Position: PhD-student

Irène Curie Fellowship: No

Department(s): Electrical Engineering

Graduate Program(s): Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science

FTE: 1.0

Date off: 30/09/2024

Reference number: V36.7710

Job description

At the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology, a PhD position is available within the PATTERN project, a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network funded by the EU. The position is open for appointment during 2025, with a duration of 48 months hosted by TU/e, and includes a 2-4 months secondment at KU Leuven (BE) and Philips Healthcare (NL).

We are looking for you!

Do you want to be trained to take up a key position mixing electronics and AI for medical electronic equipment? Join a prestigious MSCA doctoral network working on embedding AI technology into the design for electromagnetic interference in medical equipment. This is your chance!

Modelling EMC is challenging due to nonlinear behavior, frequency-dependent interactions, complex geometries, and many uncertainties. Current techniques are limited by computational burden and cost, making early design optimization difficult. This project aims to capture the time-varying behavior of components, connectivity, and operational conditions with machine learning methods like Physics-guided Neural Networks (PGNNs). It will explore control strategies to design controllers efficiently based on learnt models to suppress electromagnetic interference within electronic systems. The project will also support capturing time-varying behavior of EMC and contribute to the design of a medical collaborative system.

Research Programme Description

PATTERN – European Doctoral Network Enabling Artificial Intelligence for Electromagnetic Compatibility consortium is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101169295 and UKRI. It includes 9 universities: Eindhoven University of Technology (NL), University of Twente (NL), KU Leuven (BE), Universiteit Gent (BE), Tomáš Baťa University (CZ), Technische Universität Hamburg (DE), CNRS (FR), NOVA University of Lisbon (PT), and De Montfort University (UK). PATTERN aims to create a long-lasting, multidisciplinary, academic-industrial network for doctoral training with leading European industry and academia. The goal is to achieve a breakthrough in the design of innovative EMI solutions throughout their lifecycle, with AI as the key enabler of a new design philosophy. Each PhD candidate will develop dedicated components, tools, and techniques and apply them to a representative set of EMI solutions under development. This hands-on training is supplemented with several scientific professional courses and an immersive training where the PhD candidates can fine-tune their skills for future jobs while addressing the societal challenges of the PATTERN program.

About Universities and Companies Hosting This Position

• Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a world-leading research university specializing in engineering science & technology. The Department of Electrical Engineering covers technologies and electrical phenomena involved in computer engineering, information processing, energy transfer, and telecommunication. The department strives for societal relevance through an emphasis on smart sustainable systems, the connected world, and care & cure. TU/e is the world’s best-performing research university in terms of research cooperation with industry.
• KU Leuven is the largest university in Belgium and a LERU Charter member. In Horizon 2020, KU Leuven has more than 330 approved projects and is in 11th place for European institutions hosting ERC grants, reflecting its three pillars: research, education, and service to society.
• Koninklijke Philips N.V. is a renowned Dutch multinational conglomerate founded in 1891, with a rich history of innovation and a commitment to improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful technology.

Job requirements

We are looking for a candidate who meets the following requirements:

• Creative, ambitious, hard-working, and persistent.
• MSc degree or expected by the end of 2025 in electrical engineering or a relevant program.
• Theoretical and applied knowledge or interest in Machine Learning, Data-driven modelling, control design, electromagnetism.
• Hands-on experimental experience in power converter control design and implementation. Experience with battery storage systems is a plus.
• Good communicative skills and the attitude to partake successfully in a research team.
• Good command of the English language (spoken and written).

Conditions of Employment

Successful candidates will receive an attractive salary in accordance with MSCA regulations for Doctoral Researchers. The nominal gross amount includes a living allowance (€3400 per month, with a country coefficient to adjust for cost of living differences), a mobility allowance (€600 per month), and a family allowance (€660 per month, if applicable). Deductions will apply for social security contributions and/or taxes according to national laws.

Eligibility and Mobility Criteria (Mandatory EU Rules)

• Supported researchers must be doctoral candidates, not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the recruitment date.
• Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before recruitment. For ‘International European Research Organisations’ (IERO), ‘international organisations’, or entities created under Union law, researchers must not have spent more than 12 months in the same appointing organisation in the 36 months immediately before recruitment. Compulsory national service, short stays, and time spent obtaining refugee status are not considered.

Information and Application

About Us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for today's and tomorrow's complex problems.

Curious to hear more about being a PhD candidate at TU/e? Please view the video.

All applications proceed through the online recruitment portal. Candidates apply electronically for up to three positions and indicate their preference. Provide all requested information, including a detailed CV (Europass format obligatory), a motivation letter, and transcripts of bachelor's and master’s degrees. Applicants must prove eligibility (mobility criteria and English language proficiency). The deadline for online registration is 30 Sept. 2024.

The PATTERN Recruitment Committee selects 32 to 48 candidates for the Recruitment Event (Mid-November 2024). Selected candidates present a 20-minute presentation and are interviewed by the Recruitment Committee. Candidates will discuss a relevant peer-reviewed paper to test their background for the PhD position.

Online interviews between the Supervisor(s) and candidates are recommended before the recruitment event, along with online personality tests.

Final decisions will be communicated after the Recruitment Event (End-November 2024). Selected PhD candidates are expected to start their research as quickly as possible in 2025.

All parties are dedicated to promoting the role of women in science and explicitly encourage women to apply for this position.

For more information about the project and informal enquiries, please contact Dr. Ir. Dr. Amritam Das (am.das@tue.nl).

Interested in working at TU/e? Visit our career page.