Nevertheless, our experience regarding the use of the E model in end-point voice quality assessing probes has demonstrated some substantial drawbacks of the model. According to several published tests, the model judges too severely the degradations due to packet loss, jitter and delay, and therefore underpredicts quality. On the other hand, the information about packet loss, jitter and delay is often the only available in an end-point. Therefore, in the first place it is important to construct a new model which will evaluate better the influence of these three factors on quality. However, if time allows we do not exclude the possibility of including other parameters, such as noise or echo.

The most important part of the study will concern the study of the influence of packet loss on voice quality for the purposes of real-time measurement. The impact of certain parameters such as delay or noise has already been studied by France Telecom and elsewhere. It is only required to integrate them into one unique quality evaluation model. We would also like, that the model took into account dynamic phenomena such as recency effect. At the end, the model should evaluate quality score in narrow band (300-3400 Hz) as well as wide band (50-7000 Hz) on a single, mixed, quality scale.

In order to construct the model the creation of new subjective databases will be necessary. Some work can be based on objective tests (PESQ), using the test chain which has been developed in our team.

A validation of the performance of the model (formally at the end of the development, but also probably on intermediate versions) is necessary. In particular, the use of the method described in ITU-T P.564 will be deeply appreciated.

Applicant profile (not all are required)

• C and Matlab programming
• Data analysis, statistical methods
• Mathematics
• Understanding of human perception and judgment, especially of psychophysics
• QoS, voice quality
• VoIP comprehension (in particular of voice flows: protocols, codecs, jitter buffer, aspects related to packet loss, jitter and delay)
• IP comprehension
• Experience in neural networks is considered as an optional plus

contact
Please send applications to:
Anna CZUCZMAN
France Telecom – Division R&D
TECH/SSTP – Lannion
anna.czuczman [a-t] orange-ftgroup.com
(+33) 2 96 05 22 90

• [France] Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Model Driven Engineering (MDE) at INRIA Renne
• [France] Postdoctoral Fellow in Laser Processing of Transparent Materials, Université Jean Monnet
• [UK-France] PhD Studentships in Animal Genetics
• [Netherlands] PhD Studentship in New Generation of Solar Cells at Radboud/Delft Univ. of Tech
• [Ireland] PhD Positions in Geoinformatics and Climate Change

Surgical intervention for abdominal aortic aneurysm is appropriate when the cumulative risk for rupture exceeds risk for repair. Currently, the recommendation for intervention is generally based on aortic diameter. However, large clinical trials have shown that this parameter is not always reliable. In an ongoing project at the Université de Bourgogne, associated with the University Hospital of Dijon, an evaluation of aortic wall stress (in the case of abdominal aortic aneurysm) is performed from morphological and functional parameters acquired via MRI. The use of cine-MR sequences without injection of contrast agent allows a deformable 3D representation of the aorta. Other sequences allow the evaluation of specific morphological or functional (such as blood velocity) parameters.

The stress distribution along the aorta may be calculated from these parameters, in order to predict the rupture risk. In the framework of this project, we are seeking to recruit a postdoctoral researcher for, firstly, the 3D-4D representation of the aorta, and secondly for the determination of stress zones on this representation.

Prospective applicants should have a good background in image processing, in medical imaging (in particular in MRI), as well as strong programming skills in C/C++, and hold a PhD.

Application
For more information or to apply, email your cover letter, CV and 2 references to yvon.voisin[ a-t ]u-bourgogne.fr

Deadline: 15 November 2007

• [France] Postdoctoral Fellow in Laser Processing of Transparent Materials, Université Jean Monnet
• [Belgium] PhD Position in Proteomics at Metastases Research Laboratory, Universite de Liege
• [UK] PhD Studentship in Medical Imaging at Swansea University
• [USA] Postdoctoral Position in Computer-Aided Diagnosis, University of Chicago
• [Germany] PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience – RWTH Aachen University

Research project: Control of refractive-index changes induced in dielectric materials by spatio-temporally modulated ultrafast laser excitation

The “Ultrafast laser processing” group at the Laboratoire Hubert Curien, CNRS UMR 5516, Saint Etienne, France is currently seeking a postdoctoral fellow for its research activities. Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in ultrafast laser-material processing that may open in November 2007. The position is limited to one year.

Environment: Hubert Curien Laboratory is a mixed research unit, jointly run by the “Center National de la Recherche Scientifique – CNRS” and the Jean Monnet University. The Ultrafast laser platform located at the Hubert Curien Laboratory hosts state-of-the-art equipment for laser processing and microfabrication.

Project: The successful candidate will work in the frame of a project concerning ultrafast laser functionalization of materials for optical applications. The objective is to design user-defined structural modifications in band-gap materials with predictable optical properties by taking advantage of adaptive irradiation systems and intelligent control loops. Within this context, adaptive optics permits spatio-temporal design of laser pulses and facilitates control on structural transitions in materials by regulating the energy feed-through. The position concerns the process of ultrashort pulse laser structuring of transparent materials relevant for applications in optics and photonics.

Job description: The requested position includes as tasks the development of real-time imaging and microscopy methods to observe the progress of laser-induced structural transitions in transparent materials. Furthermore, the candidate will implement concepts of optimization of laser-induced phenomena using spatio-temporal laser pulse tailoring as a variable degree of freedom and microscopy as detection method, with the goal to determine control pathways for structural material transformations relevant to optical applications. The forecasted research activity involves interaction with several ongoing graduate student projects.

We are looking for candidates with the following profile. Candidates should have a PhD degree in physics or engineering, and show interest for interdisciplinary work in the field of laser-material processing. The application should be supported by sound academic records. Expertise is required in the following areas: ultrafast laser-material processing, condensed matter, ultrafast optics, nonlinear optics, laser-induced ultrafast phenomena. Programming skills and a good command of English are also required.

Duration: 12 months,

Application Deadline: 20/09/2007

Contact (with customary documents):
Dr. Razvan Stoian
—————————————-
Université Jean MONNET
Laboratoire Hubert Curien CNRS UMR 5516
Bat F, 18 rue Benoit Lauras,
42000 SAINT ETIENNE (FRANCE)
Tél:+33 (0)4 77 91 58 02
Fax.: +33 (0)4 77 91 57 81
Email: razvan.stoian [at] univ-st-etienne.fr
Internet: http://laboratoirehubertcurien.fr/

• [Canada] Postdoctoral Fellow in Developmental Child Psychology, Université Laval
• [France] Postdoc Position in Medical Imaging Post-Processing, Université de Bourgogne
• [USA] Postdoctoral Position in Physical Chemistry, State University of New York
• [Germany] Postdoctoral Research Position on Airborne Measurements of Atmospheric Nitric Dioxide at Max Planck Institute
• [Belgium] PhD Position in Proteomics at Metastases Research Laboratory, Universite de Liege

Applicants should have (or hope to have soon) a PhD in applied mathematics or scientific computing and have experience with study and solution of partial differential equations. A qualification in computational electromagnetics is desirable, a first experience in the
study of the coupled Vlasov/Maxwell equations will be an asset. A good programming experience (Fortran) is required, as is the ability to manipulate computer codes in a Linux/Unix environment.

For more details on the position and the application procedure please visit this page.

• [France] Postdoctoral Position in Computational Stochastic Mechanics, Nantes
• [Taiwan] Postdoctoral Position in Computational Nano Science and Plasma Physics at National Cheng Kung University
• [UK] Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Computational Chemistry, Oxford University
• [USA] Postdoctoral Position in Numerical/Applied Analysis at Brown University
• [France] Postdoctoral Position in Computational Sciences at Grenoble

Scientific supervisor and contact for the post-doc position :
A Doligez, agnes.doligez@supagro.inra.fr

Association genetics is expected to significantly enhance our knowledge of the genetic basis of complex traits of agronomical interest, particularly for perennial species such as grapevine, for which QTL results are still very few and progeny studies are heavy. Thanks to the recombinations already accumulated in genetic resources, it is possible to test for the association between the phenotypic variability of traits and the polymorphism of either candidate genes or markers spread all over the genome, depending on the extent and structure of LD (Thornsberry et al 2001, Werner et al 2005, Zhang et al 2005, Breseghello et Sorrells 2006). Detailed knowledge of LD is required before association genetic studies can be performed.

Data on LD in V. vinifera are still scarce. Our group obtained a first estimation of LD within a core-collection, for SSR markers at the scale of a few cM in 5 genome regions (Barnaud et al 2006). Preliminary association genetics studies are under way in our group on the same core-collection to test for candidate genes for berry composition in flavonoïds (Fournier-Level 2006, This et al 2007, L. Lecunff comm. pers.). These first results show that LD between SSRs extends over 15 cM, whereas it is not significant between SNPs of adjacent regions within genes. Moreover, we will build a SNPs/indels diversity map (SNPGrapMap project), by sequencing 2000 fragments of 1.5 kb distributed over the whole genome for 48 plants. Lastly, our group showed that V. vinifera diversity is structured in 7 ancestral populations of cultivated plants and 1 ancestral population of wild plants (subsp. silvestris) from France and Italie (Di Vecchi Staraz 2007). Differences in the amount of recombination are expected between these populations, and therefore also for LD extent : low LD extent in silvestris (Barnaud 2003), Atlantic population genetically close to silvestris, strong familial structure for Chasselas and Muscat populations.

The objective of the post-doc is to answer the following questions in order to optimize association genetics analyses in grapevine : is LD structured in blocks as in the human genome ? What marker type and density should be used for association tests ? Is it possible to find populations with contrasted LD extent ? For this goal, we propose to finely characterize LD between SSRs and SNPs in specific genomic regions, within 2 populations expected to differ for LD extent.

After choosing the 2 populations, defining samples of about 100 plants per population, and choosing 2 genomic regions of about 200 kb each including QTLs for traits of interest, about 50 SSRs and 50 SNPs will be selected among the polymorphic markers yielded by the SNPGrapMap project, to be densely distributed within each region. SSRs and SNPs will be genotyped in multiplex on a capillary automatic sequencer. Haplotypes will be reconstructed, and the structure of genotypic and haplotypic LD estimated by different statistical methods already used in our group (softwares Phase, Structure, Tassel, GDA, …).

Latest publications of the scientific supervisor :

1. Barnaud A, Lacombe T, Doligez A (2006) Linkage disequilibrium in cultivated grapevine, Vitis vinifera L. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 112:708-716
2. Doligez A, Adam-Blondon AF, Cipriani G, Di Gaspero G, Laucou V, Merdinoglu D, Meredith CP, Riaz S, Roux C, This P (2006) An integrated SSR map of grapevine based on five mapping populations. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 113:369-382
3. Doligez A, Audiot E, Baumes R, This P (2006) QTLs for muscat flavor and monoterpenic odorant content in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). Molecular Breeding 18:109-125
4. Fernandez L, Doligez A, Lopez G, Thomas MR, Bouquet A, Torregrosa L (2006) Somatic chimerism, genetic inheritance, and mapping of the fleshless berry (flb) mutation in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). Genome 49:721-728
5. Riaz S, Doligez A, Henry RJ, Walker MA (2007) Grape. In: Genome mapping and molecular breeding in plants, vol. 4 Fruits and Nuts (Kole C ed.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 63-101

Administrative details :
Please visit the website

• [France] Post Doctoral Scholarships in Agricultural Sciences
• [UK-France] PhD Studentships in Animal Genetics
• Erasmus Mundus Masters Course Scholarships in Sustainable Tropical Forestry (SUTROFOR)
• [France] Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Model Driven Engineering (MDE) at INRIA Renne
• [France] Postdoctoral Position in Computational Stochastic Mechanics, Nantes

INRA is organizing a campaign to recruit 41 post-doctoral fellows. These young researchers are selected, irrespective of nationality, on the basis of a coherent scientific and professional project to work as part of INRA’s research teams. The recipients are recruited on a two-year contract with a gross monthly salary of 2150€.

These post-doctoral positions are proposed in the following fields of research:

• Environment and rural space
• Food and human nutrition
• Agricultural products and process engineering
• Generic research
• Innovative and sustainable agricultural systems
• Strategy and organisation of public policies and acts

Deadline for submitting applications: 31st of July 2007For further information please visit INRA’s web site.

Further contact:

Ms. Fabienne Giroux
INRA – DRH
Service recrutement et mobilité
147, rue de l’Université
75338 PARIS cedex 07

Tel : 01-42-75-90-77
Fax : 01-42-75-94-86

E-mail : post-doctorant@paris.inra.fr
Web: www.international.inra.fr

• [France] Postdoctoral Position in Computational Stochastic Mechanics, Nantes
• Erasmus Mundus Masters Course Scholarships in Sustainable Tropical Forestry (SUTROFOR)
• [France] PhD scholarships in Banking and Finance – University of Limoges, Department of Economics
• [Germany] PhD Positions at the Department of Agricultural Economics
• [France] Master Program International Scholarships at ENS Lyon

Inria team: Mistis

Contact: Florence Forbes (florence.forbes at inrialpes.fr) and Michel Dojat (michel.dojat at ujf-grenoble.fr)

Scientific context:
This post-doctoral position is part of a two year national ARC project (SeLMIC) supported by INRIA. The SeLMIC project (http://r2-d2.ujf-grenoble.fr/selmic/doku.php) aims at developing new statistical methods for the segmentation of multidimensional MR sequences corresponding to different types of MRI modalities and longitudinal data. The applications include the detection of brain abnormalities and more specifically stroke and Multiple Sclerosis lesions. The partners involved are team VisAGeS from INRIA in Rennes, Team Mistis from INRIA Rhône-Alpes, team Functional and Metabolic Neuroimaging from INSERM U 836 and team Magma from LIG in Grenoble.

The proposed work aims at combining tools and expertise developed by the partners. This expertise is related to Markov modelling of MRI data and to robust processing of multidimensional MR sequences.

Subject:
Accurate tissue and structure segmentation of MRI brain scan is critical for several applications. Markov Random Fields (MRF) are commonly used for tissue segmentation to take into account spatial dependencies between voxels. However, such a task requires the estimation of the model parameters (eg. Potts model) which is not tractable without approximations. The algorithms in [Celeux et al03] based on EM and variational approximations are considered. They show interesting results for tissue segmentation but are not sufficient for structure segmentation without introducing a priori anatomical knowledge. In most approaches, structure segmentation is performed after tissue segmentation. We suggest considering them as combined processes that cooperate. In addition a priori knowledge is incorporated in the model by describing brain anatomy through fuzzy spatial relations between structures (distances, orientations or symmetries). Tissue and structure segmentations then appear as dynamical and cooperative MRF procedures whose performance increases gradually. This approach is implemented into a multi-agent framework, where autonomous entities, distributed into the image, estimate local Markov fields and cooperate to ensure consistency [Scherrer et al 06].

The current investigation deals only with one type (T1) of MR images with no temporal information.The aim of this work is to extend these tools to include multidimensional MR sequences corresponding to other types of MR modalities and longitudinal data. This will use the expertise of team VisAGeS from INRIA Rennes in the processing of longitudinal multi-sequences of clinical data [Ait-Ali et al 05]. Such extensions are particularly relevant in the study of some central nervous system disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and stroke.

Considering these two application domains, our aim is then twofold. As regards Multiple Sclerosis, the aim is to extend the work in [Ait-Ali et al 05] by embedding it into a Markovian framework possibly both in time and space. As regards stroke, the aim is to extend the Markovian framework to multidimensional MRI sequences containing lesions and to inject a priori knowledge about vascular territories.

Conditions for applicants:
An ideal candidate should have a PhD in applied mathematics with some previous experience in statistics, in particular hidden Markov models and clustering methods. Programming skills with C/C++ are desired. Knowledge in Neuroscience is welcomed. See also the official INRIA conditions at www.inria.fr/travailler/opportunites/postdoc/postdoc.en.html.

Link: see http://mistis.inrialpes.fr/offres.html for more details.

• [France] Postdoctoral Position in Computational Electromagnetics
• [France] Postdoc Position in Scientific Computing at INRIA Futurs
• [France] Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Model Driven Engineering (MDE) at INRIA Renne
• [France] Postdoctoral Position in Computational Sciences at Grenoble
• [France] Postdoc position Scientific Grid Computing at INRIA Sophia Antipoli