Full-funded EPSRC PhD Studentship at Lancaster University
Stipend £14600 pa plus fees
As part of a case supported EPSRC Grant we have a 3.5 year position for a
PhD student in the research area of stochastic filtering and control. This
studentship is available for UK and EU students who have or expect to obtain
the equivalent of a first or upper second Honours degree, or an MSc in a
relevant discipline. Eligible candidates must hold a UK passport or have
been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the 3 year period preceding
the date of application for the studentship. Students with a relevant
connection to an EU country other than the UK are eligible for fees only.
However, an EU candidate may be eligible for a full award if a relevant
connection with the UK has been established.
For further information regarding the eligibility criteria, please visit the
EPSRC Website (www.epsrc.ac.uk).
There is a substantial interest in developing autonomous systems, as part of
remote surveillance of the environment. Such systems need to posses
computational intelligence, be able to sense the environment, collect
information and perform path planning. Applications are invited for a fully
funded PhD position on algorithmic and theoretical aspects of target
tracking systems. This PhD project will focus on the development of novel
Monte Carlo methods (particle filtering) for estimation and control
purposes. Between the problems that will be investigated are motion
estimation of a single and multiple objects from a large amount of sensor
data. The proposed research will investigate novel particle filtering
methods to solve non-linear, non-Gaussian, estimation/control problems where
current techniques are inadequate. Immediate applications relate to path
planning control of Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs), but more generally the
work is relevant to control of vehicles and robots in uncertain situations.
UAVs are remotely controlled or self-piloted aircraft that carry different
sensors and are equipped with communication facilities. The work will go
beyond the usual realm of Particle Filtering techniques. There are three
strands to the work: estimation in closed loop environments; the use of
particles to solve optimal stochastic control problems related with path
planning and the combination of particle filters with derivative-free methods.
The Department of Communication Systems in Lancaster University is pleased
to invite highly motivated students to join active teams of researchers. The
studentship will be supervised by Dr Mila Mihaylova (Lancaster University)
and it is anticipated that the student will be based at Lancaster
University, offering a highly collegiate and stimulating environment for
research career development as well as undertaking a programme of original
research. Knowledge of statistics, probability and optimisation would be a
major advantage, while knowledge of statistical signal processing and
control theory would be a bonus. This is an excellent opportunity to join a
vibrant team and conduct a high-level research. The studentship will provide
fees plus a stipend in line with current research council studentships
(currently £12,600 per annum) this will be enhanced by a further £2000 per
year. The studentship will commence 1st October 2008.
The closing date for applications is 31st of August, 2008.
To apply, fill in a normal PhD application form,
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/admissions/postgrad/pgform1.htm) and indicate
on the form that you wish to be considered for the studentship with Dr Mila
Mihaylova. Please attach a written statement to the form that supports your
case to be considered for a studentship. For further information regarding
the application process, please contact Janet Wiggins (email:
[log in to unmask] or telephone 01524 510389). Informal enquiries
should be directed to [log in to unmask] telephone 01524 510388.
This advert appears also on:
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/SL798/Full-funded_EPSRC_PhD_Studentship/
http://www.dcs.lancs.ac.uk/site/1/5/Vacancies
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