phd uni amsterdam

Application and Admission

Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research / AISSR

Application procedure

Check out the available PhD positions at the UvA vacancy portal.  

Private funding

If you submit your own research proposal you should be aware of the following:

• Which topic would you like to explore?
• Which programme group would you like to join?
• Which supervisor do you have in mind?
• What funding is obtained to cover the associated fees?
• How does your time plan roughly look like?

If a PhD project is financed by the University of Amsterdam or through a grant awarded to the University by a third party, the PhD degree is conferred by the University of Amsterdam.

Fees for scholarship and external PhD candidates

PhD candidates who are not employed by the University of Amsterdam  but receive a scholarship, pay a fee of €4.545 up to €15.000 annually (depending on the specific situation). This fee covers a variety of costs such as the selection procedure, supervision, PhD training (core courses, seminars) and a small research budget.

Self-funded external PhDs can ask for a tuition fee waiver, but still need to bring their own budget to cover costs of living (see explanation below).

Scholarship PhDs

If you have obtained a scholarship to pursue your PhD, please provide additional information about the conditions.

External PhDs

What funding is obtained to cover the monthly allowance for the duration of the PhD trajectory (in general 4 years, full-time)? When you will be residing in Amsterdam this minimum monthly allowance is rated at €1,717.

Scholarship and self-funded external PhDs will need a research budget of at least €9,000 for the whole PhD trajectory.

For the complete information regarding external PhD’s, please check out the PhD Admission Manual. 

Admission criteria

The minimum requirements  for all PhD candidates are:

• Master’s degree, or academic degree that is equivalent to Dutch final university examination

English language proficiency test

(one of listed)

• TOEFL Internet-based test (minimum total score 100, minimum score on each component: 22) Paper-based test (minimum total score 600, minimum score on each component: 57)
• IELTS (minimum total score: 7.0, minimum score on each component: 6.5)
• CAE and CPE (minimum score: C)

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PhD Programme / ILLC

PhD Programme

Dr. Raquel Garrido Alhama PhD in Computational Linguistics, 2012-2017

The ILLC PhD programme, organised by the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) at the University of Amsterdam, is a four-year programme designed to support and guide PhD candidates in their track to become highly qualified scientific researchers in the areas described by the institute's research mission. PhD candidates are given the opportunity to benefit from a rich scientific programme as well as a tailor-made transferable-skills programme.

Info for Current PhD's

ASH PhD programme

• Practical information
• PhD training
• Pilot study
• ASH dissertation award
• Social Safety

If you are interested in joining ASH either as an employed or self-funded candidate, please consult the website of the Faculty of Humanities by following the link above.

PhD candidates employed by the Faculty

Some PhD candidates are employed by the Faculty of Humanities for their PhD project. Sometimes the funding is made available by EU or NWO grants, sometimes the Faculty offers PhD positions. These are advertised on the  UvA vacancies list  and/or on the ASH website .

Externally or Self-funded PhD candidates

Self-funded PhD candidates bring their own funding either by having a job on the side, or a stipend, loan or grant from another source. These PhD candidates are entitled to a small research budget, library access, e-mail facilities, supervision, and they have access to the programmes offered by the research school to which they belong. We do not charge tuition, but the PhD candidate must ensure the support of two supervisors, at least one of them having the ius promovendi.

More information for PhD researchers

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Institute for Logic, Language and Computation ILLC

Institute for Logic, Language and Computation

• (New) Four PhD Positions in AI, Digital Humanities, and Cultural Heritage
• (New) PhD on Benchmarking Scientific Explanation in Psychological Practice
• 16 April 2024, Computational Linguistics Seminar, Anouck Braggaar
• (Updated) 17 April 2024, LLAMA seminar, Chase Ford
• 18 April 2024, Logic and Interactive Rationality (LIRa), Hans van Ditmarsch

Prof. Huub Dijstelbloem Professor of Philosophy of Science, Technology and Politics

Partnership, illc people in the media.

Theoretical Computer Science

In theoretical computer science, our research is characterised by a focus on fundamental questions regarding the design and analysis of algorithms. We investigate problems motivated by applications in physics, economics, and AI.

Language and Music Cognition

The Language and Music Cognition unit uses computational models and artificial intelligence to study questions of semantics and meaning, both linguistic and musical, and tests the behavioural implications of these models for speakers, signers, musicians, readers, and listeners.

Epistemology and Philosophy of Science

Researchers in this unit focus on the use of computational models and analytic methods coming from logic, probability theory and game theory to address a number of topics in formal epistemology and in the methodology and philosophy of science broadly conceived.

Formal Semantics and Philosophical Logic

The research focus of this unit is the study, through the application of formal tools, of information transfer and communication through meaningful language use, as well as of key philosophical problems. The unit brings together researchers who are a leading force within formal semantics and pragmatics and within philosophical logic.

Mathematical and Computational Logic

The unit focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of the nature of information and the processes of reasoning and computation. While being best known for our work in intuitionistic and modal logic, we cover most of the classical areas of mathematical logic such as set theory, computability theory, category theory, proof theory and algebraic logic.

Natural Language Processing and Digital Humanities

Research in the Natural Language Processing and Digital Humanities unit focuses on automated analysis, interpretation and generation of human language and their extension towards language technology. Our work encompasses a range of topics within natural language processing (NLP), such as syntactic parsing, computational semantics and pragmatics, discourse processing, dialogue modelling, machine translation and multilingual NLP.

Master of Logic

The MSc in Logic is an international and interdisciplinary Master's degree offered by the University of Amsterdam. It is organized as part of the Graduate Programme in Logic (GPiL) by the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC). The Graduate Programme offers courses and research training in foundations of mathematical and philosophical logic, and their applications in computer science, linguistics, and cognitive science.

PhD Programme

The ILLC PhD programme, organised by the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) at the University of Amsterdam, is a four-year programme designed to support and guide PhD candidates in their track to become highly qualified scientific researchers in the areas described by the institute's research mission. PhD candidates are given the opportunity to benefit from a rich scientific programme as well as a tailor-made transferable-skills programme.

Practical matters for ILLC members

Illc room / equipment reservations.

PhD Programme

Amsterdam School of Communication Research / ASCoR

• PhD programme
• Application and Admission

The conduct of a research project by PhD students is central to ASCoR’s PhD programme. A research project is based on a proposal that is usually written by one or more senior ASCoR faculty, but in some cases by the PhD candidate him/herself. In all cases the project conforms to the following criteria:

• Fits into the ASCoR Research Programme .
• Contains all compulsory elements of a Dutch Science Foundation application. Definition of academic relevance (theoretical background), research question, proposed methodology, societal relevance, work plan and a budget.

A PhD project usually takes 4 years full-time and leads up to an article-based dissertation. The dissertation consists of 3 or more research studies, deemed to be with quality equivalent to peer-reviewed academic publications within Communication Science. In addition to writing articles, ASCoR PhD students also follow courses to broaden their knowledge, have the opportunity to visit (inter)national conferences and attend relevant workshops and symposia.

The PhD training program at ASCoR consists of three learning pathways: a Teaching Pathway, Research Pathway, and Personal Development Pathway. All of these pathways contain mandatory components which can be complemented, if desired by the candidate, with additional elective training.

Mandatory components of the Research and Personal Development Pathways together encompass 9 ECTS. To obtain these ECTS, PhDs have to complete the courses “Mastering my PhD”, “Introduction to a PhD in Communication Science”, and “Academic Writing”. In addition, they will participate in one of ASCoR’s PhD clubs (i.e., a place for peer feedback and support) and attend several other, mandatory events. The Teaching Pathway consists of 54 hours of teacher training plus didactic coaching offered by the department.

In addition, the training program contains an elective component as part of which PhD candidates can, for instance, take elective courses at the Graduate School of Communication or faculty, attend a summer school, or go on a research visit.

Progress of all PhD projects at ASCoR is monitored at several points during the project through the following instruments:

Training & Supervison Plan

The basic work plan, agreements about supervision, and the training plan are laid down in the Training & Supervision Plan 2 months after the start of the PhD project.

First Year Paper

Nine months after the formal start of the PhD project, a paper must be ready and submitted to the ASCoR Board for a formal assessment. The paper is either an empirical article or a theoretical review article and the quality of the article should be such that the article can comfortably be submitted to those outlets that are well-recognized in the particular sub-area.

Progress Report

In the Progress Report, the PhD candidate and the supervision team report on the progress so far, and indicate whether and how successful completion of the project before the project end date can be guaranteed. The report consists of an outline of the dissertation, an overview of progress so far of all thesis chapters, an overview of papers that have resulted from the project so far, and a 'statement of feasibility' that the dissertation can and will be submitted a number of months before the project end date.

PhD thesis and thesis defense

The final months of each project are devoted to finishing the PhD thesis, which is based on the articles written throughout the project. After the dissertation has been read and approved by a committee of experts, there is a public defense, held at the University of Amsterdam.

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PhD at the University of Amsterdam

Contrary to the situation in many other countries, PhD students in the Netherlands become employees of the university. PhDs are usually not required to follow classes and can concentrate on their research project through the 4 year PhD period. However, they are expected to teach as e.g. Teaching Assistants for about 10% of their time. This is often in the form of leading Tutorial or Lab sessions for BSc and MSc students. They will also participate in supervising BSc and MSc thesis research projects.

Requirements to enter a PhD

In order to enter the PhD program at GRAPPA, applicants will have to have completed an MSc in Physics and/or Astronomy or a closely related field at a recognized university. A good command of English is also required and computing skills are typically also strongly desired. Depending on the opening, additional competences may be necessary.

Employment Details

PhDs have an employment contract with the University of Amsterdam. They obtain a temporary contract for 38 hours a week for a duration of 4 years. The Initial appointment will be for a period of 18 months and after a satisfactory evaluation it can be extended for a total duration of 4 years. The employment should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be €2.325 to €2.972 (scale P) gross per month in 2020, based on fulltime employment (38 hours a week), exclusive of an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favorable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

For more information please refer to University of Amsterdam website .

Nikhef's PhD vacancies are advertized at  https://www.nikhef.nl/en/vacancies/ .

Application and Admission

Psychology Research Institute / PsyRes

Application procedure

Check out the available PhD positions at the UvA vacancy portal. 

• UvA Vacancy Portal

Private funding

If you submit your own research proposal you should be aware of the following:

• Which topic would you like to explore?
• Which programme group would you like to join?
• Which supervisor do you have in mind?
• What funding is obtained to cover the associated fees?
• How does your time plan roughly look like?

If a PhD project is financed by the University of Amsterdam or through a grant awarded to the University by a third party, the PhD degree is conferred by the University of Amsterdam.

Fees for scholarship and external PhD candidates

PhD candidates who are not employed by the University of Amsterdam but receive a scholarship, pay a yearly tuition fee of €3000,-. This fee covers a variety of costs such as the selection procedure, supervision, office space, and a guest appointment.

Scholarship PhDs

If you have obtained a scholarship to pursue your PhD, please provide additional information about the conditions.

External PhDs

What funding is obtained to cover the monthly allowance for the duration of the PhD trajectory (in general 4 years, full-time)? When you will be residing in Amsterdam this minimum monthly allowance is rated at €1,664.

Admission criteria

The minimum requirements  for all PhD candidates are:

• Master’s degree, or academic degree that is equivalent to Dutch final university examination

English language proficiency test

Non-native English speakers have to submit one of the following tests. No other tests are accepted. Please note that only international, not institutional tests are accepted. Original test scores should be sent either by the testing institution or by the student to the Admissions Committee.

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Required score: at least 7.0 on the academic module, with a minimum score of 6.5 for the separate components of the test.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Required score: at least 100 (internet based test) with a minimum score for the separate components of the test: Reading: 24 Listening: 22 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24
• Cambridge International Examination Required score: at least 190 on C1 Advanced.

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PhD programme

The Faculty of Science (BETA) at VU Amsterdam has a broad range of research. One of the binding factors between the 10 departments / graduate schools of the faculty is the combination of fundamental and applied research. Approximately 700 PhD candidates are working and studying at the faculty and contribute to the high quality research of the faculty.

General information on the PhD programme at VU Amsterdam can be found here .

Career development tips and good practices for PhD candidates & Postdocs can be found here .

More information on the PhD programme

Promotion trajectory.

Appointment/duration. PhD programmes at VU Amsterdam generally last three to four years, depending on the scientific discipline, type of appointment and funding. The VU Doctorate Regulations and the admission procedure apply to all PhD candidates, regardless of their type of appointment. The Doctorate Regulations cover matters as admission to the PhD programme and the responsibilities and authority of those involved in the programme.

The admission process begins when an employee is hired as an internal PhD candidate, or, in the case of researchers with a scholarship, externally financed PhD candidates, or external PhD candidates, when the supervisor agrees to supervise the PhD candidate. Generally, graduate schools/departments are responsible for the admission process. The admission process starts after the application for the doctorate is successful.

Registration The PhD candidate and the supervision team are registered in the registration and tracking system Hora Finita . Follow-up steps in the PhD programme are also registered in this.

Training and supervision plan (TSP) As soon as possible after registration, the agreements about supervision, research and education are registered in the training and supervision plan (TSP).

Education The educational programme for PhD candidates provides for a variety of activities that strengthen the academic, professional, and general skills of PhD candidates. During the doctoral period, each PhD candidate must obtain 30 EC. Guidelines for following PhD candidate education can be found here .

Supervision Good supervision of PhD candidates is crucial; it contributes to the well-being of PhD candidates and an open, safe and inclusive research culture, high research quality, and it prevents delays and dropout of PhD programmes. To facilitate adequate supervision for PhD candidates and supervisors, Golden rules for supervision have been established. There are also suggestions for a go/no go procedure at the end of the first year.

For supervisors of PhD candidates, a PhD supervisors starting page has been prepared with eight relevant links. A training course on supervising PhD candidates is available for supervisors. Junior supervisors with less than five years of supervisory experience are required to take the training. For supervisors with minimally five years of supervisory experience there is a course Inspired Supervision .

Thesis and Plagiarism Scan Guidelines and suggestions for dissertation composition and scope can be found here . Authorship of scientific articles should be well agreed upon between PhD candidate and supervisors. A presentation on authorship can be found here .

All PhD candidates starting from 1 September 2022 are required to submit one written product in the first phase of the PhD programme to a plagiarism check. In addition, all PhD candidates, who started before September 2022 can voluntarily use the tool up to once a year.

Training and Supervision Plan (TSP)

Background Each PhD candidate develops an individual Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) that is uploaded to the VU Hora Finita . This plan is tailor-made for the PhD candidate with the aim of becoming a well-qualified and independent researcher.

Content The TSP contains the agreements between the PhD candidate and supervisors on several issues, including:

• Supervision. This defines who will act as supervisor(s) (under whose daily supervision the PhD candidate will work and who will be the promotor). It also includes agreements on the structure and frequency of supervision by the promotor and daily supervisor(s). If the supervisor is not also the promotor, it is also registered that at the start of the doctoral research, as well as those moments that are decisive for the progress of the research, the PhD candidate has a conversation about the doctoral research with the promotor. The promotor and PhDl candidate shall meet at least once a year.
• Research. This concerns the topic and overall approach to the research.
• Training. This refers to the training plan which consists of four parts:

A. Mandatory components (minimum 4 EC).

• The course Scientific Integrity, taken preferably in the first and no later than in the second year. The faculty board admits students to this course only after full registration in Hora Finita.
• A visit to at least one international conference

B. General skills (together with C: minimum 8, maximum 20 EC)

C. Scientific specialization (together with B: minimum 8, maximum 20 EC)

D. Research-related activities (minimum 8, maximum 20 EC)

Procedure The first version of the TSP together with Form I is submitted to the department (PhD coordinator and vice dean) within the first month after admission of the PhD candidate. The TSP is reviewed during each PhD candidate’s annual interview with the supervisor(s).

More information More information can be found on the website of the graduate school/department where the research is conducted and from the graduate school's key user(s) of Hora Finita or PhD coordinator(s).

PhD courses

An overview of PhD courses can be found here . Here you can select for courses supplied by the different departments (Graduate schools) of the Faculty of Science.

For general questions on education, PhD candidates can contact the PhD coordinator of the department (see schedule under Training and Supervision Plan (TSP)).

Below you will find the description of the Research Integrity Course of the Faculty of Science.

Course Research Integrity

All PhD candidates that started after 1 April 2015 are required to take the course on Research Integrity. Preferably, the course is taken in the first year and no later than the second year.

This PhD course is only for PhD candidates of the Faculty of Science.

The aims of the course are to:

•  introduce you to the topic research integrity;
• help you identifying any potential grey areas in your research field;
• stimulate an open discussion on research integrity matters on the work floor.

You can register for the course Research Integrity after registration in Hora Finita and receipt of the promotiebesluit/doctorate admission document.

For registration in Hora Finita you can contact your department secretary office.

After receipt of the promotiebesluit/doctorate admission document, you will be invited for the course Research Integrity by the board secretary, Maaike Croes.

After you have been registered for this course, you will receive an email of [email protected] with login data for the online course Epigeum, which you have to complete before following the Research Integrity course part I.

Please send the certificate that you receive after completing the Epigeum online course ultimately two weeks prior the start of part I of the Research Integrity Course to Maaike Croes, ([email protected] or [email protected]).

For information on the course: Brochure Research Integrity Course .

For more information, contact Maaike Croes: [email protected].

Information will also be sent after registration for the course.

Hora Finita

Registration of the promotion trajectory The promotion trajectory has to be registered in the tracking system Hora Finita . Hora Finita supports the processes starting from admission of the PhD candidate until the PhD defense and makes the PhD candidate's progress transparent.

This trajectory has to be started by the Hora Finita key user(s) of your department/Graduate school (see schedule below) from the secretariat. After this has started, the PhD candidate will receive an email with the request to fill in all information needed and to upload the required documents. The whole process of the beginning to your defence will be registered in Hora Finita. For questions, please contact the secretariat of your department.

Hora Finita Login Go to horafinita.vu.nl and then click the button 'login with VUnetID'.

More information More details can be found here .

Departments / Graduate schools and Hora Finita key users

PhD support

General courses In addition to subject-oriented courses, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers PhD candidates a variety of general education courses. The complete set of courses can be found in the Learning Management System (LMS). The Quick Reference Card (QRC) ‘Search and register for courses and update your learning plan’ explains how LMS works. This QRC can be found via the link to LMS.

General VU courses for PhD candidates are:

• Career orientation for PhD candidates and postdocs
•  Peer coaching for PhD's and postdocs
• PhD success and personal efficacy
• Advanced academic writing for PhD researchers
• Concise formulation

Help, support and advice To ensure that PhD candidates are feeling well and less likely drop out, there are PhD candidate advisors for each department. The PhD candidate advisor is independent, and knows the faculty and PhD procedures well. With the PhD candidate advisor, the PhD candidate can discuss wellbeing, work environment, the PhD programme, and other issues. The PhD candidate advisor can advise and refer the PhD student to other people and help.

The PhD candidates will meet the PhD candidate advisor at different times, starting with a welcome interview.

A list of the PhD candidate advisors is found here .

For help, support and advice PhD candidates have different options, please consult Help, support and advice for PhD candidates .

Healthy working conditions for PhD candidates are described in the UNL (formerly: VSNU) document:  Healthy working conditions in the Dutch PhD system .

PhD council

The Science Faculty PhD Council consists of PhD candidates from various departments within the Science Faculty. The PhD Council aims to support the social and professional interests of the faculty's PhD candidates. Visit the PhD Council website for more information (English only).

Preparation on career after PhD

When a PhD  candidate enters the final phase of the promotion trajectory, the question of what to do after the PhD becomes increasingly urgent. The PhD programmes at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam are an excellent stepping stone for a career both inside and outside academia. The PhD candidates have the opportunity to discuss various career prospects during the duration of the PhD programme.

The VU offers PhD candidates career orientation courses in the early stages of their promotion trajectory, and encourages them to work strategically towards their professional goals.

A career outside of science The vast majority of the PhD candidates will have to pursue his/her career outside universities after the PhD. It is therefore essential that early-stage researchers orient themselves to suitable positions in industry or a social context in good time, before their contract expires.

A career in science Most scientific positions at Dutch universities are funded by external research funds. Being able to acquire research grants is crucial for a career in science. The VU Grant Desk offers professional advice and dedicated support to researchers in acquiring external funding.

It also offer s a special support program for PhD candidates wishing to apply for a Veni grant, the most widely awarded grant for conducting independent research after obtaining a PhD. Many researchers also apply for the NWO Rubicon grant, which allows them to gain experience at leading research institutes abroad.

It is also possible to apply for a postdoc position. This is a temporary research position of 2-4 years. For an overview of all postdoc positions (and other possible positions for a PhD, such as junior lecturer or researcher) please refer to the academic job site www.academictransfer.nl .

Relation with VU after PhD Regardless of the career path taken after receiving the PhD, all PhD candidates are offered a lifelong relationship of mutual benefit by inviting them to join the alumni network and remain part of the VU community.

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• 2 hours ago

PhD position on AI/NLP/IR at the University of Amsterdam

University of Amsterdam

Application Deadline: 15 May 2024

The University of Amsterdam seeks an ambitious PhD student with a background in artificial intelligence, natural language processing and information retrieval. The focus will be on large language models (LLMs) for information access.

The PhD position is part of four PhD vacancies as part of digital Humanities, Artificial Intelligence, Cultural Heritage (HAICu) project, a large national science agenda project funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. HAICu deploys artificial intelligence (AI) to make digital heritage collections more accessible, and the extraordinary challenges of cultural heritage provide a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of AI. The PhD position is fully funded and successful candidates will be employed by the University of Amsterdam for four years (full-time, with all employment benefits) and are expected to complete a PhD thesis within this period.

Recent Posts

Two full-time faculty members

Boyvey Teaching Fellow

Research Director

The impact of multinationals on the gender wage gap

Fatherhood bonus and motherhood penalty

10 April 2024

The study Parenthood wage gaps in multinational enterprises was carried out together with Khadija van der Straaten (ABS PhD graduate, now at Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Niccolò Pisani (formerly ABS, now at IMD Business School, Switzerland). The researchers analysed the disparities in pay and progression for men and women working in subsidiaries (companies owned and controlled by multinationals) of MNEs (multinational enterprises) compared to domestic firms (companies operating within a single country). The study looked at employees both before and after they became parents. Using data taken from the WageIndicator surveys, they compared the wages of more than 36,000 fathers, mothers, and employees without children across 57 countries.

'Overvaluation of masculine traits'

Kolk and her colleagues found that men benefitted financially from parenthood in all types of firms, but mostly so in MNEs. The study revealed a wage penalty for mothers across the board, as the negative effect for them was comparable across multinational subsidiaries and domestic firms.

The results challenge commonly held assumptions about the causes and cures of gender pay inequity related to women’s characteristics and life patterns. Motherhood in itself is not the cause. Because of this, existing policies designed to help redress the balance between male and female workers are not always helpful. For example, offering flexibility in working hours, whilst useful for many, does not fully address the core issue of gender parity. What is also needed are measures to redress the overvaluation of masculine traits, especially related to fatherhood. These traits seem to be more prominent in MNEs’ corporate culture.

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Marie Curie funding for Jocelyne Vreede

11 April 2024

The MeChaNiSM network, an acronym for Mechanical Characterisation of Nucleic Acids using Single Molecule Methods , includes eight European universities and four associated industrial partners. It is coordinated by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden (professors Fredrik Westerlund and Marcus Wilhelmsson) and has a total budget of just over four million euros. In total, fifteen PhD students will be appointed.

• MSCA awards € 443 million for doctoral programmes news item
• Dr Jocelyne Vreede research profile at the Computional Chemistry website

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The UvA uses cookies to ensure the basic functionality of the site and for statistical and optimisation purposes. Cookies are also placed to display third-party content and for marketing purposes. Click 'Accept all cookies' to consent to the placement of all cookies, or choose 'Decline' to only accept functional and analytical cookies. Also read the UvA Privacy statement .

Trapped in the middle: billiards with memory

11 April 2024

Billiards: a mathematical mystery

An idealized version of the game of billiards has fascinated mathematicians for decades. The basic question is a simple one: once a billiard ball is played, where does it go and where does it end up? Assume that the billiard is perfect: the walls are perfectly bouncy, there are no other objects on the table, the motion of the ball is frictionless, and so on. Then the ball will not really ‘end’ anywhere: it will keep going forever. But does it ever return where it started? Does it eventually visit every part of the table? When we slightly change the direction of the ball, or its starting location, does the path it follows look like the previous one?

All of these questions turn out to be very intriguing from a mathematical point of view. Their answers are not always known – especially when the shape of the billiard is not simple, like a square or a rectangle. For example, on triangular billiards with corners of less than 100 degrees, it is known that there are always periodic paths – paths that the ball can follow and that return on themselves. This can be proven mathematically. Now, change one of the corners to a slightly bigger angle, and no mathematician knows the answer anymore.

Idealized games of billiards are not just a favorite pastime of mathematicians. They also have a profound impact on physics and other sciences. Many of the questions about billiards can be phrased as questions about chaos : do similar initial conditions of a dynamical system – whether it is a ball on a billiard table, a molecule in a gas or a bird in a flock – always lead to similar final results?

In research carried out at the University of Amsterdam, a team of physicists have realized that by slightly changing the rules of the billiards game, the number of applications in the real world increases even further. Mazi Jalaal, co-author of the publication and head of the group in which the research was done, explains: “In nature, many living organisms have an external form of memory. For example, they leave traces to remember where they have been. They can then use that information to either follow the same route again, or – say, when searching for food – to not explore that same region again.”

The latter option led the researchers to an interesting idea: what if we add one rule to the billiards game, namely that the ball may never cross its own previous path? The result – see the figure below – is that the effective size of the billiard table gets smaller and smaller. In fact, the ball eventually gets trapped by its own trajectory.

Intriguing new questions

The trapping effect makes the system even more intriguing. Even simple questions now become extremely fascinating. How far does a ball travel before it gets trapped? The answer varies, both on the shape of the table and on the starting point and direction of the ball. Sometimes the ball travels a length that is only a few times the size of the table, sometimes it can go for 100 times that length before it gets trapped. Where the ball eventually ends up in its trapped state is also an intricate question: repeating the experiment on a computer millions of times, every time with a slightly different starting position and velocity, leads to beautiful patterns of final configurations.

The image at the top of this text shows some of these beautiful examples. Interestingly, the resulting dynamical systems can be chaotic. Changing the starting position or velocity of the self-avoiding ball only slightly can lead to it being trapped at a completely different point on the billiard. Additionally, contrary to what happens on an ordinary billiard table, the self-avoiding ball is not equally likely to end up just anywhere. Some regions are more likely than others. To explain and prove all of these features, the mathematicians certainly have their work cut out.

Endless applications

An interesting particularity of the publication is that both of its first authors are master students. Mazi Jalaal adds: “The idea of a ‘billiard with memory’ is simple enough and new enough that studying it does not require years of experience. Thijs and Stijn did a great job in making the material their own and finding clever ways to study all these new open problems. I am very happy that they can already be lead authors of a publication.”

The results are only the first steps in what could be an entire new area of research. Not only are there many interesting mathematical questions that are now waiting to be answered; the applications in physics, including biophysics, are also endless. Jalaal: “The concept of trapping is one that begs to be explored, also in real-life systems. For instance, we know that single-celled slime molds use self-avoiding paths. Do they also get trapped, and what happens when they do? Or do they have clever mechanisms to avoid this from happening at all? Do they use it to enhance search strategies for food? The results would help us to better understand these biological systems, and perhaps even incorporate the lessons we learn to optimize this form of billiards with memory for use in robots.”

Publication

Billiards with Spatial Memory , Thijs Albers, Stijn Delnoij, Nico Schramma and Maziyar Jalaal, Physical Review Letters 132 (2024) 157101.

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PhD student receives fellowship from Apple Scholars program

Nataliya Nechyporenko, a computer science Ph.D. student, has received a PhD fellowship in AI and Machine Learning (AIML) through the Apple Scholars program . The program was created by Apple to recognize the contributions of emerging leaders in computer science and engineering at the graduate and postgraduate level. 

The fellowship provides Nechyporenko support for her research and academic travel for two years, internship opportunities and a two-year mentorship with an Apple researcher. 

Let's learn more about Nechyporenko's research aims and her perspective on the future of robotics research: 

What research do you hope to accomplish through this fellowship?

Think about how you might manually feel around an object to understand its shape, weight, and texture. Or if something is in your way, you'd just push it aside without overthinking it. If you drop something, you'll persistently keep trying to pick it up from different angles until you get it. As you're doing these everyday tasks, you're constantly building up an intuitive sense of your surroundings through trial-and-error. That's the kind of resourceful, flexible, multi-sensory approach I want robots to have when manipulating things – rather than just blindly following a fixed routine. 

The goal is for robotic arms to move and behave with that same kind of curious, improvisational, problem-solving spirit we take for granted as humans. As an Apple AIML scholar, I hope to gain insights into this problem with the help of a fresh network of mentors and collaborators.  

Is this an extension of work you are already doing in your lab? If so, how?

Driven to establish contact-rich planning as a dominant feature in robotics, I focused the first two years of my PhD on analyzing the methods used by state-of-the-art planners and solving the shortcomings leading to the lack of physical robot interaction. 

I have started to extend this work by integrating the empirical formulation of machine learning with model-based algorithmic approaches. I believe this is the path to making robots more adaptable to chaotic human environments. I will continue this work as an Apple scholar. 

What do you think of the current hype around AI and ML? What do you wish people understood about this research area?

The AI and machine learning hype trains have been barreling full steam ahead lately. But robotics? That's an entirely different beast that doesn't follow the overnight disruption narratives. It's a synergy of achievements in areas like materials, manufacturing, sensing, controls theory, and others aligning to reshape the physical world. 

The robotics future will reshape industries and labor concepts, but it will be catalyzed through the patient advancement of many disciplines.

How did you come to study at CU Boulder?

I spent a couple years in the trenches, getting my hands dirty actually building and deploying robots in industry. But after a while, I got this craving -- like there was so much more potential waiting to be unlocked if I could really dive into the deep scientific questions around robotics. That's why I decided to take the plunge back into academia.

What is one of your plans or hopes for the future, either professionally or personally?

I hope to be an expert, a leader, a thinker and a builder. Outside of research endeavors, I aim to be a leader and educator for the robotics and the AI community. Previously, I’ve led volunteering activities, mentored students, and co-organized events that foster discussions around AI. I hope to continue to do so in the future at a larger scale. 

• Alessandro Roncone
• Graduate Student Stories

Nataliya Nechyporenko

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Departments

• Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences
• Chemical & Biological Engineering
• Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering
• Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering
• Applied Mathematics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Creative Technology & Design
• Engineering Education
• Engineering Management
• Engineering Physics
• Integrated Design Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Materials Science & Engineering

Affiliates & Partners

• ATLAS Institute
• BOLD Center
• Colorado Mesa University
• Colorado Space Grant Consortium
• Discovery Learning
• Engineering Honors
• Engineering Leadership
• Entrepreneurship
• Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics & Society
• Integrated Teaching and Learning
• Global Engineering
• Mortenson Center for Global Engineering
• National Center for Women & Information Technology
• Western Colorado University

UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs ranked among best in nation

U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 “Best Graduate Schools” list named multiple Carolina graduate degree programs in the top 10, including UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at No. 1.

Numerous UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs received high rankings – 20 were among the top 10 in the nation in their respective categories – as part of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” list.

For the third time in a row (2016, 2020 and 2024), UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the top pharmacy school in the U.S. The rankings are based on a survey of peers from accredited pharmacy schools across the country and are published every four years.

The Gillings School of Global Public Health was ranked second out of 213 schools and programs of public health in the U.S. for the seventh consecutive rankings period. The Gillings School has also maintained its position as the top public school of public health and has been ranked among the top schools and programs of public health by U.S. News since the magazine first ranked public health schools in 1987. U.S. News & World Report does not rank all graduate programs each year.

“Carolina’s graduate programs are exceptional, and it’s no surprise that our schools are ranked so highly among peer institutions by U.S. News and World Report, as well as other measures,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “Carolina is always proud to be recognized for our dedication to a world-class education. Every one of our graduate programs contributes to making us the leading public research university.”

Altogether, 23 programs increased their rankings, including multiple programs in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Education, Kenan-Flagler Business School and UNC School of Law.

“These rankings represent the hard work of our faculty, staff and students who are dedicated to moving Carolina forward through their incredible efforts each day,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Chris Clemens. “It is gratifying to see this public recognition of their commitment to the mission of our graduate programs in research, teaching and public service. Even more than in the rankings, the proof of their work is the quality of our students and our passionate alumni who lead in so many fields.”

The School of Social Work moved up three spots in the latest rankings to a tie for fourth overall and is tied for second among public universities.

This year marks the first time since U.S. News & World Report began ranking law schools in 1987 that UNC School of Law has reached No. 20 out of 196 law schools. The UNC School of Law is also the seventh-ranked public law school.

Additional UNC-Chapel Hill rankings for 2024 follow.

Please note: Not all graduate programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report every year. For a complete list of rankings for UNC-Chapel Hill, visit the U.S. News & World Report website .

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Gillings school of global public health.

• First public, second overall

Specialty Areas

• Health Behavior, second
• Biostatistics, third
• Epidemiology, third
• Health Policy and Management, fourth
• Environmental Health Science, eighth

School of Social Work

• Tied for fourth

School of Nursing

• Nursing Schools, Master’s Programs, tied for eighth
• Nursing Schools – DNP Programs, tied for 17th
• Nursing Master’s, Administration/Management, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Psychiatric/Mental Health, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Family, tied for sixth
• Nursing DNP, Psychiatric/Mental Health, third
• Nursing DNP, Family, tied for sixth

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

• Tied for 20th
• Real Estate, ninth
• Accounting, tied for 13th
• Executive MBA, 14th
• Management, 16th
• Production Operations, 16th
• Finance, 20th
• Marketing, tied for 25th

UNC School of Education

• Tied for 25th
• Special Education, tied for 13th
• Elementary Teacher Education, tied for 14th
• Educational Psychology, tied for 15th
• Education Policy, tied for 16th
• Secondary Teacher Education, tied for 17th
• Educational Administration, tied for 17th
• Curriculum and Instruction, tied for 22nd

College of Arts and Sciences

Computer science.

• Overall, 27th

Public Affairs

• Overall, 39th (Master of Public Policy)

As part of the public affairs category, U.S. News and World Report ranked Carolina programs and specialty areas based in the School of Government and the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of public policy.

School of Government

• Public Affairs, 23rd (Master of Public Administration)
• Local Government Management, second
• Leadership, 10th
• Public Finance, 18th

UNC School of Law

• Legal Writing, tied for 20th
• Criminal Law, tied for 20th
• Tax Law, tied for 20th
• Business/Corporate Law, tied for 22nd
• Clinical Training, tied for 23rd
• Contracts/Commercial Law, 23rd
• Health Care Law, tied for 28th
• Constitutional Law, tied for 29th
• Environmental Law, tied for 45th
• International Law, tied for 52nd
• Intellectual Property Law, tied for 53rd
• Trial Advocacy, tied for 118th

UNC School of Medicine (additional Rankings will be available at a later date)

• Audiology, tied for third
• Occupational Therapy, fifth
• Physical Therapy, 11th
• Speech Language Pathology, 12th

School of Education students networked in Raleigh with representatives from 11 state agencies.

Global studies scholar aspires to diplomacy

After earning a master’s degree, Kat Goodpaster became assistant director of Carolina’s Russian Flagship Program.

Public Service Awards go to 7 people, 2 groups

The Carolina Center for Public Service honored work on health disparities, refugee aid and more.

Broadway writer brings new comedy to PlayMakers

Fresh off the debut of her musical adaptation of “The Notebook,” Bekah Brunstetter ’04 will debut “The Game” in Chapel Hill.

Arts Everywhere Day set for April 12

The eighth annual campus-wide event celebrates artists creating in all mediums.

Are you ready to run, hide and fight/defend?

Active Shooter and Critical Incident Response training customizes emergency preparedness to your workspace.

Brandwein’s Bagels offers authentic NYC flavor

MBA graduate Alex Brandwein turned his love of New York-style bagels into a local business.

Bernice Meja has a passion for fixing broken systems

The discovery led her to a master’s program at the School of Information and Library Science.

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• Nebraska Medicine
• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff

Annual faculty awards: Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD

• Written by Jeff Robb, UNMC strategic communications
• Published Apr 10, 2024

Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD

Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD, is the recipient of the UNMC Faculty Senate’s Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Junior Faculty Award.

• Name:  Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD
• Title:  Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UNMC College of Medicine
• Joined UNMC:  2014
• Hometown:  Iowa City, Iowa

What are the greatest rewards of mentoring other faculty members?

Making new collaborations and having the science take unexpected turns because of the new relationship. Also, observing the junior faculty grow and become successful is very rewarding.

Describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right occupation.

Waking up with a new idea in the middle of the night that I can’t wait to test the next morning.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a mentor?

Having enough time for everyone.

How do you know when you’ve been successful as a mentor?

When your mentees get that spark about their research, and watching them successfully mentor their peers and the next generation of scientists.

Congratulations! Appreciate all you do for our institution and trainees/post docs

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Becky. Well deserved!

Congratulations, Dr. Deegan!!

Congratulations Dr. Deegan!

Congratulation, Becky!!!

Becky, Congratulations. You Rock!

Becky, Congratulations!

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UNMC Faculty Awards

Recipients of this year’s faculty awards for meritorious teaching and mentoring will be honored during the UNMC Faculty Senate’s annual meeting on April 16 at 3 p.m. in the Durham Research Center Auditorium. A Zoom link is available to UNMC on the UNMC Faculty Senate webpage .

Learn more here about the UNMC Faculty Awards.

• Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Graduate Students Award: Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD, professor, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, UNMC College of Medicine
• Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Graduate Students Award: Siddappa Byrareddy, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, UNMC College of Medicine
• Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Graduate Students Award: Don Ronning, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UNMC College of Pharmacy
• Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Junior Faculty Award: Rebecca Oberley-Deegan, PhD, professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UNMC College of Medicine
• Outstanding Teacher Award: Jianghu (James) Dong, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Biostatistics and Division of Nephrology, UNMC College of Public Health
• Outstanding Teacher Award: Lisa Ulrich Walters, clinical assistant professor, UNMC College of Nursing-Northern Division
• Outstanding Teacher Award: Amanda Ribeiro Wobido, DDS, assistant professor, UNMC College of Dentistry

How do I find a doctoral position?

Many PhD candidates are employed by the University as doctoral researchers with a view to completing a doctoral programme. Consult the list of vacancies for available doctoral positions.

Obtaining a PhD without an employment contract

It is also possible to obtain a doctorate without being employed by the UvA. Contract PhD candidates are those who have concluded an agreement with the UvA or a third party with a view to obtaining a doctorate. They may be funded by, or given time to pursue their studies by, an employer. Or they may receive a scholarship from the University or from another organisation. In both cases, they themselves are responsible for finding a supervisor.

It is also possible to obtain a doctorate from the UvA as an external PhD candidate. In this case, candidates do not enter into an agreement with a third party and do not receive a salary, but sometimes receive some material and/or financial support.

Specific doctoral programmes

For specific doctoral programmes, consult the website of the relevant research institute or Graduate School.

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