PhD Studentship, School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham (Theoretical Analysis of Evolutionary Processes)

Applications are invited for PhD studentships funded by the School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham. Studentships are available from October 2011 for a period of three and a half years and include payment of fees at the UK/EU rate and a postgraduate stipend of £13,590 in year one with increments in line with Research Council Rates.

Evolutionary algorithms and other randomised search heuristics have been successfully applied to various industrial optimisation domains. However, the theoretical understanding of these methods has been limited. Recently, there has been significant progress in analysing the runtime (also called optimisation time) of randomised search heuristics using rigorous techniques from probability theory,randomised algorithms, and computational complexity. Results about the runtime give insights into how the behaviour of a randomised search heuristic depends on its parameter-settings and on the characteristics of the underlying optimisation problem.

The successful candidate will contribute to this exciting research area, which lies at the interface between theoretical computer science and computational intelligence. The aim is to develop theory that aids in predicting and controlling the behaviour of general evolutionary processes.

The topic is mathematically challenging and requires an excellent degree in computer science or mathematics. In particular, the candidate should have a strong background in probability theory,discrete mathematics, and/or theoretical computer science.

The work will be carried out in collaboration with leading international researchers in the area. The studentship is locally associated with the Automated Scheduling, Optimisation and Planning(ASAP) research group, one of the five main Research Groups within the School of Computer Science at Nottingham.

For further information, please contact, Per Kristian Lehre,

email: PerKristian.Lehre@nottingham.ac.uk

http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~pkl

To apply, please access:

https://my.nottingham.ac.uk/pgapps/welcome/.

This studentship will remain open until filled.