PhD in Network Architectures and Control for Tropospheric and Cell-Free Networks (ANCHOR)

Are you passionate about improving wireless networks and developing technologies for 6G? To meet the requirements of future mobile networks, network architectures need to become more agile and will include terrestrial and airborne network components linked by radio and optical communications.

Information
Our society is on the brink of a new age with the development of new visionary concepts such as internet of things, smart cities, autonomous driving, smart mobility, and coverage everywhere. This stimulates the use of new deployment concepts, such as hybrid networks and airborne network components, to support the wireless communication evolution. The ANCHOR project focuses on meeting demands on bandwidth, reliability, energy efficiency, and sustainability, as well as extended coverage from underwater, terrestrial, and aerial network components, and leverages on untapped potential of THz and optical wavelengths alongside existing radio technologies.

This PhD position focuses on Dynamic Network Architectures and Control for Tropospheric and Cell-Free Networks. You will define scenarios and requirements for tropospheric links and networks, will analyze the impact of tropospheric networking on network protocols and control schemes, and will develop network optimization and resource allocation schemes and algorithms for link and network optimization with hybrid fibre-FSO-RF communications. You will further augment software defined networking controllers to integrate tropospheric networking with hybrid fibre-FSO links and will integrate the optimization and resource allocation algorithms, followed by evaluation of network scenarios, QoS, and performance. Expected results include proposed network architectures for tropospheric networks, incl. expected KPIs and performance evaluations, and network or SDN controller plugins for tropospheric link configuration, and link and network resource optimization.

Through ANCHOR you will be provided with a comprehensive training programme covering theoretical and practical skills relevant for innovation and long-term employability in a rapidly growing sector. This highly innovative training involves experts from twenty-four international partners from academia, research institutions and industry. You will be enrolled in the PhD program of TU/e and will have the chance to benefit from secondments at some of the partner institutions as well as wide-ranging networking opportunities across the consortium.

Throughout this PhD you will be embedded in the Quantum & Terahertz Systems (QTS) team within the Electro-Optical Communications (ECO) group of the Department of Electrical Engineering at TU/e. Within QTS you will work within a dynamic team of approximately thirty researchers and as part of ECO will be part of one of the leading groups on optical communications and networking with more than one hundred researchers. You will have the opportunity to work with and in the extensive laboratory facilities of the ECO group as well as TU/e’s Centre for Wireless Technology (CWTe). You will work closely with the second ANCHOR PhD at TU/e within the ICT Lab in the Signal Processing Systems group.

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.

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Simon Rommel, Assistant Professor, s.rommel@tue.nl or +31 40 247 5704.

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

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