Ph.D Studentship Opportunities at University of Texas, Austin, USA

PhD Graduate students are sought to fill open positions in drug delivery, nanomedicine, and pharmaceutical sciences at University of Texas at Austin.

The PhD student will work within the Division of Pharmaceutics of the College of Pharmacy. In 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked the college among the elite programs of pharmaceutical education in the country. The college is situated in the heart of the Austin campus and has approximately 100 graduate students.

The available position(s) will focus on the development of novel methods for drug delivery to the airways. They will contribute to the understanding and development of one or more projects that are ongoing in our lab and include: controlled release drug delivery, inhaler device engineering, nanomedicine applications in infectious disease, inhalable vaccines and powder science.

Eligible candidates will work in a dynamic multidisciplinary environment and will obtain exceptional training to equip them with tools and experiences necessary to compete for jobs in either academia or the pharmaceutical industry. Applicants that have strong communication skills, laboratory experience, publications, or have obtained/expects to gain a Pharm.D. /Master degree, will be given preference. Interested applicants should submit a copy of their CV, a letter of intent, references, and other supporting documentation.

Please visit our website to find out more about our Graduate Student program:

Applications and inquires should be sent to Dr Hugh Smyth at hsmyth@mail.utexas.edu with preference given to applications received before December 16, 2009.

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African Virtual University Scholarship Programs

The following are the current AVU scholarship programs:

1. Somali Women Scholarships
2. Imperial Tobacco Scholarships

Click here for further information.

Africa Virtual University launched New Center

The African Virtual University, in partnership with the African Development Bank, has launched a center of online learning and distance education in Zambia, the first of 10 scheduled to open in universities throughout Africa in the next five months.

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The African Virtual University (AVU) is a Pan African Intergovernmental Organization whose aim is to significantly increase access to quality higher education and training through the innovative use of information communication technologies.

As an African organization, the AVU has a mandate to increase access for tertiary education and trainning using Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) methodologies.

The AVU headquarters is situated in Nairobi, Kenya and a regional office is based in Dakar, Senegal in West Africa.

Click here to access the official webpage of AVU.

HP and UNESCO's Joint Project to aid Brain Gain in Africa and the Middle East

Hewlett-Packard and UNESCO had announced the expansion of the ‘Brain Gain Initiative’ from five universities in the pilot phase to 15 additional higher education institutions throughout the Middle East and Africa.

The project enables these universities to collaborate with experts around the world in innovative education and research projects with the help of advanced grid and cloud computing technologies. The objective is to build capacity for sustainable development through advances in science and technology with a goal of reaching 100 universities by the end of 2011 with the help of additional partners.

The expansion of the project comes on the back of a successful pilot phase in Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe from 2006 to 2009.

UNESCO, together with HP, has worked with local Ministries of Education to select the 15 universities that will benefit from the expansion of the initiative in 2009.

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To read more about brain gain initiative, please click here and for forum discussion on this project, click here.

Win a $60,000 MBA Scholarship with Lally Innovation competition

The Lally School of Management and Technology, respected as one of the top MBA programs in the world, graduates technologically sophisticated business leaders who are prepared to guide their organizations in the integration of technology for new products, businesses, and systems. An MBA, an Executive MBA, a Master of Science and a Ph.D. program are offered. The Lally MBA program prepares business leaders with the skills and thinking that are essential for meeting the day-to-day, real-world challenges of running a business within the evolving dynamics of the global economy.

Step1: Idea Submission
Lally faculty will review the venture submissions and promote the most viable ideas to the semi-finals.

Step2: Public Voting
Public voting will begin on the semi-finalists. The polls will be open for two weeks. Get out there and solicit votes for your projects!

Step3: Winner Announcement
The finalists will be selected by a panel of regional entrepreneurs and Lally faculty. The public vote will provide a component of the final decision.

Step4: Scholarship Review
Your MBA application will be reviewed and your scholarship derived from the strength of your application, including work experience, GMAT scores, essays and interview.

Are you a dedicated problem solver?

Have a product idea?

Like a challenging environment?

Then, you are advised to be part of it!

Eligibility:
To qualify for the Lally Innovation Competition, contestants and the proposed innovation must meet the following criteria:
    * Participants must be eligible to be considered for the Lally MBA program as an applicant, e.g., must have a degree from a 4-year university or college in the world.
    * To be considered for the contest, participants must have submitted their application to the Lally School of Management and Technology’s full-time MBA Program.
    * Participants must be the principal owner of the idea or venture. Contestants may seek advice from mentors or outside experts, but the venture must be entirely led by the individual.
    * Participants may submit only one idea per competition round.
    * Whether it is a for-profit business or a non-profit organization, the venture must be financially viable.
    * The venture must be scalable and anticipate potential growth of the organization.
    * The venture, if already established, cannot be more than two years in existence.

Deadline: December 15, 2009

Click here for more information and here for forum discussion on this opportunity.