PhD on Resilient and Secure 6G wireless networks

Are you interested to work at the intersection of 6G Networks (Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial), AI/ML and edge computing to enable resilient and secure wireless connectivity for mission-critical applications?

Information
The future 6G vision published by IMT-2030 6G framework put a special emphasize on the Network Resiliency for the upcoming 6G networks. Network Resiliency is expected to be an important KPI for 6G networks due to the ever-increasing dependence of the critical-services and infrastructures such as energy, education, healthcare and emergency services on mobile and wireless networks. It is expected that the Resiliency will ensure that networks not only withstand attacks, overburdening and shocks, but should also have the capabilities to overcome the failures and can recover and evolve to ensure a sustained network operation.

At the advanced networking Lab of the Electrical Engineering Department of TU/e, we are working at the cutting edge of technological research and innovation to push the boundaries of reliability and resiliency of mobile and wireless networks through participation in several European and Dutch national projects. Our key research areas include ultra-reliable low latency communications, resource allocation, digital twins, distributed massive MIMO and flexible compute continuum for 6G RAN open architectures. The Advanced Networking Lab is a member of CWTe which is part of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Researchers from the groups Electromagnetic, Integrated Circuits, Signal Processing Systems, Optical Communication, and Electronic Systems, work together to address research questions across these research areas from the wireless channel through various layers of the communication stack (www.tue.nl/cwte). The laboratory facilities include fully opensource OpenRAN-compliant 5G/6G testbed with commercial radio units (RUs) and software-defined radios, a fully shielded metal room in which the most sensitive electronics can be measured, a 28 m2 anechoic chamber (500MHz-40GHz), system integration lab where chips can be linked to other components, and a 16-channel distributed MIMO testbed (sub-6 GHz).

Our industry-driven research empowers the real world use use-cases and applications ranging from Wireless factory to Wireless Intra-Aircraft Communications, Tele-operations to Unmanned offshore vehicles, and Edge computing on satellite swarms to Emergency Health Care, to name a few. The common characteristics of these applications/use-cases is the stringent wireless connectivity requirements in terms of resiliency, latency and reliability. Within this context, we are looking for two exceptional PhD candidates to work on European projects PHRESH (https://itea4.org/index.php/project/phresh.html) and Proactif (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101194239) to advance the resiliency and reliability of Beyond-5G/6G networks. The successful candidate will contribute to the development, analysis, and experimental validation of techniques and algorithms to ensure seamless, reliable, and secure wireless communication in challenging and dynamic environments.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct innovative research on the design and evaluation of resilient wireless systems utilizing techniques of multi-connectivity (Terrestrial and NTN), spectrum sensing and network diversity, etc.
• Develop protocols and algorithms to enhance the network's situational awareness, and detect, mitigate and recover from disruptions (e.g., jamming, attacks, misconfigurations, failures).
• Employ mathematical modelling, optimization, and machine learning for robust resource allocation.
• Participate in collaborative research projects with Industry, contribute to teaching and mentoring of undergraduate or master's students.

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.