"PhD on optical wireless communication supporting 6G Future Communication Networks"

Job description

Will you advance the state-of-art in 6G communication networks? Optical wireless links using highly directional steerable laser beams can securely serve a high density of devices at high data rates. Your project optimizes energy efficiency and develops new features such as positioning and sensing.

Information

You will innovate Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) links. Laser beams promise wireless access in high-density locations (many devices per m2), high data rates via secure, interference-free, low latency connections. You will address the challenges to contain the energy consumption in such networks and to unleash further features, in particular positioning, tracking mobile devices, and sensing.

By addressing these research questions you contribute to making OWC technology mature for use in upcoming 6G wireless networks, which is a pressing research challenge. To build confidence in the reproducibility during scale up and integration in a sixth generation of mobile networks, 6G, dependable models are needed to improve power consumption (J/bit, watt/m2), coverage (bit/s*m2) or density (bit/s/m2). Such models are essential to optimize design choices and to make appropriate trade-offs.

Radio systems (RF) are well understood thanks to decades of progress in research that resulted in highly optimized robust design choices. OWC borrows many principles and communication methods from RF. However, OWC differs from radio links in important aspects, that need to be taken into account in your study. These provide opportunities to build a stronger theoretical framework and to design and create better practical solutions.

Societal demands for wireless communication keep growing exponentially. The sixth generation (6G) of mobile networks strives to serve a ten fold increase in data traffic: AI applications exchange vast amounts of data between a rapidly increasing number of Internet of Things devices that will be wirelessly connected. Meanwhile, the power consumption of our communication infrastructure needs to be contained. 6G strives for substantial reduction in total power consumption, thus for a vast increase in energy efficiency per link or per communicated bit. The effort to connect all devices via radio links increases, and solutions are becoming increasingly sophisticated, for instance to use the limited amount of spectrum more efficiently.

In this project, you will join the frontier of innovation in 6G. In the Netherlands, a unique alliance of 60 top-notch telecom, ICT, semiconductor and photonics companies join forces with research institutions in various aspects of future of mobile networks technology. As a PhD student, you join this prestigious Future Network Services (FNS) flagship project, where research and entrepreneurial pursuits converge.

You will join the Signal Process Systems (SPS) group in the Electrical Engineering Department of TU Eindhoven. The SPS group has a strong track record not only in signal processing for digital communication, but also for medical applications and for intelligent lighting systems. The impact of the work of the group is evident from a very close cooperation with industrial partners and research institutes and from international recognition and awards of the team. The group is strong in creating novel information and communication theoretical principles in new fields by exploring the underlying physical mechanisms.

Requirements

• A master’s degree (or an equivalent university degree) in Electrical Engineering, with a strong background in communications and/or signal processing.
• A research-oriented attitude, to exploit theoretical models and experimental insights to make practical, scalable designs.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and interested in collaborating with industrial partners.
• Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level).

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 - max. € 3,881).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

Additional information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Prof. Jean-Paul Linnartz, j.p.linnartz@tue.nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices.ee@tue.nl.

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