Ergebnis für URL: http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/PHDPCP.html [1]Principia Cybernetica Web
Doing PhD or PostDoc Research with Principia Cybernetica
it is possible to do PhD or PostDoc research on Principia Cybernetica themes at
one of the PCP centers, in Brussels or in Los Alamos
____________________________________________________________________________
We regularly get inquiries from people who would like to do PhD or PostDoc
research on one of the themes of the [2]Principia Cybernetica Project, with the
people involved in the project, on a variety of PCP related topics. Such
inquiries are of course welcome, but the following practical considerations
apply. There are two main centers for Principia Cybernetica research, the
European office, led by Francis Heylighen, which is part of the [3]Evolution,
Complexity and Cognition group (ECCO) at the [4]Free University of Brussels
(VUB), and the American office, led by [externallink.GIF] [5]Cliff Joslyn, at
[externallink.GIF] [6]Los Alamos National Laboratory
Brussels
In
[7]Brussels, the situation for studying is relatively flexible, since the VUB is
a full university, [externallink.GIF] [8]educating students from countries all
around the world. The [9]Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group (ECCO) is an
interdisciplinary research department, working on evolutionary cybernetics, with
special focus on the emergence of social and cognitive organization. We research
theoretical and philosophical questions, but do also applied and empirical
research, e.g. in multi-agent simulations and the emergence of distributed
cognition in groups. For more detailed info, check the " [externallink.GIF]
[10]doing PhD or PostDoc Research in ECCO" page.
Formal Requirements
To get a [externallink.GIF] [11]PhD (Doctorate) at the VUB, you need to fulfill
the following basic requirements:
* have a university degree that is considered equivalent to the Belgian degree
of "licentiate" (cf. [externallink.GIF] [12]the structure of higher education
in Flanders). This will usually mean a Bachelor's, although sometimes a
Master's might be required. If your degree is considered insufficient, it is
possible to get a Master's here. There are some [externallink.GIF]
[13]Master's programs at the VUB in English, e.g. a [externallink.GIF]
[14]MSc in computer science that may include courses on adaptive systems, AI
and other topics related to cybernetics.
* find a professor who is willing to be the "promoter" (supervisor) of your
thesis work. For a PhD at ECCO this could be the ECCO chair and PCP editor
[15]Francis Heylighen, who officially is affiliated with the philosophy
department. For people without a philosophy background, it may be necessary
to find a second, "co-promoter" in the department of their specialization,
although that is usually a formality. For a promoter to decide whether he
would be willing to supervise your work, he should at least receive a clear
statement of your interests, your curriculum vitae, and, if possible, some
samples of work (papers) that you have done before. These are preferably
discussed by email. If these seem acceptable, a meeting can be arranged in
Brussels for in-depth discussion.
* once a promoter is found, submit a number of [externallink.GIF] [16]documents
and forms depending on the specific faculty (speciality) in order to be
formally registered, and pay a (small) yearly registration fee (about 25 Euro
or 30 $), at least in the year when you plan to defend your thesis, or during
the whole period of your study work if you want to profit from having a
"student" status. However, formal registration as a student is not strictly
required in the first years of the research, although it would be necessary
to get a student visa for non-EU residents desiring to live in Brussels.
* when the PhD work is finished, submit and defend the thesis for a committee
of VUB professors and invited experts from other institutions. If the
committee accepts the thesis, you get your degree. However, poor PhD work
will probably never make it to the stage where it is defended before a
committee.
There are no other official requirements, except that you are supposed to write
short yearly reports on the work your have done, so as to allow the faculty to
give feedback on your progress. PhD students do not have to do coursework or take
examinations, but are encouraged to participate in the [externallink.GIF] [17]PhD
support program that organizes research seminars, practical training in writing,
doing presentations, applying for funding, etc. You are further encouraged to go
to conferences (for which some funding is normally available), give lectures and
publish papers, thus exchanging ideas with other researchers, locally and
globally. In the end, whether you succeed or not will depend wholly on the
dissertation itself, but any paper written or seminar given will be a significant
step forward towards this end.
Making a PhD usually takes between 3 and 6 years. The official language at the
VUB is Dutch, but practically everybody is fluent in English and French, and the
work can be done wholly in English. It is in principle possible to work part of
the time outside of Belgium, as long as there is sufficient contact with the
promoter to allow supervision of the on-going work. This will depend on the
promoter and the topic.
Financial and other support
[externallink.GIF] [18]Grants or scholarships (basically wages for research
assistants) for financial support during the research in Brussels may or may not
be available, depending on the funding the Center receives for its different
research projects, but this may imply that you have to adapt the topic of your
research to the theme of the project, or that you may have to work part-time as a
teaching assistant. A PhD scholarship typically pays 1500 euro (about $1800) net
per month. It is generally more difficult to find money for PostDoc research on
such projects, though. Bright students (basically, with excellent marks, and, in
the case of PostDocs, a number of peer-reviewed publications) from countries of
the European Union can personally apply to the Belgian [externallink.GIF]
[19]Fund for Scientific Research for a 4 year scholarschip (to make a PhD) or 3
year, renewable PostDoc, without constraint on the topic. Students from Eastern
Europe may be able to get grants from the European Union.
Compared to other European capitals, costs for living in [20]Brussels are
relatively low, both for renting apartments and for food. The university provides
extensive [externallink.GIF] [21]medical, social and other services for
registered students and researchers, for little or no fee. If you are accepted as
a research student, the Center will provide you with the necessary office space,
(computer) infrastructure and administrative support.
Selection Criteria
After it was announced on this webpage, our program offering interdisciplinary
PhDs has to some degree become the victim of its own success, attracting more
candidates than we can comfortably handle. Our research center is not yet large
enough to provide a lot of supervision. This means that we have to be very
selective in accepting further PhD candidates, giving preference to the people
that best satisfy the following general criteria:
* show unusual intellectual capabilities
* are very open-minded, willing to explore ideas and approaches very different
from their original background
* wish to focus on a research subject that fits in with on-going [22]research
at ECCO
* are able to work largely autonomously, with little direct supervision
* have enough maturity, self-discipline and emotional stability to successfully
carry through the long and uncertain process of preparing a PhD
* can find their own financial support (possibly with our assistance)
* are willing to collaborate with and give/receive mutual support to/from
[23]other PhD students at our center
These criteria are fuzzy and to some degree subjective. It is unlikely that any
one candidate would perfectly fit all requirements. However, a high score on some
criteria (e.g. exceptional intellectual capacities) may to some degree compensate
for failing to fulfil another criterion (e.g. lack of independent financial
support). Also, the situation is somewhat different for candidates who would work
mostly at a distance, compared to those who would stay in residence at the center
(e.g. in the former case financial support is less important, but autonomy and
maturity more).
Therefore, these criteria should not be seen as strict admission requirements,
but rather as guidelines that will help candidates estimate how well they fit the
profile. Some will probably recognize themselves rather well in this profile,
while others may think: "that's not really me". In the end, the judgment will of
course be made by us, on the basis of the impressions we get from the curriculum
vitae, texts, and research proposal you submit, and, if these seem acceptable,
from personal meetings at the center.
Los Alamos
The [24]Los Alamos National Laboratory is an applied science laboratory operated
by the University of California for the Department of Energy of the US
Government. While the primary laboratory missions include nuclear weapons and
safety, a wide variety of research is carried out in many different groups, both
pure and applied.
Los Alamos staff who are involved with PCP are concentrated in the [25]Computer
Research and Applications Group (CIC-3) of the [26]Computer, Information, and
Communications Division, and in particular within the [externallink.GIF]
[27]Distributed Knowledge Systems and Modelling team within that group. There
they carry out research which is both generally and specifically related to PCP
activities and interests.
While Los Alamos is not a degree-granting university, it has extensive programs
for students at all levels, including undergraduate and [externallink.GIF]
[28]graduate, and [externallink.GIF] [29]postdoctoral researchers. These
positions become available when funding for particular projects permits, and are
unusual in that they are effectively full-time work positions in an active
research environment, and pay very well. For the student positions, it is assumed
that the student is enrolled in good standing at some university. Commonly, the
student is in residence for a summer or a year away from his or her university,
although there are also part-time students from local universities. The student's
academic work (e.g. coursework, thesis writing) is then supported within the
context of these project efforts, and at the discretion of the supervising staff.
In practice, students and staff actively collaborate with faculty at the
student's university, and there is usually ample opportunity for students to
engage in a full life of research and publication in the context of their
required project work.
See also:
* somple sample research projects submitted to fund PhD studies at CLEA:
+ [30]distributed construction of shared concepts
+ [31]evolutionary transitions
+ [externallink.GIF] [32]quantum formalisms applied to cognitive
architecture
* [33]Study Programs in Cybernetics, Systems and Complexity in other
institutions
____________________________________________________________________________
[34]CopyrightŠ 2004 Principia Cybernetica - [35]Referencing this page
Author
F. [36]Heylighen, & C. [37]Joslyn,
Date
Jul 28, 2004 (modified)
Mar 8, 1999 (created)
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[USEMAP]
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Errormessages are in German, sorry ;-)