Doctoral Research Fellow (QUESTING MSCA DN)

University of Essex - School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering

The School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at the University of Essex hosts research in communications, networking, signal processing and optimisation. The post will be based within the Unconventional Communications and Computing Laboratory (UC2), led by Dr Michael T. Barros, which develops modelling and algorithmic methods for networked communication and computation under real-world constraints. This Doctoral Research Fellow position is supported through QUESTING, an MSCA Doctoral Network.

Appointment will be to the position of Senior Research Officer and as such, will be referred to by this job title in the attached job pack.

Duties of the Role

You will undertake a PhD at the University of Essex and deliver DC15: “Nature-Inspired Optimization Strategies for Quantum Network Routing: Leveraging Decoherence & Noise.”

The project develops routing and optimisation methods for quantum communication networks operating under decoherence and noise constraints.

Core duties include: (i) developing and benchmarking optimisation algorithms for quantum routing using genetic algorithms (GA), ant colony optimisation (ACO), and particle swarm optimisation (PSO), optimising cost functions subject to entanglement fidelity, latency and throughput constraints; (ii) designing routing protocols for multipartite quantum states that adapt to environmental decoherence/noise via feedback mechanisms that optimise state transitions (ρ → ρ′) to maintain fidelity; and (iii) evaluating entanglement stability and routing performance using metrics such as reliability (β = P(successful routing)), coherence time (Tc), and entanglement distribution efficiency.

You will contribute to network, publish outcomes, and participate in QUESTING training and consortium activities.

The role includes two planned 3-month secondments: University of Cyprus (UCY) with Prof Krikidis (nature-inspired routing) and IMDEA Networks with Prof Fernandez Anta (stability and fidelity in quantum networks).

A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found within the job pack.

Qualifications and Skills required

You should have a good honours degree (normally 2:1 or above) in Electrical / Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Quantum Technology, Communications Engineering, Signal Processing, Physics, Mathematics, or a closely related discipline, and be eligible to register for a PhD at Essex. A Master’s degree is desirable.

You will need strong quantitative skills, programming competence for research (e.g., Python and/or MATLAB and reproducible workflows), and the ability to design and execute rigorous computational experiments.

Familiarity with optimisation, networks, and/or quantum communications is desirable; evidence of rapid learning and strong research aptitude is essential. You must be willing and able to undertake international secondments and work effectively within a multi-partner consortium.

Please note (MSCA mobility rule)

Applicants must comply with the MSCA Doctoral Networks mobility rule: in general, they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date; eligibility will be checked during recruitment.