The Complex Adaptive Systems Laboratory at Central European University is seeking candidates to participate in our program of research. Our focus is on agent-based computer simulations of complex social systems. We study systems involving economics, sociology, history, political science, legal studies, environmental policy and related fields.

We are seeking collaborators from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. We have several possible ways to bring candidates to our Laboratory:

• Doctoral Support Program -- candidates for the PhD at Universities in the region who will carry out social system simulations in the Systems Lab as part of their thesis research
• Doctoral Fellowships -- for candidates who apply and are admitted to PhD programs at CEU, who work jointly with the Systems Lab and the particular CEU Department.
• Post-Doctoral Fellowships -- candidates with recent PhD's who participate in the Systems Lab's research program in Budapest
• Visiting Faculty Research Fellowships -- faculty members at Universities in the region who participate in the Systems Lab's research program in Budapest
• Independent Researcher Fellowships -- we have the flexibility to bring outstanding researchers without current University affiliation, who have a clearly demonstrated abilities in the application of computation to simulation or visualization.

We are looking for collaborators who can make effective use of the resources of the Lab to contribute to its research program. Our research is focused on

• Developing user-friendly modeling environments for the creation of agent-based models of social systems, including web-based interface with the simulation environment, very fast simulation engines utilizing massively-parallel virtual architectures, and advanced 3-D visualizations of the parameter space of the simulations.
• Collaboration with social scientists to work at the state of the art in creating agent-based models of social systems. These include systems of concern to economics, political science, sociology, history, archaeology, international relations, legal studies, environmental science and policy.

An appropriate research collaborator MUST either:

• Possess demonstrated outstanding computer programming skills and experience along with education, interest and/or experience in a social system science. Applicants in this category must have strong abilities in C, C++ or Objective C, Java, and operating systems including Unix (Linux), Windows NT or Macintosh OS a plus. VRML and/or Silicon Graphics Visualization software experience is necessary for those interested in visualization.

  OR

• Be currently active in social systems research, an interest and/or experience in computer simulation, and have good computer skills. Post-Doctoral and Independent Scientist applicants in this category should have recent publications of their work in social systems, PhD students should describe their thesis proposal in one of the social sciences. Research in this category explores the application of agent-based simulation to social systems, including using insights from cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, and related fields.

We use the SWARM agent-based modeling environment in Objective-C. http://www.santafe.edu/projects/swarm/ and aCe, an architecture-independent extension of C for massively parallel computation. http://newton.gsfc.nasa.gov/aCe/

Application Procedure: Applicants should send by email or fax:

• Cover sheet with Name, Address, Phone, Fax, Email and other contact information.
• A Curriculum Vitae including educational background, description of past research projects, work experience and computer experience.
• A two page (500 -750 words) statement describing your research interests in general, and the sort of research question you would like to pursue during your fellowship. Include appropriate bibliographic references.
• The names of two or three professional references with their contact information.

A full CEU application form will be sent by postal mail to candidates who pass an initial selection.

Application Date: Applications will be reviewed on a revolving basis starting 15 January 1997. Applications are welcome after that date, but earlier applicants will have greater likelihood of success.

Submission of Applications: Applications and supporting material may be submitted electronically via e-mail, faxed, or sent br regular mail to Dr. John B. Corliss at the address above.

Central European University (CEU) is an internationally recognized institution of post-graduate education in the social sciences. It seeks to contribute to the development of open societies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union by promoting a system of education in which ideas are creatively, critically, and comparatively examined. CEU serves as an advanced center of research and policy analysis and facilitates academic dialogue while preparing its graduates to serve as the region's next generation of leaders and scholars.

The URL for this page is: http://www.friends-partners.org/~ccsi/announce/compss.htm
Last updated: January 8, 1997

Center for Civil Society International [email protected]