[python-uk] PhD projects and studentships in Python-driven Computational Science available at Southampton

[Fangohr H.]

Hi all, 

I hope you don't mind me sharing two opportunities for PhD projects
and studentships with you.

We are looking for Computer Scientists (with an interest in science
and computation), or Physicists, Engineers, ... (with an interest in
Python and computation), who like working with Python and want to take
part in a 4-year PhD programme to develop software tools for
computational science.


Project 1
=========

The first project is to develop (in Python) a tool that accepts
partial differential equations (for example specified in sympy), and a
mesh and some more parameters, and generates -- through different
backends -- code that can be compiled to execute on a CPU, or parallel
system (OpenMP/MPI) or a GPU. More details are available at
http://ngcm.soton.ac.uk/projects/Automatic-code-generation-for-computational-science.html


Project 2
=========

The second project is to develop a particular simulation code (for the
magnetism at the nanoscale) that executes on large parallel machines
(such as Iridis [http://cmg.soton.ac.uk/iridis] and ARCHER
[http://www.archer.ac.uk/about-archer/]) using MPI, based on a finite difference
discretisation of space. As scientists love Python, we would like this
code to have a Python interface for the user, and would like to write
as much of this as possible at the Python level. More details at
http://ngcm.soton.ac.uk/projects/High-Performance-Computing-Micromagnetics.html


Resulting tools codes will be made available on github, developed
with tests in an agile way, etc.


The training programme and research environment
===============================================

Both projects are to be carried out as part of the Centre for Doctoral
Training in Next Generation Computational Modelling
(http://ngcm.soton.ac.uk), which provides unique training in
Computational Science, and has chosen Python as one of the core tools
in its training and research activities. I believe some on this list
attended the Summer Academy in June 2015
(http://ngcm.soton.ac.uk/summer-academy/index.html) that was organised
by the same centre (we will have another summer academy in June 2016).

See also our list of facilities, studentship and support details on
offer at http://ngcm.soton.ac.uk/facilities.html


Project start date and application deadline
===========================================

Both projects are to start in the middle of September 2016, but
applications are invited now; earlier applications will increase
chances of success.


If you are interested or have informal queries, please get in touch
(fangohr at soton.ac.uk).


Best wishes,

Hans


PS The Training Centre has an open day in Southampton on 25 November
http://ngcm.soton.ac.uk/openday.html





Hans Fangohr
Head of Computational Modelling Group
University of Southampton

phone: 023 80598345
email: fangohr at soton.ac.uk
www:  http://www.soton.ac.uk/~fangohr
blog: http://www.soton.ac.uk/~fangohr/blog
Twitter: @ProfCompMod
http://ngcm.soton.ac.uk
http://cmg.soton.ac.uk