The University of Southampton

Prestigious Schlumberger Foundation award for PhD student

Published: 27 March 2009
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An ECS PhD student has received a prestigious Fellowship award from the Schlumberger Foundation.

Betty Purwandari who is studying for a PhD in the IAM group (Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia), has become a Fellow of the Faculty of the Future and awarded a grant of up to $50,000 to continue her research.

The funding will help advance Betty’s research on the impact of the mobile web in rural areas of the developing world. ‘I am fortunate to be supervised by Professor Wendy Hall and by Professor David De Roure,’ said Betty. ‘This makes it possible for me to work with the Web Science Research Initiative, and with the World Wide Web Consortium’s Mobile Web for Social Development. This, together with the award of the Schlumberger Foundation Fellowship, ensures that I am part of an international network of co-operation, working together to empower the mobile web to help less fortunate people in the world’s developing countries.’ The Faculty for the Future awards are open to women academics in science and engineering from developing and emerging countries, and provide funding for advanced graduate study. The long-term goal is to support role models and improve gender balance at the faculty level so that more young women are attracted to scientific disciplines. Grant recipients are, therefore, expected to return to their home countries at the end of their studies to continue their academic careers.

‘Back home I work at the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Indonesia,’ said Betty. ‘I hope that my experience gained in the School of Electronics and Computer Science, including my involvement with ECSWomen, can inspire more females in Indonesia to pursue study and careers in science and technology.’

Professor Dame Wendy Hall said: 'This is a fantastic award - both for Betty herself, and for the School of Electronics and Computer Science. Betty's research project and her own individual commitments to applying her research to an important area of development and to acting as a strong role model herself, exemplify aspects of the our own activities in ECS that we believe are particularly important for the future.'

For further information contact Joyce Lewis, tel.023 8059 5453

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