Several Science Foundation Ireland funded four year PhD studentships in advanced Classical and Quantum molecular simulation are available in the group of Professor Giovanni Ciccotti (GC) at the School of Physics, University College Dublin, Ireland to commence October 1 2009.

Each PhD student will work directly with a Post-doctoral researcher and international visitors expert in his/her chosen thesis topic as well as with Prof. Ciccotti. He or she will be expected to attend advanced specialised courses and research workshops in Ireland and Europe, and on occasion North America through the Atlantic Centre for Atomistic Modeling — ACAM (http://www.acam.ie) and the European Centre for Atomistic and Molecular Computations –CECAM (http://www.cecam.org) network of which ACAM is a node.

The research-thesis topics for each position are:
1 .Bio-Physics: Molecular Dynamics study of the allosteric transition in Hemoglobin, and Ligand Binding on Myoglobin;

2 ICT & Nano-Materials: Soft Matter & Rheology — Nano-imprinting;

3 Energy and the Environment: Mixed quantum-classical simulations of hydrogen in ethanol and methanol-fed fuel cells.

4 Chemistry: simulation of deprotonation of weak acids by rare event simulation techniques and ab-initio molecular dynamics

Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Your primary duty will be to work efficiently and full time on your chosen research topic, so as to complete your PhD thesis within four years. You may be requested to perform additional very light duties, such as helping a member of the group on a different research topic or piece of computer code, or organization of an international research meeting.

Selection Criteria
* Mandatory
Equivalent of a first class or upper second honours undergraduate degree or a Masters degree in theoretical physics/chemistry/biophysics/applied mathematics/engineering; a good knowledge of statistical mechanics or classical mechanics; a good knowledge of a scientific programming language such as C/C++/Fortran and the willingness to combine algorithm development and statistical mechanics in your research; a knowledge of spoken and written English adequate to work in an English Speaking Environment;

* Desirable
Working knowledge/experience of molecular simulation; Good knowledge of electronic structure/solid state physics.

APPLICATIONS
Interested candidates should send by email to Donal.MacKernan@ucd.ie a brief cover letter indicating their motivation to apply for one of these positions and their curriculum vitae”. The subject line of the email should include “PhD-positions “.
All positions will remain open until filled.
Important Information for non long-term residents  of the European Union:
While all successful applicants will receive a PhD stipend of around 19000 € per annum, (a) non long term residents of the European Union (EU) are required to pay 5000 € registration and tuition fees to University College Dublin from their own funds. We are trying to have this fee waived but cannot guarantee a solution.

Title of the Research project

Description of work

Qualification and experience

Title of the Research project

Description of work

Qualification and experience

Titles of the Research projects

Post Doc Positions

Qualification and experience