PhD studentship in Risk Analysis

Durham University and the Food and Environment Research Agency


A studentship is likely to be available for research into methods for
generalized uncertainty quantification in food and environmental risk,
at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University. The
studentship would provide full fees (up to 3.5 years) at the level for
UK or EU students, and a stipend (up to 3.5 years) at the level of
regular UK research council studentships.  A requirement for the
studentship is a good (normally first class) undergraduate or MSc
degree in Statistics or a related topic.


The project involves development and application of generalized
uncertainty quantification to food and environmental risk problems. In
particular, as part of a large nationwide programme to model future
agricultural land use, there is a need to elicit, model, and use
available information about annual crop rotations. However, for
instance due to rapid climate change, future scenarios are foreseen
which have never occurred before, leading to huge uncertainty about
likely crop rotations and the resulting environmental impact. In this
project, imprecise probabilistic methods will be developed and
implemented to deal with the limited information and knowledge.


The proposed starting date of the project is 1 October 2011, but there
is some flexibility. The student will be based in Durham, with regular
visits to Fera (near York).


The Food and Environment Research Agency’s role is to support and
develop a sustainable food chain, a healthy natural environment, and
to protect the community from biological and chemical risks. The
Agency employs over 700 scientists and experts and works with over
1000 partners in 102 countries world-wide.

The Risk and Numerical Sciences team at Fera conducts innovative
research and provides expertise in risk and uncertainty analysis,
statistics, bioinformatics and geographical information (GI) sciences.
An important part of the team’s work is providing statistical advice
and support to customers in government and industry. The team’s work
often influences national or international policy, and we work closely
with a wide range of scientists and other colleagues across the
agency, together with external collaborators and universities. Dr John
Paul Gosling and Dr Andy Hart of this team will co-supervise the
student on this collaborative project.


The Statistics Group at the Department of Mathematical Sciences at
Durham University has world-leading expertise in development and
application of generalized methods for uncertainty quantification,
including theory of imprecise probabilities. Dr Matthias Troffaes and
Prof Frank Coolen will co-supervise the student on this collaborative
project.


If you are interested in this studentship, please contact Dr Matthias
Troffaes ([log in to unmask]) or Dr John Paul Gosling
([log in to unmask]) as soon as possible.



For more information about Fera and Durham University, see:
http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/
http://www.dur.ac.uk/mathematical.sciences/

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