Fully funded PhD research studentships in Computer Science (two studentships), University of Nottingham

Reference : SCI1181
Closing Date : 23 August 2012

Applications are invited from suitably qualified graduates for two fully sponsored PhD studentships based within the School of Computer Science and the Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute at The University of Nottingham.

Over the last decade, the creative industries have been revolutionised by the Internet and the digital economy. However, for some creators and rightsholders the transition from analogue to digital has been as problematic as it has been promising.

Horizon is a partner in the AHRC-funded Centre for Creativity, Regulation, Enterprise and Technology (“CREATe”). CREATe will tackle this regulatory and business crisis, helping the UK creative industry and arts sectors survive, grow and become global innovation pioneers, with an ambitious programme of research delivered by an interdisciplinary team (law, business, economics, technology, psychology and cultural analysis) across 7 universities. CREATe aims to act as an honest broker, using open and transparent methods throughout to provide robust evidence for policymakers and legislators which can benefit all stakeholders. Within CREATe, Horizon is engaged in exploring technical issues around privacy in, ownership of and access to digital material.
The University of Nottingham is engaged in work programmes within CREATe and applications are now sought for two fully funded PhD studentships to work within this broad scope. Ideal candidates will have at least an upper second degree in Computer Science including knowledge of systems, networking and distributed systems. This opportunity will provide the successful candidates with a first-rate, challenging research training experience, in a vibrant and established computer science school and research institute. The students will be supervised by Prof Derek McAuley and Dr Richard Mortier.
Example questions that might be addressed within the PhD studies include:

• How can we create open, federated platforms that avoid "walled gardens" but still support a range of business models, for applications such as social networks?
• How can existing business models based around technologies such as search be efficiently supported while respecting copyright and other intellectual property rights?

Due to the nature of funding the studentship is available to UK citizens (home fees status). The PhD scholarship is offered for the duration of three years, starting in October 2012, and will cover full University fees plus a stipend of £13,590 per year.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Richard Mortier of the School of Computer Science and the Horizon Institute, email: richard.mortier@nottingham.ac.uk. Please note that applications to this email address will not be accepted.

To apply, please access https://my.nottingham.ac.uk/pgapps/welcome. Applicants should include a personal statement detailing how their education, previous experience and research interests would help them to address the challenges of the CREATe project (described above).