Switzerland : The Hermann Paul School of Linguistics scholarships for PhD candidates

he Hermann Paul School of Linguistics at the University of Basel (Switzerland) and the Albert-ALudwigs- University of Freiburg (Germany) is offering two scholarships for PhD candidates in Basel and two scholarships in Freiburg, to be occupied by earliest 1 July and latest 1 September 2013. As a PhD candidate you will be part of a lively and active research community located in the upper Rhine region. The graduate programme is internationally
recognized and presents inter-university collaboration. The scholarships comply with different requirements in Basel and Freiburg. For more information on the respective specifications, please visit the homepage at http://hpsl- linguistics. org/hpsl- scholarships2013
Scholarships are granted for two years and may be subject to an extension of up to one year with successful project development. Prerequisite for application is a good to excellent degree (MA or equivalent) in the field of language sciences. As part of an international community your PhD project should constructively add to the research environment. Please inform yourself
about the research areas at the HPSL before the application and get in touch with your preferred first supervisor for more details (find the list of supervisors at http://www.hpsl- linguistics. org/faculty).
Please note that PhD scholarships at the University of Basel or the University of Freiburg must be supervised by a first supervisor affiliated with the respective university which grants the scholarship. Please submit your application both in postal form (hardcopy) AND electronically. It should include:
- a letter of motivation
- an informative outline of your research interests and PhD project (Scholarships are awarded based on the quality of your outline, applications without an outline will not be considered.)
- your curriculum vitae
- copies of educational certificates (Please note: in Basel the requirement for entering the PhD program is a 'good' or 'excellent&# 39; degree.)
- a writing sample (seminar paper or master thesis)
- if available: confirmations of internships, language proficiancies and conference participation
Closing date for applications is 26 April 2013 (receipt of application by the HPSL).
The selection process will take place in May and acceptances and refusals will be sent out by the end of May.
For the filing of the documents in electronic form, please note the details at http://hpsl- linguistics. org/hpsl- application2013.
Application Deadline: 26-Apr-2013 Web Address for Applications: 

Application Deadline : 26 April 2013

Switzerland : SUPSI Scholarships for Master of Advanced Studies in Interaction Design

The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) offers scholarships for 2013/2014 academic year. The scholarships are awarded for pursuing master of advanced studies in interaction design. The scholarships are offered upon the evaluation of portfolios and CVs. In order to apply for the scholarships, applicants must submit their application by 1st March 2013.

Study Subject(s): Scholarships are available for master of advanced studies in interaction design SUPSI.
Course Level:  This scholarship is available for pursuing master program.
Scholarship Provider:  University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)
Scholarship can be taken at:  Switzerland

Eligibility: Requirement for the acceptance to the Master in Interaction Design program is a degree in an appropriate field such as visual communication, industrial design, interior design and architecture, communication sciences and computer sciences. Equivalent studies and professional experiences may be evaluated on portfolio basis.

Scholarship Open for International Students: The students of Switzerland can apply for this scholarship.

Scholarship Description: University of applied sciences and arts of southern Switzerland (SUPSI) is glad to announce that partial scholarships are available to future students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Interaction Design SUPSI, academic year 2013/2014.

What does it cover? Winners of the scholarships are entitled to a reduction in the tuition fees, worth 5’000. – CHF each.

Selection Criteria: The scholarships are awarded upon the evaluation of portfolios and CVs.

Notification: Winners of the scholarships will be notified by Friday 15th March 2013.

How to Apply: Candidates must present the required documentation within the application for admission. Application forms can be submitted by mail or by filling the digital form.

Scholarship Application Deadline: In order to apply for the scholarships, future students must submit the application for the MAInD program 2013/2014 by 1st March 2013.

Switzerland : PhD. student position in Analytical Chemistry

The topic of the Ph.D. thesis will be on the use of modern mass spectrometric methods in bioanalysis. Depending on the interests and background of the successful candidate, this can include the analysis of very large molecules and molecular assemblies, using high-mass MALDI-MS, the investigation of noncovalent interaction by native electrospray MS, or the application of MS methods to single-cell analysis. The project is funded by an “initial training network” (ITN) grant from the EU, CHEBANA.

Prerequisites: M.Sc. degree, Diploma or equivalent in Chemistry or related area, strong background in analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, or biochemistry. Trans-national mobility is a key requirement for filling this position, i.e., applicants with a Swiss degree cannot apply.

Further information: see http://www.zenobi.ethz.ch/ or http://www.chebana.eu or contact Prof. Renato Zenobi, Telefon +41 44 632 43 76 or e-mail zenobi@org.chem.ethz.ch (no applications).

We are looking forward to your online application. Please address it to: ETH Zürich, Prof. Renato Zenobi, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, CH-8093 Zürich.

Further Information

Application Deadline : 1 April 2013

Switzerland : Doctoral position in Economics

WE OFFER: Supervision of a doctoral thesis in applied theory related to the economics of risk and insurance; Development of an international research record; Opportunity to be part of a vivid research group; Top-ranked economics department (5th in German speaking areas, Handelsblatt Ranking 2011); Flexible choice of PhD level courses at ETH as well as other top universities; Competitive salary.

WE EXPECT: Background in economics or related fields (Masters level, completed or nearly completed); Solid background in economic theory or mathematics; Desire to conduct doctoral research in the economics of risk and insurance, possibly with applications in: economic demography / health economics / public economics / environmental economics; Motivation to support chair activities; Fluent in English.

Applications should include a cover letter, a CV, a transcript of grades and a 1-2 page statement of motivation including your research interests (a thorough research proposal is not expected at this stage). Please have two letters of recommendation sent to us directly.

The application deadline is April 1st, 2013. Applications should be sent, electronically or by postal mail, to: ETH Zürich Chair of Integrative Risk Management and Economics Prof. A. Bommier (Attn. Sabine Keller) Zürichbergstrasse 18, 8032 Zürich Switzerland Email: sabinekeller@ethz.ch

Application Deadline : 1 April 2013

Switzerland : PhD. Position - Infection Biology

A Ph.D. position is available in the Research group of Prof. Dirk Bumann at the Biozentrum, Basel.

Infectious diseases are a major worldwide health concern. Current therapies have become increasingly inefficient because of emerging antimicrobial resistance, while the pipeline of new drugs is drying up. To avoid a public health emergency, the entire antibiotic research
community must work together to reinvigorate research into new antibiotics. The available position will be part of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (http://www.imi.europa.eu/) project ND4BB-Translocation (http://www.imi.europa.eu/content/translocation) that will focus its efforts on identifying new ways of getting antibiotics into Gram-negative pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae and preventing them from expelling the drugs before they can take effect.

In collaboration with partners from industry and European academic labs, our group will determine properties of the bacterial cell wall envelope under in vivo conditions using FACS, proteomics, and computational modeling. Our ultimate goal is a quantitative understanding of drug penetration and efflux mechanisms through the bacterial cell envelope. This will help to overcome a major barrier in development of urgently needed novel antibiotics.

The expertise in our group comprises multi-color high-speed FACS sorting, confocal microscopy, proteomics, metabolomics, microbial genetics, and in silico modeling (Nature 440, 303-7; Science 333,228-33). Group members include microbiologists, biochemists, chemists, pharmacologists, and software engineers. We are part of the Biozentrum that hosts numerous excellent labs with a wide and diverse range of interests and direct access to state-of-the art equipment (including FACSAria, FACS Fortessa, Leica SP5 and other confocal microscopes, automated microscopes, Orbitrap velos and elite mass spec, etc).

Basel offers an exciting international community with major pharmaceutical companies, an outstanding cultural life enhanced by the close proximity of France and Germany, and abundant out-door opportunities including the Alps at a ca. 60 min train ride.

Qualification:

You hold a Masters in one of the following disciplines: microbiology, biochemistry, or chemistry.  You have an interest infection biology and systems biology.

How to Apply:

Please send a pdf-file containing your C.V., letter of application including your research interests and contact info of two references to Rachel Benzies (rachel.benzies@unibas.ch).

Application Deadline : 28 February 2013

Switzerland : Swiss Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Students

Brief description:

The Swiss Government, through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), awards various postgraduate scholarships to foreign scholars and researchers:  University scholarships (Swiss universities, Federal Institutes of Technology as well as Universities of Applied Sciences) and Arts scholarships (schools of music and fine arts, only for a limited number of countries).

These scholarships provide graduates from all fields with the opportunity to pursue doctoral or postdoctoral research in Switzerland at one of the public funded university or recognized institution.

Host Institution(s):

Any of the ten (10) Swiss Public Universities, the two (2) Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, the public teaching and research institutes and the Universities of applied sciences

Field of study:

All academic fields

Target group:

Scholarships are open to: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Columbia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire,  Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dijibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,  Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakshtan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Authority, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia,  Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa,  Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts & Nevis,  Sudan, Sudan South, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan,  Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Yemen.

Scholarship value/inclusions:

The scholarship covers the following:

• Monthly payment of 1920 Swiss Francs for PhD studies/research or 3,500 Swiss Francs for postdoctoral research
• Exemption of the tuition fees (except for EPFL)
• Mandatory Swiss Health insurance paid by the FCS (for non-European grantees only)
• A lump sum for air fare for non-European grantees (provided at the end of the scholarship)
• Special 300 Swiss Francs lodging allowance (paid once at the beginning of the scholarship)
• 1 year half-fare public transportation card
• Counseling and various trips, dinners and sigh seeing tours organized for Swiss Government Scholarship holders

General Eligibility Criteria:

•  First class Master degree or equivalent University degree if applying for PhD studies/research or a First Class Doctoral Degree if applying for a Postdoctoral research.

•  For PhD studies/research, the candidate should not be more than 35 years old at the moment of the application.  For postdoctoral research,  there should not be a gap of more than 5 years between the award of the PhD and the application deadline.

•  Applicants should be residing in their home country at the moment of the application.  Applicants who are in Switzerland since more than 1 year are not eligible

•  Applicants must provide a letter (e-mail) from a Professor from the Swiss host institution stating that he/she is willing to supervise the Research, PhD, or the Postdoctoral reasearch. For PhD studies, applicants must apply to the chosen Swiss University as well as for the scholarship.

•  Applicants must have a research proposal including a timeframe (this is the central piece of the application. The applicant must devote all required attention to it)

•  Applicants must be in command of the necessary language skills required for the Research, PhD Studies or the Postdoctoral research.

Application instructions:

Please see the country-specific webpages for eligibility criteria, application procedure, deadlines, and contact information specific to your country.  If you fulfill the eligibility requirements, contact the Swiss diplomatic representation in your country of origin. The diplomatic representation will provide you with all the necessary information regarding the procedure including application forms and a list of required documentation.

The application deadline falls between the end of October and early November 2012, depending on the Swiss Embassy to which the applications have to be submitted.

It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website:  http://www.sbf.admin.ch/htm/themen/bildung/stipendien/eskas_en.html

Deadline: varies, around Oct-Nov

Course starts 2013

Switzerland : University of Bern Excellence Scholarships for International Students

Brief description:

The University of Bern Masters Grants are for international students who wish to do a Master’s programme beginning in autumn 2013/2014.  The scholarship is offered for Master’s Programmes offered at the University.

Host Institution(s):

University of Bern, Switzerland

Field of study:

Any Master’s Programme offered at University of Bern. For further information (study programmes, major, minor, etc.) about the Master’s programmes offered at the University, please contact the concerned Department directly.

Number of Awards:

The University of Bern will offer every academic year a total of 6 grants for excellent international students for postgraduate studies.

Target group:

International students wishing to pursue Master’s Degree at University of Berne.

Scholarship value/inclusions:

The grant consists of 1600 CHF per month for the duration of the Master’s programme.

Eligibility:

•  Applicants must have graduated at the latest by end of July 2012 with at least a Bachelor’s degree in the wished field of study
•  This Bachelor’s or Master’s degree must be from a non-Swiss university
•  The applicants permanent place of residence up to now must be outside of Switzerland

Scholarship Criteria:

Criteria for selection are academic excellence and the candidate’s potential and motivation.

Application instructions:

Applications are not yet open. Details about the application requirements and deadline for the year 2013/2014  will be available on the official website around September 2012.  The application deadline falls around December 2012.

It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: http://www.int.unibe.ch/content/incoming/master_grant/index_eng.html

Related Scholarships:  List of  Swiss Scholarships

Deadline: Dec 2012 (annual)

Course starts September 2013

Switzerland : Postdoctoral Position: Molecular catalysts for water splitting

Splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen requires the development of new catalysts. Especially the oxygen forming reaction is challenging and requires development of new catalysts. The project aims at synthesizing new Ru-based molecular catalysts for water oxidation.

You hold a PhD in chemistry or chemical engineering and are interested in synthesizing and characterizing catalysts based on organometallic complexes.

For further information see http://www.vanbokhoven.ethz.ch/ or contact Prof. Jeroen Van Bokhoven, telephone 044 632 55 42 or e-mail jeroen.vanbokhoven@chem.ethz.ch (no application).

We are looking forward to your online application. Please address it to: ETH Zürich, Frau Corina Niescher, Human Resources, CH-8092, Zürich.

Apply now

Application deadline: 2013-02-28

Switzerland : PhD Student - Real Time Simulation of Smart Dynamic Casting of Concrete (60%)

In this PhD project, you will use the Finite Element Method to develop a fast non-linear simulation scheme to assist form-free robotic casting of concrete parts. You will implement constitutive laws for early age concrete that utilize rheological online-measurements obtained during the casting process. Finally, the real time results of the simulations will be used for robotic control of the casting process. In cooperation with colleagues from physical chemistry of building materials group as well as architecture and digital fabrication you will develop simulation tools that can make form-free casting of concrete become an interesting technology.

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic PhD student to engage in pioneering research on early age concrete modeling and concrete casting. As a successful candidate, you will have completed your Master or equivalent degree in the area of civil or mechanical engineering, computational sciences, physics or materials sciences. Ideally you already got in contact with nonlinear finite element simulations and constitutive modeling. During your PhD thesis you will be part of an interdisciplinary team and work in an international environment.

Further information about the position can be provided by Dr. F. Wittel by email: fwittel@ethz.ch

Applications with a résumé and cover letter should be submitted at the button below to: ETH Zurich, Mr. Hans-Peter Widmer, Human Resources, 8092 Zurich.

Application deadline: 2013-04-30

Switzerland : PhD-Position in Environmental and Resource Econonomics (100%)

The Chair of Environmental Policy and Economics at the Institute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), invites applications for a

PhD-Position in Environmental and Resource Econonomics (100%)

Drainage of peatlands for agricultural purposes leads to rapid soil carbon losses as CO2. In Switzerland, these emissions are about 14 % of direct agricultural emissions. They go along with soil degradation and the loss of soil and ecosystem functions. The PhD position announced here will investigate policy instruments that set incentives to implement alternative management practices to reduce negative environmental impacts. The research will employ productivity analysis to develop performance indicators for the management options and policy instruments. The theoretical part is complemented by an empirical part based on field work in the project region in western Switzerland. This PhD position is part of the project “Sustainable Management of Organic Soils” in the National Research Programme NRP 68 "Sustainable use of soil as a resource" funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Project Partners are the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART and the Bern University of Applied Sciences. The research will be undertaken in close collaboration with a second PhD funded within this project, who will be affiliated at the ART and University of Basel and who focuses on identifying optimal management practices. The duration of the position is three years. The starting date is in the first half of 2013, depending on the successful candidate’s availability.

Candidates should have a Master's degree in Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, or Agricultural Economics. Knowledge of the methods of productivity analysis is desirable but not required. Excellent knowledge of German or French for fieldwork purposes (farmer interviews) is a necessity. The successful candidates will be full-time PhD student at ETH Zurich, under the supervision of Prof. Stefanie Engel and Dr. Adrian Muller. In addition to their doctoral research and related PhD courses, they will provide some minor assistance to the Chair.

For further informationyou may contact Adrian Muller at amueller@env.ethz.ch. See http://www.pepe.ethz.ch for information about the Chair and its research.

Please send your application including the following information: (i) Motivation letter; (ii) Educational history with the names of universities, years of attendance and completed degrees; (iii) a list of attended courses in economics (particularly microeconomics and econometrics) specifying the grades; (iv) names of two academic referees that could be contacted for more information; (v) publications (if any) by 28 Feb 2012. Submit your application at the button below and address it to: ETH Zurich, Mr. Rolf Oertli, Human Resources, 8092 Zürich.

deadline: 2013-02-28

Switzerland : Postdoctoral Fellow - Department of Earth Sciences

The Earth and Planetary Magnetism Group in the Department of Earth Sciences has a vacancy within their experimental fluid mechanics and MHD laboratory. We seek a motivated

Postdoctoral Fellow

The position is within the area of experimental rapidly-rotating fluid mechanics. Present facilities include a water laboratory and the ability to perform liquid metal experiments. Experiments are aimed at understanding the rapidly rotating regime of Earth's core dynamics, in the presence of magnetic fields. Future experiments will include current-driven flows (Dean flow) in both non-rotating and rapidly-rotating regimes.

The successful candidate will be expected to (i) participating in ongoing experiments (ii) initiate and perform his/her own research projects, (iii) co-supervise undergraduate- and graduate-level thesis projects, and (iv) possibly contribute to the teaching of general geophysics courses. We seek a good team-player who can join a small team of about 10 others. Evidence of experimental experience is required. Good knowledge of English is essential and, although not essential, basic understanding of German is an advantage. At the time of the appointment, the successful candidate must have a doctoral degree in geophysics or a related subject.

For further information about the position, please contact Dr. Jérõme Noir by e-mail, jerome.noir@erdw.ethz.ch (no applications); details of the work can be found by visiting http://www.epm.ethz.ch/mfece.fte.

Applications with a Curriculum Vitae, a short description of research interests and the names and addresses of three referees should be sent online to: ETH Zurich, Ms. Maja Bügler, Human Resources, 8092 Zurich.

deadline: 2013-03-31

Switzerland : PhD-Position in Environmental and Resource Econonomics (100%)

Drainage of peatlands for agricultural purposes leads to rapid soil carbon losses as CO2. In Switzerland, these emissions are about 14 % of direct agricultural emissions. They go along with soil degradation and the loss of soil and ecosystem functions. The PhD position announced here will investigate policy instruments that set incentives to implement alternative management practices to reduce negative environmental impacts. The research will employ productivity analysis to develop performance indicators for the management options and policy instruments. The theoretical part is complemented by an empirical part based on field work in the project region in western Switzerland. This PhD position is part of the project “Sustainable Management of Organic Soils” in the National Research Programme NRP 68 "Sustainable use of soil as a resource" funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Project Partners are the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART and the Bern University of Applied Sciences. The research will be undertaken in close collaboration with a second PhD funded within this project, who will be affiliated at the ART and University of Basel and who focuses on identifying optimal management practices. The duration of the position is three years. The starting date is in the first half of 2013, depending on the successful candidate’s availability.

Candidates should have a Master's degree in Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, or Agricultural Economics. Knowledge of the methods of productivity analysis is desirable but not required. Excellent knowledge of German or French for fieldwork purposes (farmer interviews) is a necessity. The successful candidates will be full-time PhD student at ETH Zurich, under the supervision of Prof. Stefanie Engel and Dr. Adrian Muller. In addition to their doctoral research and related PhD courses, they will provide some minor assistance to the Chair.

For further informationyou may contact Adrian Muller at amueller@env.ethz.ch. See http://www.pepe.ethz.ch for information about the Chair and its research.

Please send your application including the following information: (i) Motivation letter; (ii) Educational history with the names of universities, years of attendance and completed degrees; (iii) a list of attended courses in economics (particularly microeconomics and econometrics) specifying the grades; (iv) names of two academic referees that could be contacted for more information; (v) publications (if any) by 28 Feb 2012. Submit your application at the button below and address it to: ETH Zurich, Mr. Rolf Oertli, Human Resources, 8092 Zürich.

deadline: 2013-02-28

Switzerland : PhD-Student in Socialogy

with a background in agent-based modeling and/or quantitative complexity and systems science for the ERC Advanced Investigator Grant “Momentum”.

The doctoral candidatewould be part of an ambitious project entitled “Modeling the Emergence of Social Complexity and Order: How Individual and Societal Complexity Co-Evolve” (pending final signature). The project aims to model and simulate social interactions between sophisticated agents with cognitive capabilities and the resulting complex dynamics on the macro-level, including phenomena such as self-organization, emergence, multi-stability, and history-dependence in the formation of cooperation, social norms, and culture. Research subjects of particular interest are: evolutionary game theory; agent-based modeling and computational social science; complexity; social cooperation and social norms; reputation; evolutionary competition; human social evolution; conflict, revolutions, and/or war; simulation of the early stages of cultural evolution; artificial societies; social innovations and socio-inspired technologies; global real-time measurement of socio-economic activities.

Excellent English language skills, social skills, team spirit, and international experience are needed. We also expect the candidate to appreciate collaborating in a multi-disciplinary and multicultural team in order to jointly and systematically address grand scientific challenges such as the ones outlined in this paper: http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.3883.

Candidates should send their application materials in one single pdf file (<5 MB), including a short motivational letter, their CV and exam documents (A-levels, bachelor, master or diploma, and PhD). 2 to 3 letters of recommendation should also be sent directly to us by recommenders. Applicants are requested to submit their materials until January 31, 2013, at the button below to: ETH Zürich, Mr. Rolf Oertli, Human Resources, 8092 Zürich.

Application Deadline : 31 January 2013

Switzerland : PhD Student in Exposure Science

We seek a highly motivated PhD student for a challenging interdisciplinary research project that involves close cooperation with the renowned research institutions EMPA Dübendorf (CH) and RIVM (NL) and is financed by the research initiative LRI of the European Chemical Industry Council CEFIC. The aim of the project is to assess human exposure to chemical substances in house dust by analyzing dust samples and developing modeling strategies for substance migration into dust and air. Quantification of substances in dust from controlled experiments will help validating current models and concepts of exposure modeling for dust. The project is of high societal relevance and practical interest, because in modern societies people mostly spend their time indoors. Consequently, they are continuously exposed to substances in dust like e.g. flame retardants, plasticizers (phthalates) and fragrances, while some of these substances are suspected to pose a risk to human health.

The successful applicant will possess a degree in (food) chemistry, environmental or chemical engineering, environmental sciences, or a related field of natural sciences with a first-class academic record. The applicant should have interests in analytical chemistry, and physico-chemical process and exposure modeling. Ideally the work will commence March/April of 2013.

Application Deadline : 31 January 2013

Switzerland : Doctoral Student in Environmental Chemistry

We seek a highly capable doctoral student to conduct research in the field of environmental fate assessment of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). ENMs are being increasingly produced and used in commercial applications and the inevitable release of ENMs to natural compartments makes a risk assessment of these new materials necessary. For this purpose, processes affecting the environmental fate of ENMs need to be studied in greater detail. The aim of this project is to study the heteroaggregation of ENMs with naturally occurring colloids and the interaction with natural organic matter (NOM) present in surface waters. In this joint project with the CEREGE (Aix-Marseille University) in Aix-en-Provence, France, the interaction of ENMs with natural particles will be addressed both from an experimental as well as a modeling approach. The PhD student will be mainly involved in the modeling part of the project and model both the small-scale interactions between ENMs and natural components and the overall fate of ENMs in surface water systems. In addition, the PhD student at ETH will have the opportunity to spend some time at the CEREGE and conduct heteroaggregation experiments. The work is planned to commence on April 1, 2013.

The successful applicant will possess a degree in physics, chemistry, environmental sciences, environmental engineering or a related field with a first-class academic record. The applicant should have strong interest in developing computer models, some laboratory experience, and a keen interest in environmental chemistry. Knowledge of French will be an advantage.

We are looking forward to your online application including a Curriculum Vitae and references. Please address it to: ETH Zürich, Frau Corina Niescher, Human Resources, CH-8092, Zürich.

Application Deadline : 31 January 2013

Switzerland : PhD student (chemical characterization of dietary fibres)

The research topics of the group deal with cereal dietary fibres and associated phytochemicals, their analysis from various cereal foods, chemical and enzymatic reactions in food and other biological systems, as well as optimizing or controlling reactions to ensure the health benefits associated to each component. The work includes developing improved analytical methods for the analysis of these components and their reactions. The topic of this PhD project is the chemical characterization of beta-glucan oxidation products with UPLC-MS-MS and other techniques. We seek for highly motivated students with good skills in chemical analysis. In particular experience in mass spectrometry is considered as a benefit, in addition to the other standard analytical techniques (HPLC, GC, UV/Vis, NMR, FT-IR). Furthermore, expertise in polymer chemistry, carbohydrate chemistry, and/or food sciences is considered an advantage. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the research topics the applicants should be motivated to adapt new techniques quickly.

Successful applicant has a Master’s degree in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, or food sciences, or a related subject. Regardless of background, the successful applicant will have an interactive and highly motivated personality, excellent English language skills, the ability to carry out research in an interdisciplinary and international environment, and a strong desire to disseminate the results in conference talks and journal articles. The length of the contract will be 3 years including a 3 months probation period.

Review of applications will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled. The application should include your CV, publication list, a PDF file of your Master’s thesis, an academic transcript of your studies, a one page statement on your motivation, past research experience and research interests (in English), and contact details of three persons (academic if possible) that may be contacted for references. Please apply online at the button below, address your application to: ETH Zürich, Ms. Nadja Lang, Human Resources, 8092 Zürich.

Application Deadline : 31 January 2013

Switzerland : Ph.D. Position in Scalable Parallel Computing at ETH Zurich

Successful candidates will have a strong background in computer science, parallel computing, compilers, (performance) optimization, and/or computer systems. Candidates should be able to work (mostly) independently on a complex topic and must be highly motivated. Since most research topics are related to different fields (mathematics, computer science, computational science) candidates should be able to learn quickly and study topics independently. Good C/C++ knowledge and experience in software development are required. Some background in
parallel computing or high-performance computing is desirable. Applicants need to be proficient in written and spoken English.
Besides research activities, candidates will have the opportunity to assist in teaching and advise students to build a solid foundation for an academic career.

ETH Zurich and the Computer Science departments offer excellent facilities for studying and recreation. The department is among the leading institutions in Europe and worldwide. The SPCL group has excellent contacts to US research institutions and universities, such as University of Illinois, Indiana University, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and many more. Students will be offered the opportunity to spend time at one of those institutions during their studies.

The language of the group is English. English is also well understand in Zurich and its surroundings, i.e., it's absolutely no problem if candidates do not speak German. Zurich is located less than one hour from the Alps, and is a small but vibrant city offering one of the best living standards in the world. Zurich is well connected to major European cities and has a large international community.
Salary and social benefits are very competitive. Contracts will be 12-month renewable, with a 3-month probatory period.

One particular project would deal with developing techniques to model the performance of scientific applications analytically. This requires knowledge in statistics and static source-code analysis. Basic skills in static analysis and symbolic execution would be very helpful. Other
research projects are also available.

For more details on the group visit http://spcl.inf.ethz.ch and on the open positions and information for applicants:  http://spcl.inf.ethz.ch/People/Jobs/

Application Deadline : 15 February 2013