The interest in “just in time” maintenance is growing and the need is being understood by more and more industrial sectors. Degradation of systems and machineries is a dynamic process, governed by changes in the system and its functionality, its environment, the process, and the users.

 “Just in time maintenance” requires a thorough understanding of all processes and factors affecting the system and the process. This becomes a difficult, if not impossible, process without availability of data. Deploying a large number of sensors (big data approach) without having any a priori knowledge about the process and dynamics of the system is useless. Therefore, understanding the critical failures of the system and detecting upcoming failures in time, it is essential to assess the most relevant parameters, select the required sensor type, location and quality; and to perform some smart signal processing and outlier detection mechanisms.

This all requires a reliable and low latency wireless network that can scale from high-density nodes in a factory to large scale operation in a production plant. The communication in industrial environments, however, is known to be extremely challenging due to the high variability of the radio channel in terms of error rates, channel downtimes and error bursts caused by various equipment.

In the context of the “Industrial IoT – Reliable, low latency, wireless networking” research theme of the Pervasive Systems research group of the University of Twente, we have a 4-years PhD vacancy. The PhD research will focus on the design and development of reliable and robust network systems for industrial environments. The important design criteria of these systems and protocols include being low-latency, focusing on distributed scheduling and processing to enable autonomous operation, self-organized to adapt to changing requirements, as well as available resources and environmental conditions (e.g. interference levels). In addition, optimizing RF power and energy efficiency is of paramount interest to ensure reliable communication.

A sound theoretical background in wireless communication with a MSc degree in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. We welcome ambitious candidates with strong communication skills who like to present their work at conferences and project meetings. Fluency in English is required. You need to provide IELTS test results (minimum score 6.5), TOEFL-iBT (minimum score 90) or Cambridge CAE or CPE. An interview and a scientific presentation will be part of the selection procedure.

Information and application
For more information on the research lines at the Pervasive Systems group see ps.ewi.utwente.nl/.

Your application should comprise a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae, a list with grades of courses attended, contact information of 2 referees and, if applicable, a list of publications. Applications should be sent before September 1st, 2017, through the link below.

We offer a 4-year full-time position as a PhD candidate appointed at the University of Twente (UT), with a qualifier after 1 year.  In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU) the gross monthly salary ranges from € 2.222,- in the first year to € 2.840,- in the fourth year. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus, and a number of additional benefits.

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) comprises three disciplines that shape Information and Communication Technology. ICT is more than communication. In almost every product we use mathematics, electronics and computer technology and ICT now contributes to all of societies' activities. The faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. The research which enjoys a high profile both at home and internationally, has been accommodated in the multidisciplinary research institutes MESA+, CTIT and MIRA.