|
16 October 2008
International boost for PhD training
A number of PhD students at the University of Sheffield will be given a unique opportunity to carry out their studies in Singapore as part of a new partnership agreement between the University and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Both institutions have signed an Implementation Agreement (IA) to establish a landmark partnership programme for PhD education in the areas of Biomedical and Physical Sciences, and Engineering. The agreement was signed in Singapore today (16 October 2008) by the University´s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Keith Burnett, and A*STAR´s Chairman Mr Lim Chuan Poh.
The University of Sheffield is the first partner to come on board A*STAR´s new research attachment programme and marks the start of a meaningful relationship between the two scientific communities.
Known as the A*STAR-Sheffield Research Attachment Programme, the initiative aims to encourage collaboration and interaction between A*STAR and Sheffield researchers in the education of PhD students. The partnership provides opportunities for PhD students enrolled at Sheffield to receive half their PhD training in Singapore at A*STAR laboratories and they will spend approximately two years each at A*STAR and the University for their PhD studies. The students will be jointly supervised by senior scientists from A*STAR´s research institutes in Singapore and professors at the University of Sheffield and will be eventually conferred a PhD degree from the University.
Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR, said: "This partnership between A*STAR and the University of Sheffield will provide post-graduate students the opportunities to experience doing research in a distinctly international environment at A*STAR. Here, they will not only gain experience in world-class research and foster friendships with the researchers in Singapore, but will also be able to experience the unique and vibrant research culture in this very dynamic region of the world. It is my hope that upon completion of their research attachment here, these students will act as bridges, forging ties between different research communities and building linkages between Singapore and the world. I trust, too, that through this partnership, A*STAR and Sheffield will be able to build even stronger research collaborations over time."
Besides opening up new opportunities for students to undergo research training at A*STAR labs, the partnership programmes also paves the way for future research collaborations between A*STAR and the University of Sheffield. Research projects undertaken at the University of Sheffield will complement those carried out at A*STAR and this mutually-beneficial partnership will enable both organisations to nurture world-class scientific research and talent. Both organisations have established industrial collaborations and mutual partners including Boeing and Rolls-Royce.
Professor Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: "This partnership agreement will further strengthen the cultural and scientific links between A*STAR and the University of Sheffield. Both our institutions are at the forefront of research in the areas of Biomedical and Physical Sciences, and Engineering and we are both leading members of the global academic community. It is therefore fitting that we have established this exciting collaboration.
"We welcome the opportunity to send our brightest students to the world-class research facilities that have been established in Singapore. I´m positive that the Sheffield students who are given the chance to further their research skills at A*STAR Research Institutes will benefit from this international dimension to their studies."
The University of Sheffield has strong links with A*STAR through Professor Philip Ingham, Deputy Director of the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, who also directs the MRC Centre for Development and Biomedical Genetics in Sheffield, the leading UK centre using the tropical zebrafish to model human pathologies, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation. Through his dual appointment Professor Ingham is actively promoting collaborations between the MRC Centre and the A*STAR institutes where expertise in zebrafish research is a particular strength.
A*STAR plays a critical role in the growth and development of Singapore´s economy. Its 22 research institutes, consortia and centres were established in tandem with the creation of new industries or sectors, and they support industry growth by building up a diverse range of research capabilities. The A*STAR research institutes are engaged in upstream world-class research, which has put them among the top in their fields.
Similarly, cutting-edge research carried out at the University of Sheffield has led to thousands of partnerships with companies keen to harness its academic expertise, technology and insight. The University´s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, for example, builds on the shared scientific excellence, expertise and technological innovation of the world´s largest aerospace company, Boeing, and leading companies such as Rolls-Royce and Messier-Dowty, as well as world-class researchers within the University of Sheffield´s Faculty of Engineering. The Centre recently won the prestigious Queen´s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.
|
