Description:

Established in 2009 by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD programs in Hong Kong’s institutions.

Eligibility

Those who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in UGC-funded institutions of Hong Kong, irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

The Fellowship

The Fellowship provides a monthly stipend of HK$20,0001 and a conference travel allowance of HK$10,0001 per year for the awardees for a maximum period of three years. 135 PhD Fellowships will be awarded for the 2010/11 academic year2.

1US$1 = HK$7.8 (rate for reference only)

2Academic year in Hong Kong normally starts in September.

Review Panels

Applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by two Selection Panels with experts in the broad areas, one for science, medicine, engineering and technology and another one for humanities, social science and business studies.

Selection Criteria

While the academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Review Panels will take into account, but is not limited to, the four yardsticks below for the selection of candidates:

1. Academic excellence;
2. Research ability and potential;
3. Communication, and interpersonal skills; and
4. Leadership abilities.

Application Process

The Scheme will call for application in early September 2009.

Each applicant may choose up to two programs in one or two institutions for PhD study when applying for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship. Application should be made through the Online Application System (OAS) which will be available in early September 2009. The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship application is also regarded as a formal application for admission to the PhD program(s) offered by the institution(s) concerned. Applicants are therefore required to fully comply with the admission requirements of their selected institutions and programs except the application deadline, which should strictly follow the stipulated deadline for the Fellowship scheme. Admission requirements of individual institutions are as follows:

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

(http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ro/hkphd-fellowship/)

In parallel to the Fellowship application, each application will be processed by the relevant institution(s) as a normal application for PhD admission. Individual institutions may conduct interview with applicants where necessary. Institutions may also admit candidates not selected for the Fellowship Scheme and offer them with postgraduate studentship of the institutions if they are considered to be qualified.

Postgraduate Studies in Hong Kong

For more information on postgraduate studies in Hong Kong, please visit the Joint Institutions homepage at http://www.grad.edu.hk/grad/.

Enquiries

For enquiries about the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, please address your questions to HKPF@ugc.edu.hk.

For enquiries about the PhD programmes and admission requirements, please contact the respective institutions directly. The contacts of each institution are as follows:

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Research Office,
Room M501, Li Ka Shing Tower,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Telephone number: (852) 3400 3635
Fax number: (852) 2355 7651
Email: roro@polyu.edu.hk

Summary:

A PhD fellowship (2 years, renewable for another 2 years) is available on a research project that seeks to improve our understanding of the transport of dissolved organic matter from agricultural land to surface water at the scale of small catchments.

All natural waters contain organic matter in the form of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) The dissolved organic matter (DOM) affects a suite of processes in surface water and soils because it provides energy and nutrients for the biota and it affects the bioavailability of trace metals and organic pollutants. In addition, DOM plays a role as electron donor in denitrification in riparian zones, and leads to the formation of unwanted disinfection byproducts
in drinking water production.

DOM can be transported to surface water by surface flow, subsurface flow, and baseflow, The fate of DOM differs along these flow paths, and the hydrology of a catchment thus affects the concentration and composition of the DOM that reaches the surface waters. To assess the relative importance of flow paths for transport for DOM from soil to surface water, DOM transport processes will be monitored in two areas with very distinct soilscapes: one set of measurements will be conducted in a 117-ha agricultural catchment in the erosion-prone siltloam belt in central Belgium. Another set of observations will be made in a small (10-50 ha) headwater catchment (Rollesbroich catchment, mainly grassland) in the Eifel region near Aachen, Germany. Research at the second field site will be carried out in close collaboration with the Agrosphere Institute at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany.
To model DOM fluxes and pathways from the soil to surface water, the candidate will build on modelling approaches that describe surface run-off and 3-D water flow in the saturated and unsaturated zone of small catchments.

Financing: available

Type of position: PhD scholarship

Source of Funding: FWO project

Duration: 4 years

Eligibility

• 
  Candidates should have master degree (or equivalent) that is relevant for the research topic.
• Candidates should be interested in process research, field experimentation and numerical modeling. Strong motivation, good analytical skills, and the ability to function well in a team are essential.
• Candidates should be fluent in English, both written and spoken.
  Review of applications will begin July 15, 2009 and continue until the position is filled.

This is a PhD position at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in a collaborative research project between the Division Soil and Water Management (Prof. Jan Diels, Prof. Jan Vanderborght) and the Division Physical and Regional Geography (Prof.
Gerard Govers).

Start Date: 1 September, 2009

How to apply:
Please send your CV and a short motivation by Email to the 3 promoters of the project
(Diels/Vanderborght/Govers).
Prof. Dr. Gerard Govers, Gerard.Govers-at-ees.kuleuven.be, +32 16 326423

Application Deadline:

July 15, 2009
Source  http://ees.kuleuven.be

The Fellowship Fund Branch of AFUWQ Inc (FFI) awards two types of fellowship. These are:

• The Freda Bage Fellowship (three years), and
• The Commemorative Fellowships (one year).

The details of each are explained below. The Fellowships are named after women who have made outstanding contributions as scholars and leaders in tertiary institutions in Queensland.
Applicants may apply for both types of Fellowship in the one year (see the Application Form).

The Freda Bage Fellowship

• only available for PhD studies;
• studies must commence by September of the year following receipt of the award;
• maximum period of the Fellowship is three years;
• the annual stipend is paid in two parts, usually in January and July;
• the first payment is made following finalisation of Fellowship documentation and FFI’s satisfaction that the program of study has been accepted by the nominated institution;
• subsequent stipend payments are subject to satisfactory progress of the research work, as indicated by receipt of progress reports from the Fellowship recipient signed by the supervisor of the research work at the end of years one and two;
• a final typewritten report is required at completion of the Fellowship, and should include information about any publications arising from the funded study.

The Commemorative Fellowships

Molly Budtz-Olsen, Dorothy Davidson, Freda Freeman, Audrey Harrisson, Audrey Jorss, Mary McSweeney, Margaret Mittelheuser, Betty Patterson, Rosemary Venton, Barbara Williams and University of Queensland.

• may be used for formal postgraduate study consistent with the aims of FFI;
• maximum period of the Fellowship is one year commencing by September 2009;
• successful applicants may reapply for a Fellowship in subsequent years;
• the stipend is paid in two parts, usually in January and July
  • one half following finalisation of Fellowship documentation and FFI’s satisfaction that the program of study has been accepted by the nominated institution, and
  • subject to the conditions below, one half after six months of tenure;
• second stipend payment is subject to satisfactory progress as indicated by a progress report from the Fellowship recipient after six months of tenure;
• a final typewritten report is required at completion of the Fellowship, and should include information about any publications arising from the funded study.

Eligibility

Fellowships are open to women scholars who:

• are graduates of a recognized tertiary institution from any country and are intending to take up or continue postgraduate studies at a recognized tertiary institution in Queensland, Australia, or
• have graduated at a recognized tertiary institution in Queensland, and are intending to take up or continue postgraduate studies at a recognized tertiary institution elsewhere.

Value

The annual value of the Fellowships is linked to the value of Australian Postgraduate Awards (APAs) plus 10%. As an indication, an APA in 2008 was worth $22,020 per year.

Number of Fellowships

FFI may vary the number of Fellowships awarded from year to year for any reason. As a guide only, the annual number of awards made in recent years has been in the order of 5 – 6 Fellowships. FFI reserves the right not to award Fellowships in any year.

Selection Criteria

FFI awards its Fellowships using a holistic review and selection process. Applications from all academic disciplines are welcome. FFI’s decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into in respect of any aspect of the applications and awards process. Applicants who miss out in any given year are welcome to reapply in subsequent years; however, as a matter of policy, FFI does not offer opinions or advice on the quality or future prospects of unsuccessful applications.

The Process

1. You submit your application so that FFI receives it by the closing date.
2. All received applications are acknowledged in writing.
3. Applicants who pass the stage 1 competitive review process are asked to participate in an interview. This is either face to face at The University of Queensland, or by telephone for regional and overseas applicants. Interviews take approximately 20 minutes. Interviews typically take place in September / October. Interviews provide an opportunity for applicants to concisely articulate the key aspects and benefits of their research proposals.
4. FFI endeavours to make offers to Fellowships no later than November.
5. FFI’s policy is to advise unsuccessful candidates at the earliest practical time.

To help us, and to help your application

1. Be on time: Make sure we receive your application by the due date.
2. Be complete: Check you have supplied ‘Application’ Items 1 – 6 as per the website. Remember: An incomplete application may jeopardize your prospects.
3. Use the right forms: Use the application form and the referee forms on the website.
4. Post your application: We do not accept emailed or facsimiled applications.
5. Give your referees time: Don’t leave your referee reports to the last minute.
6. ‘Long term’ contact: We need to stay in contact with you. If you are likely to change address, institution, or country during your application, then on your Application Form provide us with personal email and postal details where we will find you even if you are moving around.
7. We will contact you: Please be patient during the review process. While you will be keen to know the status of your application, your ringing or emailing won’t speed up the process. It is best to wait until we contact you.
8. Change in circumstances: If for any reason your circumstances change (for example, you change your course of study, receive another scholarship, or enter full-time employment) you must contact the Registrar in writing immediately in order that your eligibility for a fellowship may be re-assessed. Note: Receipt of another scholarship or full-time employment disqualifies one from receiving an FFI fellowship.

Further Scholarship Information and Application