. A direct debit facility (from your bank account) will
be available in due course.

Once membership is established at a level of at least 50 paid-up members,
the Interim Committee will be inviting nominations for the Honorary Officers
of the Society and membership of the Executive Committee. The election
process itself will take place (on-line) in the month of February through to
the end of March. The new Committee will be formally ratified at a first
business meeting in April 2010.

All members of the Interim Executive Committee see this as an exciting
venture, and world-wide support for the Society will ensure its success. We
therefore look forward very much to receiving your application.

Very best wishes,

Michael Wadsworth (Longview), John Bynner (Longview), Harvey Goldstein (U of
Bristol), Paul Boyle (U of St Andrews), Amanda Sacker (U of Essex), Ingrid
Schoon (Institute of Education, London), Dimitri Mortelmans (U of Antwerp),
David Blane (Imperial College, London) , Carli Lessof (National Centre for
Social Research, London) , Elizabeth Webb (Imperial College, London), Matthias
Richter (U of Bielefeld)

3) We would like to invite applications to the post of ESRC +3 PhD
Studentship in Social Statistics

"Developing or applying statistical methods for the analysis of complex
social processes"

(closing date 11-Dec-09)

This studentship will be linked to an ESRC-funded project, LEMMA II (see
http://www.cmm.bris.ac.uk/research/Lemma/2.shtml for further details). The
LEMMA project is developing generic statistical multilevel modelling
methodology for complex modelling across a range of applications in the social
sciences. Estimation algorithms for the models are being developed using
MCMC techniques.  The topic of the PhD could be in the areas of statistical
methodology development or application of methodology developed by the team
to substantive problems or a mixture of both. The substantive questions
explored by the project are:

    * Is the UK education system becoming more segregated?
    * How large are family effects compared to school and pupil effects on
pupils' learning progress?
    * Is there any evidence for school competition affecting pupils'
learning progress?
    * Does parental selection into neighbourhoods and schools drive the
school competition process?
    * How do family risks such as marital conflict, parental depression, and
children's emotional and behavioural problems interact?

Candidates wishing to pursue an applied PhD should address one of these
substantive questions.

Methodological areas are

    * Handling missing data in complex multilevel models (via multiple
imputation and/or MCMC estimation)
    * Developing MCMC algorithms to model dependence between random effects
in cross-classified and multiple membership multilevel models
    * Developing methodology for multilevel simultaneous equation models to
address issues of reciprocal causation and endogeneity in social systems.

Further details and how to apply (PDF document):
<http://www.cmm.bristol.ac.uk/team/LEMMA-PhD-Nov-09.pdf>

With best regards
Hilary Browne
-------------------------------
Centre for Multilevel Modelling
University of Bristol
2 Priory Road
Bristol       BS8 1TX
UK

Tel: +44 (0)117 331 0804
FAX:  +44 (0)117 331 0833
email: [log in to unmask]
web: <http://www.cmm.bristol.ac.uk>