Archive for August, 2007

Hamilton Institute automotive research in the news

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007

Work on SUV rollover prevention by Hamilton Institute researchers Prof. Robert Shorten and Selim Solmaz, has made the news with a front page article in the Irish Times motoring supplement. See article at the Irish Times web site.

MSc Position in IPv6 testbed development & TCP testing Now Closed.

Monday, August 27th, 2007

Applications are invited by well-qualified applicants for an MSc
position in the areas of IPv6 testbed development and testing of
new TCP congestion control variants.

TCP is known to perform poorly in high bandwidth-delay product paths
and this has led to a number of proposals for redesign of the
congestion control strategy, including Cubic TCP (currently enabled
by default in Linux), Compound TCP (proposed by Microsoft and under
review at the IRTF) and H-TCP (proposed by researchers at the
Hamilton Institute and implemented in Linux). This project will
build on initial evaluation work carried out at the Hamilton Institute
with a view to enhancing our understanding of the new issues raised
by these, and other, proposed changes and taking an active role in
the current IRTF/IETF review process.

IPv6 is a replacement for the Internet’s transport layer, which has
been developed by the IETF over the last 15 years. A number of
standards now make use of IPv6, including the Internet Messaging
System (IMS). The Hamilton Institute is to provide and support IPv6
test-bed connectivity between the partners of the IMS ARCS
(www.ims-arcs.ie).

Applicants should have a basic understanding of IP networking and
should have some familiarity with the configuration and use of Linux
or BSD systems. Good numerate and analytic skills will be essential,
and the candidate should be comfortable with scripting and programming.

The Hamilton Institute is committed to research excellence. These
posts offer an exciting opportunity for successful candidates to
tackle fundamental research problems within a stimulating multi-
disciplinary research environment with state of the art facilities
and strong links to the international research community.

MSc Stipend: €21000 (tax free)

To apply, candidates should submit a detailed CV, motivation letter,
and the names and addresses of two referees for letters of
recommendation to: hamilton@nuim.ie. Informal enquiries to Prof.
Doug Leith (doug.leith@nuim.ie) or Dr. David Malone (david.malone@nuim.ie).

PhD Positions Now Closed.

Monday, August 13th, 2007

Applications are invited for a number of PhD positions at the Hamilton Institute. Candidates should have an outstanding academic record.

We currently have opportunities in the following areas:

  • 802.11 Wireless Networks
    Topics of interest include Interference management, oppportunistic routing and throughput optimisation in multi-hop wireless mesh networks. Cross-layer interactions between link adaptation, MAC scheduler, routing and transport layers and related topics.

  • TCP & Network Congestion Control
    Applicationof dynamics systems theory to internet and related network congestion control problems. This includes decentralised design and adaptation techniques for TCP; stability, convergence, efficiency and fairness issues; novel protocols for heterogeneous networks including wireless links. Also th development of new models and measurement techniques tailored including design of network experiments; dynamic modelling for TCP design.

  • Hybrid Systems Theory
    Analysis and design of hybrid and switched linear systems. This includes both computational and analytical methodsand we are especially interested inapplications to adaptive/reconfigurableand heterogeneous systems.

  • Control issues in distributed systems
    There are a range of theoretical and practical issues in the cooperative control of a distributed system of vehicles, such as platoons of cars, UAVs etc. In particular, limited communications imposes some restrictions on the ability to achieve high control performance in a large distributed group of vehicles. There are a number of open research problems in this research area connecting control and communications.

  • Bipedal Walking Dynamics and Control
    Motivated by problems in RoboCup soccer, we wish to research, implement and test algorithms for highly agile, flexible, yet robust motion systems for bipedal walking. This includes examination of appropriate control system architectures, modelling and design of ‘low-level’ reaction feedback mechanisms, gait design, and transitions between different modes of operation.

  • Systems Biology – Networks and Dynamics
    Systems Biology is a broad field of study with a range of application areas. Within this field, studies of the dynamics of networks of bio-molecular reactions is of interest. These studies aim to give a deeper mathematical foundation to enhance our understanding of biological processes such as cell signalling networks; metabolic systems etc.

The Hamilton Institute is committed to research excellence. These posts offer an exciting opportunity for successful candidates to tackle fundamental research problems within a stimulating multi-disciplinary research environment with state of the art facilities and stronglinks to the international research community.
PhD Stipend: €21000 (tax free)

To apply, candidates should submit a detailed CV, motivation letter, and the names and addresses of three referees for letters of recommendation to: hamilton@nuim.ie. Informal enquiries to Prof. Doug Leith (doug.leith@nuim.ie) or Prof. Robert Shorten (robert.shorten@nuim.ie)

Hamilton Institute wins €3.1M PRTLI funding

Thursday, August 9th, 2007

Following the recent call for proposals under PRTLI cycle 4, it was announced on friday that the Hamilton Institute has been successful in all three bids in which it was involved with total grant funding of €3.1M awarded to the Hamilton Institute. The three projects are:

  • Network Mathematics (led by HI in partnership with CTVR(TCD), Berlin Maths School, Technion, Yale Center for Systems Science)
  • Serving Society: Management of Future Communications Networks and Services (partnership of WIT, NUIM, UL led by WIT)
  • National Biophotonics & Imaging Platform (national collaboration led by RCSI)

These projects will address infrastructure needs and strategic development at the Hamilton Institute, including the creation of a new graduate school in applied mathematics.

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Modelling & analysis of metabolic & cell signalling systems Now Closed.

Tuesday, August 7th, 2007

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the Systems Biology Group of the Hamilton Institute at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. The vacancy is in the area of modelling and analysis of metabolic and cell signalling systems, with particular emphasis on developing mathematical models of the brain energy metabolism.
A key theme of the Systems Biology activity at the Hamilton Institute is ‘A Systems Understanding of Neurodegeneration’, and gaining insights into the mechanisms of brain energy metabolism is essential to advancing our knowledge in this area. The advertised position fits naturally into this programme through its focus on the development of mathematical models of metabolic trafficking between neurons and astrocytes, based on real-time in-vivo concentration measurements. Working in close collaboration with experimentalists in Maynooth and Oxford, the overall aim of the project is to develop quantitative models that can help test biological hypotheses concerning the mechanisms by which the brain acquires and uses energy.

The candidate should hold a PhD in Engineering/Applied Mathematics or a related field, and have a sound scientific record in the area of mathematical modelling. Some degree of familiarity with modelling biological or medical processes would be an advantage. Good communication, interpersonal and presentation skills are required. In addition, the candidate should be a team player who is capable of working with a minimum of supervision.

A contract of up to 2 years duration will be offered to the successful candidate with salary in the band 40,000 to 48,000 Euros per annum.

The Hamilton Institute is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and a stimulating research environment.

For further information on the Hamilton Institute, please also refer to the following website: http://www.hamilton.ie. Further information can be obtained from Peter Wellstead (peter.wellstead@nuim.ie).

To apply for this post, candidates should submit a detailed CV, including a list of publications, motivation letter, a summary of recent projects, scientific interests and expertise, as well as the names and addresses of two referees for letters of recommendation to: hamilton@nuim.ie. The closing date for applications is 28th August 2007.