Funding your MPhil/PhD
The Department of Informatics currently has 50 PhD students, 31 of whom are sponsored or have scholarships or grants of one kind or another.
We know that funding is one of the biggest contributing factors in the decision to embark on a research degree. However, competition is tough. It is very important to bear in mind that all scholarships, bursaries or other awards are offered on a competitive basis, many have strict criteria and most are overrun with applicants.
This is why we have created this page to help potential MPhil/PhD students start the process of funding their degree and get them on the road to their doctorate.
Bioinformatics of Allergy and Autoimmunity Related to Skin
Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD studentship in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology in the Department of Informatics, King’s College London, to start in 2012. The deadline is 14 May 2012.
Candidates should apply for a PhD in the usual way through King’s myApplication system. Please download the advert for further information.
EPSRC Project: The Autonomic Power System
An EPSRC-funded PhD studentship is available for a UK/EU student on a new multi-site EPSRC project called "The Autonomic Power System". A summary of the project can be found on the EPSRC website. The studentship is ideally to begin in April or July 2012.
The King's College London component of the project is held by Professors Maria Fox and Derek Long, in the Department of Informatics at King's College London, and is in collaboration with Electrical Engineers at the University of Strathclyde, Durham University, Imperial College and the University of Manchester. The Principal Investigator of the project is Professor Stephen McArthur, a power engineer at the University of Strathclyde.
The goal of the project is to address the needs of the future power system. The King's contribution is on the role of automated planning in automating some of the decision-making referred to in the summary. In particular, we will focus on some demand-side issues (how to support consumers in deciding how and when to use power in order to minimise consumption costs) and also some configuration issues (eg: how to maintain properties of a power network as components are switched in and out). One of the features of the smart grid is that consumers can connect their own generators to the grid. This can affect electrical properties of the network. Planning could therefore have a role in managing operations at a substation, for example.
The appointee will be based at the Strand Campus, King's College London. However, because of the context of the work the appointee will occasionally visit Strathclyde (and other partners) to participate in workshops and master classes in power systems. At the end of the PhD the appointee will have gained valuable knowledge of power systems and smart grid in addition to specialised experience in automated planning and its applications.
This is a technical project in computer science that will develop skills in modelling, planner implementation, experimentation and a technical knowledge of power systems. Candidates should have a degree in computer science, physics or engineering and should have excellent programming skills in C++, Java, or another similar language. Some knowledge and experience of AI Planning would be a great benefit, but the project will begin with intensive training in this area.
The appointee will receive a standard EPSRC stipend plus London Weighting, and home/EU fees will be paid. The starting date for the PhD project can be negotiated but is currently set for 23 April 2012 or 2 July 2012. .
To feasibly start in July 2012, candidates should have received an unconditional offer by June 2012, and ideally have applied by the end of May 2012. In order to apply formally, see the information on the How to Apply page.
Make sure that your application clearly states the proposed supervisor as Professor Maria Fox, and the proposed project as "The Autonomic Power System". You should do this in your proposal and personal statement. The application will then be directed onwards appropriately.If you are interested in this project or have any questions, please contact Professor Maria Fox (maria.fox@kcl.ac.uk).
EPSRC DTA Studentships
The Department will allocate 2-4 studentships for PhD students from its EPSRC DTA grant. These studentships will start in September 2012.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a full studentship (stipend plus fees), applicants must be a UK resident for a period of 3 years immediately prior to the date of application for an award. Residents of other member states of the European Union are eligible for fees-only awards. Applicants from outside the European Union are not eligible for support from the EPSRC DTA grant.
Note that these are the basic criteria imposed by the EPSRC. We will check all applicants for eligibility.
Application process
The Department will consider all eligible applicants who applied for entry to our PhD programme, and whose application has been processed and accepted, before 1 May 2012. Late applications will not be considered for funding!
However, to facilitate internal procedures, once you have received an unconditional offer to start in September, please email your name, surname and Student ID number (to be found at the top-left corner of the offer letter) to Claudia Mazzoncini (claudia.mazzoncini@kcl.ac.uk), stating your intention to be considered for EPSRC DTA funding.