Job Information
Organisation/Company: ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Research Field: Engineering » Electrical engineering; Engineering » Communication engineering; Physics » Optics; Computer science » Other
Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2)
Positions: PhD Positions
Application Deadline: 15 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)
Country: Portugal
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Hours Per Week: 40
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No
Offer Description
Lisbon Underground Multicore Fiber Ring (LUMIRing) project is a live testbed fostering the development and innovation of multicore fibers (MCFs) technology. Please check: https://lumiring.iscte-iul.pt/
The LUMIRIng project is looking for an outstanding and motivated post-doc researcher with the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to develop innovative and breakthrough research in the field of MCF technology.
OPEN POSITION
Project Title: Machine learning techniques for crosstalk mitigation and new passive optical network architectures
The activities to be developed by the researcher include:
- Develop and optimize neural-network techniques for MCF transmission under low- and high-skew conditions, including memory-based and unsupervised approaches, with experimental validation on the LUMIRing testbed.
- Design and analyze MCF-based wavelength spatial division multiplexed (WSDM) PON architectures, including feeder and distribution fibers, and experimentally demonstrate an MCF-based WSDM-PON architecture.
The LUMIRing project aims to deploy a MCF test bed within Lisbon Metro’s Yellow Line—an ambitious and groundbreaking initiative to explore weakly coupled MCF transmission under real-world conditions. By leveraging the harsh mechanical stresses caused by metro operations in underground tunnels, the project offers a unique opportunity to investigate and address real-life transmission challenges.
A core goal is to design, implement, and validate advanced techniques that both mitigate performance degradation and enable the integration of data transmission with sensing, pushing the limits of current MCF capabilities.
The test bed’s main infrastructure includes a 12-tube cable, with each tube containing 12 fibers. The cable contains 74 standard cladding diameter weakly-coupled MCFs (of 5 different types, with 4 and 7 cores and with step and trench-assisted refractive index profiles) and 70 conventional single-mode single-core fibers.
The LUMIRing project is coordinated by Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal (https://www.iscte-iul.pt/) with several national and international collaborations: Metropolitano de Lisboa (subway), from Portugal; Heraeus Covantics (MCF manufacturer), from Germany; Tratos (Cable manufacturer), from Italy; Telcabo (Telecommunication service provider), from Portugal; Chiral Photonics (optical components supplier), from the USA; Instituto de Telecomunicações (Research institution), from Portugal.
With the collective expertise of all partners, LUMIRing is a unique consortium that will serve as a critical enabler for advancing MCF research and technology, unlocking a range of high-impact opportunities:
- Establish a dynamic, open-access platform that fosters collaboration among Portuguese and international research and development communities dedicated to optical technologies and MCF systems;
- Enable the rigorous testing, monitoring, and demonstration of diverse MCF configurations, including varying cable lengths and fiber types, to simulate a wide range of deployment scenarios;
- Facilitate comparative performance analysis under real-world and controlled conditions, providing essential insights into the behaviour of MCF-based networks across multiple application contexts;
- Drive technological innovation and adoption of advanced telecom technologies;
- Support the development of telecom solutions aligned with digital transformation and artificial intelligence integration.
Where to apply
E-mail: adolfo.cartaxo@iscte-iul.pt
Requirements
Research Field: Engineering » Electrical engineering
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Engineering » Communication engineering
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Physics » Optics
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Computer science » Other
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
Applicants holding a PhD Degree in Telecommunications Engineering or Optics may apply for this position. Preference will be given to candidates with previous experience and skills in optical communications, particularly in multicore fiber technology.
Applicants must be proficient in the English language.
Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Excellent
Additional Information
Benefits
The position is a 20-month employment contract with Iscte-IUL in the scope of the LUMIRing project with an annual gross salary of 65,000 euro and all benefits of a public sector career.
Iscte is certified with the HR Excellence in Research European Award
Eligibility criteria
All candidates must submit their information in English.
Documents to be submitted:
- Candidate CV (including candidate personal information, nationality, academic qualifications, work experience, English proficiency, publications)
- Personal motivation letter (up to one page)
- Official transcripts of graduate and postgraduate degrees
- Contact details of the PhD's degree advisor or employer
Selection process
The selection process of candidates complies with ethical principles, including the highest standards of research integrity as set out in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and all applicable international, EU and national laws, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its Supplementary Protocols.
ASSESSMENT:
Assessment will be performed by a Selection Committee of Iscte-IUL, which will shortlist the best candidates among those applying for the position and produce a reserve list of potentially interesting candidates. Assessment comprises a two-stage process: a) scientific merit assessed by the application files and b) online interview (only for the shortlisted candidates in stage a)).
DECISION:
The Selection Committee will produce the final ranked list of the selected candidates. Then, it will communicate the decision to the candidates by email.
Website for additional job details: https://lumiring.iscte-iul.pt/
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: Iscte-IUL
Country: Portugal
State/Province: Lisbon
City: Lisboa
Postal Code: 1649-026
Street: Av. das Forças Armadas
Contact
City: Lisbon
Website: http://www.iscte-iul.pt/home.aspx https://lumiring.iscte-iul.pt/
Street: Avenida das Forças Armadas, Edifício I, Reitoria
Postal Code: 1649-026
E-Mail: adolfo.cartaxo@iscte-iul.pt