Closing Date: Friday, 29th November 2013

The Department of Mathematics at the University of Surrey invites applications from enthusiastic and well-qualified students for a PhD studentship in Mathematical Modelling of Sleep.

Reduced quality and quantity of sleep is an increasing problem in the industrialised and developing world. In turn this can have a profound impact on health and well-being, and inadequate or insufficient sleep are correlated with increases in type II diabetes, heart disease and  many other illnesses. Mathematical models of sleep-wake regulation have been developed that can explain some of the observed phenomena but there remain many open questions. This is an exciting opportunity to do a PhD on mathematical modelling of sleep in collaboration with the Surrey Sleep Research Centre. The particular focus of the PhD will depend on the interests of the applicant: there is scope for either focussing on pure mathematics, analysing the behaviour of existing models; for an applied focus, developing and analysing models in collaboration with the Sleep Research Centre; or for a statistical focus developing and testing data analysis techniques for the extensive data available through the Sleep Research Centre.

The PhD project will be supervised by Dr Anne Skeldon and Dr Gianne Derks in the Biosystems Group and in collaboration with the Surrey Sleep Research Centre. The successful candidate will join this group which has an excellent international reputation and a lively community of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Academic members of the group have extensive collaborations and links with other research institutions from around the globe as well as world-leading industries.

In general, the Department of Mathematics hosts four vibrant and highly rated research groups with interests focusing on themes on the interface between pure and applied mathematics. In the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the Department was ranked 7th out of 42 in the UK for its world-leading research outputs.

For further information about the Biosystems Group, see http://www.surrey.ac.uk/maths/research/groups/bs/ and about the department, see http://www.surrey.ac.uk/maths/. For details about our PhD Programme please refer to http://www.surrey.ac.uk/maths/study/pgr/.

Entry Requirements.

A good MMath, MPhys or MSc degree or a first class honours degree in mathematics, physical sciences or engineering.

Funding.

The PhD studentships include the tuition fees and a tax-free stipend of about £14,000 p.a. All PhD students have access to funding for travel to meetings and conferences.

How to Apply.

Applicants should complete the on-line application form at http://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/physicalsciences/mathematics-phd/.

This application must be accompanied by the following:

• Cover letter (one A4 page maximum)
• CV including names of academic referees (two A4 pages maximum)
• Personal statement including research interests and experience (one A4 page maximum)
• Copy of certified transcript including expected or actual degree class (no page limit)

Accepted minimum font size is 11pt. Once the application form is completed, applicants should confirm their submission by e-mail to maths-phd@surrey.ac.uk.

For full consideration, applications should be received no later than Friday, 29th of November 2013. The reviewing process of the applications commences shortly after the deadline.

Informal Enquiries.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to the project supervisors Dr Anne Skeldon (A.Skeldon@surrey.ac.uk) and Dr Gianne Derks (G.Derks@surrey.ac.uk).

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