Applications are invited for University funded PhD Research Studentships on or before 22 July 2005.Candidates should have a first or upper second class Honours degree (orequivalent) in a relevant discipline. The studentship covers tuitionfees and provides a stipend of £12,000 per annum for three years.Opportunities for part-time paid work providing a further £1,600 may beavailable. The following research areas are available:

Financial Modelling
FINANCIAL MARKETS: THE FORMATION AND EVALUATION OF JUDGEMENTAL DIRECTIONAL PROBABILITY EXCHANGE RATE PREDICTIONS(MAT RS1/05)

Dr Andrew Pollock: Director of Studies, a.c.pollock@gcal.ac.uk

Research will involve the development of techniques for formingjudgemental directional probability exchange rate predictions, the
evaluation of predictive performance and the identification of mechanisms that can provide appropriate feedback.

Astrodynamics

CHAOTIC AND PERIODIC BEHAVIOUR IN SYMMETRICAL FEW BODY GRAVITATIONAL DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS (MAT RS2/05)

Dr Bonnie Steves: Director of Studies, b.steves@gcal.ac.uk

Research will involve studying the stability and evolution ofsymmetrical few-body gravitational dynamical problems with applicationsto quadruple and sextuple stellar systems and planetary systems inbinary-star systems. Exploration will include the search for chaoticand periodic regions in the Caledonian Symmetrical Four, Six and n-BodyProblems.

Chaos/Non-linear Dynamics

DIRECTION REVERSING WAVES(MAT RS3/05)

Dr Faridon Amdjadi: Director of Studies, f.amdjadi@gcal.ac.uk

The aim of this investigation is to study travelling waves whichreverse their direction of propagation chaotically. Chaotic reversingwaves are the extension to periodic direction reversing waves, whichoccur in convection problems on a plane in the presence of a magneticfield. Chaotic reversing waves bifurcate from travelling waves andoccur in problems with symmetry. The normal form equations at amultiple Hopf bifurcation will be constructed for a detailed study ofthese waves.

Applied Analysis

ANALYSIS OF LOCALISED BOUNDARY-DOMAIN INTEGRAL AND INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS(MAT RS4/05)

Professor Sergey Mikhailov: Director of Studies,
s.mikhailov@gcal.ac.uk

This project will analyse the solvability, uniqueness and spectralproperties of some non-classical localised boundary-domain integral andintegro-differential operators in appropriate function spaces. Theoperators naturally appear in a new family of numerical methods beingdeveloped for the effective solution of boundary value problems forpartial differential equations with variable coefficients. The methodsare based on localised parametrices used instead of a fundamentalsolution to reduce the BVPs to localised boundary-domain integral orintegro-differential equations.

Computational Mathematics

COMPUTATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF LINEAR AND NONLINEAR LOCALISEDBOUNDARY-DOMAIN INTEGRAL AND INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS (MAT RS5/05)

Professor Sergey Mikhailov: Director of Studies,
s.mikhailov@gcal.ac.uk

This project will develop a new family of fast convergent and robustnumerical algorithms and computer codes for the solution of linear andnonlinear boundary value problems for partial differential equationswith variable coefficients, reduced to localised boundary-domainintegral or integro-differential equations. A mesh-based or mesh-lessdiscretisation should lead to a system of algebraic equations with asparse matrix, solvable by efficient iterative methods withoutpreconditioning, which will enable the approach to outperform finiteelement and other traditional numerical methods.

Solid Mechanics

ANALYSIS AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODS FOR VOLTERRA INTEGRAL EQUATIONS WITHAPPLICATION TO CREEP AND FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION MODELLING (MATRS6/05)

Professor Sergey Mikhailov: Director of Studies,
s.mikhailov@gcal.ac.uk

The project includes analysis of linear and nonlinear non-convolutionVolterra integral equations on finite and semi-finite intervals, andthe asymptotic solutions. Knowledge of these properties will lead tothe development of effective computer codes for the Volterra integralequations naturally appearing in an advanced functional approach tofatigue and creep crack nucleation, initiation and propagation.

Please send the completed application form, a CV and two references to Dr S Muir Scott by the CLOSING DATE: 22 July 2005

For further information and application forms contact:

Dr Suzanne Muir Scott
Research & Knowledge Transfer Administrator
School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences
Glasgow Caledonian University
Cowcaddens Road
Glasgow G4 OBA
Scotland
Tel: +44 (0)141 331 3622
Fax: +44 (0)141 331 3608
Email: sms2@gcal.ac.uk

or please see our School website
http://www.gcal.ac.uk/cms/research/Postgrad_Research/index.html
www.gcal.ac.uk

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Thanks to: M. Putrawidjaja