(Valid from 22/01/2024 to 31/12/2024)

Language: English (UK)

Country: Luxembourg

Organisation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Security, Reliability and Trust

Job Number: UOL05451

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract

Duration: 36 Months

Schedule Type: Full Time

Work Hours: 40.0 Hours per Week

Expected Start Date: 01/04/2023

Job Title: Doctoral Researcher

Functions: PhD Candidates

About the SnT

SnT is a leading international research and innovation centre in secure, reliable, and trustworthy ICT systems and services. We play an instrumental role in Luxembourg by fueling innovation through research partnerships with industry, boosting R&D investments leading to economic growth, and attracting highly qualified talent.

The SPARC group in SnT is pursuing research on wireless communications and radar signal processing in partnership with national and international academic and industrial collaborators. Updated information about the recent activities of SPARC can be found here: www.radarmimo.com/

We’re looking for people driven by excellence, excited about innovation, and looking to make a difference. If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place!

Your Role

The group has been working on next-generation radar sensors in various applications, including automotive, autonomous vehicles, in-cabin monitoring, occupancy sensing, drones, multi-copters, gesture recognition, smart buildings, smart street lighting, smart factories, healthcare, and robotics. The emerging radar sensors used by the group employ multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology and can be connected to build distributed and cooperative sensing networks. SPARC group has further expanded its research to integrated sensing and communications, weather radar systems, and metacognitive radars. To develop the signal processing techniques, the group researchers are using real data captured by the available radar modules at the lab or the custom-built MIMO radar with flexibility in changing the transmit waveform and signal processing units on the fly. Members have been involved in several seminal papers in waveform optimization, vital signs monitoring, joint radar and communications, sparse arrays, interference modeling, 4D radar imaging, distributed sensing, and tracking. SPARC collaborates with long-term industry partner IEE S.A (www.iee.lu), University of Naples Federico II, US Airforce Laboratories, TU Berlin, and TU Munich, among others.

Position Description

To augment current research and investigate novel problems in the aforementioned areas, the SPARC group is looking for a Doctoral candidate to work on applications of next-generation radar networks. The research will be based on radar signal processing principles and involve system modeling, optimization methods for system optimization, and an elaborate performance analysis. The PhD will focus on one of the following:

• Theoretical performance bounds on radar tasks in distributed radar networks using large reflective surfaces and robust estimation algorithms
• Novel high mobility joint radar and communication systems exploring novel architectures (ultra-massive MIMO, intelligent surfaces), new modulation techniques exploiting available dimensions in next-generation sub-THz/THz systems
• Novel approaches to radar-based health monitoring, including vital sign monitoring in the absence of a controlled environment through the use of distributed sensors
• Novel algorithms and architectures for distributed point cloud processing for target detection, identification, and tracking
• Statistical analysis of interference in radar networks
• Novel radar-related applications including automotive, autonomous vehicles, in-cabin monitoring, occupancy sensing, drones, multi-copters, gesture recognition, smart buildings, smart street lighting, smart factories, and robotics
• Novel methodologies for improving the performance of radar systems for weather applications and dual-use radar systems

Your Profile

Qualification: The candidate should possess (or be in the process of completing) a master's degree or equivalent in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or Physics with an electromagnetic background.

Experience: The ideal candidate should have a good theoretical background in several of the following topics:

• Radar Systems and Signal Processing
• Multiuser MIMO Communications, 5G
• Signal Processing in Wireless Sensor Networks
• Optimization methodologies
• Information Theory
• Machine Learning

Development skills in MATLAB/Python/LabView are required, and exposure to the latest communication and radar technologies, linear algebra, and Tensors are desirable. Experience with HW prototyping using USRPs and familiarity with radar sensors (FMCW, CW, pulse, ...) would be a plus.

Language Skills: Fluent written and verbal communication skills in English are required.

What Awaits You at SnT

• A stimulating learning environment: Post-docs and professors outnumber PhD students, providing access to collaborations with some of the brightest ICT researchers and solid guidance.
• Exciting infrastructures and unique labs: Researchers can explore the LunaLab, build nanosatellites, or enhance autonomous vehicles.
• Impactful research: Engage in demand-driven projects through our Partnership Programme with over 45 industry partners.
• Multiple funding sources for your ideas: Support to acquire funding from national, European, and private sources.
• Competitive salary package: Includes a 12-month salary, over six weeks of paid time off, health insurance, and subsidized living and eating.
• Multicultural environment: Join a community with over 60 nationalities and participate in team-building events and networking activities.

In Short

• Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract (36 months, extendable up to 48 months if required)
• Work Hours: Full Time (40.0 Hours per Week)
• Location: Kirchberg
• Employee and student status
• Job Reference: UOL05451

The yearly gross salary for every PhD at the UL is EUR 40952 (full time).

How to Apply

Applications in English should be submitted online and include:

• Full CV, including list of publications, bachelor/master thesis, and names (with contact information including email addresses) of references
• Transcript of all modules and results from university-level courses taken
• Research statement and topics of particular interest to the candidate (300 words)

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. Early application is highly encouraged, as applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply formally through the HR system; applications by email will not be considered.

The University of Luxembourg embraces inclusion and diversity as key values. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender and beyond in the recruitment and career progression of our staff.

About the University of Luxembourg

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character. Founded in 2003, the University has over 6,700 students and more than 2,000 employees from around the world. The University’s faculties and interdisciplinary centres focus on research in Computer Science and ICT Security, Materials Science, European and International Law, Finance and Financial Innovation, Education, Contemporary and Digital History, Data Modelling and Simulation, and Health and System Biomedicine. Times Higher Education ranks the University of Luxembourg #3 worldwide for its “international outlook” and among the top 250 universities globally.

Further Information

For further information, please contact us at:

Bhavani.Shankar@uni.lu or Mohammad.Alaee@uni.lu