PhD position in Rigorous numerical methods for equivariant bifurcations

PhD position in Rigorous numerical methods for equivariant bifurcations at VU University Amsterdam

The department of Mathematics of VU University Amsterdam welcomes applications for the position of a PhD student to develop Rigorous numerical methods for equivariant bifurcations.

Equivariant bifurcations in ordinary and partial differential equations govern the emergence of patterns in fluids, of waves in neuron networks, and of oscillations in mechanical systems. We are looking for a PhD student to develop and implement numerical methods by which one can rigorously prove that an equivariant bifurcation exists, and compute its characteristics.

The PhD student will work under the supervision of Jan Bouwe van den Berg and Bob Rink in the Dynamical Systems group of the Mathematics Department (www.math.vu.nl) of VU University Amsterdam. The group has many national and international connections, and is internationally leading in the field of nonlinear dynamics and differential equations. We are fascinated both by concrete applications and by fundamental mathematics.

Candidates with a (prospective) MSc degree in Mathematics (or an equivalent thereof) with an interest in Dynamical Systems and excellent results, are encouraged to apply. The project preferably starts in the Fall of 2016. Please include a CV, a list of courses and grades at the MSc level, a (draft) MSc thesis if available, and the names and e-mail addresses of one or two references. You can send your application on or before 13 May 2016 to Marielle van der Aa (m.m.a.vander.aa@vu.nl).

The successful applicant will be offered an appointment for 4 years, of which the first year is a trial period. Such PhD trajectories in the Netherlands are paid positions: the gross salary for PhD students is currently 2174, 2532, 2651, 2779 euro per month in year 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, from which tax and insurance costs will be deducted. In addition, PhD students receive annual holiday pay and an end-of-year bonus (each roughly equal to one month of salary). Besides doing research towards writing a PhD thesis, students spend about 15% of their time on teaching, which typically consists of supervising exercise classes and correcting homework.