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                      The University of Birmingham
                       School of Computer Science

                          Research Scholarships
                           for PhD studies in
     Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science

Several internally and externally funded studentships and teaching
assistantships are available to support research towards a PhD in
Computer Science or Cognitive Science.

The School has research strengths in the areas of Theoretical Computer
Science, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science, and Software
Engineering, and a flourishing research culture in which there is
frequent interaction between people working in these areas.

The Artificial Intelligence/Cognitive Science research in the School is
multidisciplinary and includes a wide range of topics including the
following:

    Automated Deduction and mechanised mathematical reasoning
    Autistic Cognition
    Analogy and case-based reasoning
    Architectures for intelligent human-like agents
    Computer based learning and teaching environments
    Diagrammatic reasoning, and the use of diagrams in proofs
    Development of theories of mind in children
    Evolutionary computation and emergent behaviour
    Evolutionary neural networks, and evolutionary optimisation
    Forms of representation and reasoning
    Image understanding and computer vision
    Informal logic and the study of argumentation
    Intelligent and adaptive interfaces
    Knowledge representation in humans and machines
    Mobile robotics - learning and evolutionary approaches
    Model checking and reasoning about specifications
    Motivation and emotions in intelligent agents
    Natural language: from syntax to metaphor
    Neural network ensembles
    Philosophical foundations of computing and AI
    Planning and problem solving with multiple soft constraints
    Reinforcement learning
    Simulative reasoning about mental states of others
    Speech processing
    Tools for developing simulated intelligent agents
    Uncertain reasoning

Current academic and research staff involved in these activities are

Prof John Barnden, Prof Aaron Sloman, Prof Xin Yao, Dr Russell Beale, Dr
Ela Claridge, Dr Antoni Diller, Dr William Edmondson, Dr. Peter Hancox,
Mr Bob Hendley, Dr Mateja Jamnic, Dr Manfred Kerber, Dr Mark Lee, Dr
Brian Logan, Dr Donald Peterson, Dr Andy Pryke, Dr Riccardo Poli, Dr
Mark Ryan, Dr Alison Todman, Dr Andy Wood, Dr Jeremy Wyatt. Some of our
research is done in collaboration with members of other schools, e.g.
psychology.

There are about 30 PhD students in the school many of whom work in these
areas. There are also students working on MSc projects and final year
undergraduate projects in these areas.

PhD Studentships
----------------
The School has a number of EPSRC Studentships, School Studentships and
Teaching Assistantships available to UK and European Union applicants.
School Studentships and Teaching Assistantships cover tuition fees and
maintenance for UK and European Union students.  EPSRC studentships do not
pay maintenance costs for non-UK students.

We also have a studentship for three or four years funded by a major
interactive entertainments company, for research on "Intelligent Agents
in 3-D Virtual Environments". For details see
    ftp://ftp.cs.bham.ac.uk/pub/dist/info/studentships/

There is no closing date for applications for PhD students, but early
applications are advisable as we shall be making selections in the near
future, and competition for studentships is expected to be very strong.

Applicants must have or be about to gain at least an upper second class
honours degree, or an overseas equivalent, in Computer Science,
Artificial Intelligence, or a related area.

Further details of these studentships and also of funding available for
international students are given in:
     http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~pjh/prospectus/funding/research.html

Applicants, especially from outside the UK, should study that document
very carefully before asking for information about available funds.

The School's research student prospectus, application form, and
instructions on how to apply are available from:
     http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/studentinfo/form_mailer.html

Informal enquiries can be directed to any member of staff. To find out
more about the research activities of these and other members of
staff in the school, and individual contact addresses, see:

    http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/system/auto-gen/staff.html
    http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/research.html

It is advisable for applicants to have a clear idea of the sort of
research problem to be investigated before applying, as that will help
us decide which members of staff to consider as potential supervisors.
Applicants who can write a coherent account of the problem or topic area
to be investigated and offer some ideas about how they will approach
the problem are more likely to be successful than those who merely say
they wish to work in a particular field or with a particular person.

If you have a question which is not answered in the documents cited
above, email [log in to unmask]

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