Postgraduate Studentship in the Numerical Linear Algebra of Approximation Involving Radial Basis Functions

Applications are invited for a postgraduate studentship, to work on "Numerical Linear Algebra of Approximation involving Radial Basis Functions" under the supervision of Dr Andy Wathen. This DPhil studentship will start on 1 October 2010, and will be based in the newly established Oxford Centre for Collaborative Applied Mathematics (OCCAM).

OCCAM has been established with substantial funding from the KAUST GRP. The Centre, which is part of the Mathematical Institute, is allied to a global network of mathematicians. Aiming to meet the ever-increasing global demand for quantitative understanding of complex scientific phenomena, OCCAM has been built on the strength of four pre-existing groups of applied and computational mathematicians working in Oxford: the Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, the Centre for Mathematical Biology, the Numerical Analysis Group and the Computational Biology Group. It has a symbiotic relationship with other scientific communities which have a need for problem-solving mathematics both within the University of Oxford and beyond.

Radial Basis Functions provide an elegant approximation scheme for multidimensional data and functions and as such provide a possible attractive way to seek numerical solutions of partial differential equations. The linear systems of equations which must be solved to reveal the desired approximation do not possess features which enable their easy solution in general by standard algorithms like Gaussian Elimination; such algorithms are applicable only when the system dimension is small enough. The goal of this project is to enable efficient solution of the relevant systems even for very large dimension by constructing preconditioned iterative solution algorithms.

The studentship is attached to St Anne's College

For information about OCCAM please visit our website: www.maths.ox.ac.uk/occam

This project is one of six on offer from OCCAM. The funding situation is complex, because the studentships associated with the six projects come from different sources.
Four studentships (3 funded by KAUST GRP, 1 by the University of Oxford) are open to applicants of any nationality, and cover full stipend, College and University fees at the international rate. The remaining two studentships are funded by EPSRC and are only available to UK/EU students.
We will allocate the studentships to the projects after the interviews take place, with the aim of providing full funding for all six students regardless of nationality if possible.

Applications can be made online at www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/apply/how_to_apply.html and should include a CV, covering letter, three references and a transcript of your undergraduate degree. Alternatively, applications (with references signed over seal) can be sent to Margaret Sloper at the Mathematical Institute using the University's application form for graduate study, which can be downloaded from the above link. Applications must arrive by end of day Thursday 4th February 2010. The reference for this application is BK/09/35; make sure that you state this in the covering letter. Applicants must arrange for their referees to send references directly to the Graduate Studies Assistant (fax or e-mail is sufficient) by the closing date. For further details about the projects, including the application process, please see www.maths.ox.ac.uk/notices/vacancies, or contact Graduate Studies, email graduate [dot] studies [-at-] maths [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk

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