PhD in Coding and Modulation with application to Fiber-Optical Comm...

Information about the research project
The rapid increase in data traffic will lead to capacity exhaust in the optical fiber communications infrastructure, which carries over 95% of all data services. The optical fiber channel is nonlinear, that is, its properties depend on the transmitted signal intensity, which limits the achievable data rates over long distances. This research project aims to develop advanced coding techniques, nonlinear modulations and detection methods tailored to the nonlinear channel, to dramatically improve the data throughput of future communication networks.

The project, called Coding for Optical communications In the Nonlinear regime (COIN), is organized as a European Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN). It is a collaboration project with Nokia Bell Labs in Germany, University College London (UCL) in the U.K., and University of Toronto in Canada. You will spend approximately half the time at Bell Labs in Germany. Two similar positions in the same project are announced at UCL (see http://coinproject.eu).

At Chalmers, you will belong to a strong team of researchers in optical communications, organized in the FORCE research center. This center brings together researchers in communications and photonics to solve hard problems in optical communications through a cross-disciplinary approach. The collaboration bridges traditional discipline boundaries and includes the whole chain from components to system, from analysis to experiments.

At  Bell Labs, you will be part of the IP and Optical Networks research lab in Stuttgart. You will collaborate with Bell Labs researchers that offer a unique mixture of fundamental research skills and practical insight into real-world problems. You will have access to a powerful computation cluster and the possibility to evalutate your results in an optical lab with extensive measurement hardware and several optical fiber transmission link test-beds.

Chalmers University of Technology is located in Gothenburg on the scenic west coast of Sweden. It is among the top research schools in Europe. The research environment is international and English is the working language.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibility as PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research in major journals and conferences.  Most of the research will be conducted in cross-disciplinary teams. In addition to the research responsibilities, the position includes teaching or other departmental duties of up to 10 percent of full time.

Position summary
A positions as PhD student is open at Chalmers University of Technology. It is a full-time temporary employment, with a competitive monthly salary and full social benefits, limited to a maximum of four years plus teaching and other departmental duties. There are no tuition fees for PhD studies at Chalmers. The starting date is tentatively in February 2016, somewhat flexible.

After completing PhD studies in a European ITN, you will be in great demand from Swedish as well as international industry, and you will have an excellent basis for further academic research as well.

Candidates with any nationality are welcome to apply. However, due to the ITN regulations, which promote mobility, candidates must not have resided in Sweden for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the date of recruiments (disregarded short stays such as holidays and compulsory national service).

Qualifications
To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field.

A suitable background for this position is a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or similar. Mandatory qualifications: digital communications (modulation, signal theory, filtering), mathematics (probability, transforms, analysis), English (spoken and written), and programming. Advantageous qualifications: fiber-optic communications, error-correcting coding, information theory, stochastic processes, and detection theory.

Candidates must have high grades in the core courses and a strong interest to pursue theoretical research. They must be creative and have the ability to work in an interdisciplinary, international team, present their ideas and results to researchers with different backgrounds, and be open for the application of results in optical communication systems. Previous experiences in research, publications, and teaching are also advantageous.

If Swedish is not your native language, you are encouraged to learn it during your employment. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.



Application deadline: 8 May 2016

Keywords: Applied mathematics, channel coding, communication networks, communication systems, detection and estimation, digital communications, eigenvalue communications, error-correcting coding, fiber-optical communications, Horizon 2020, information theory, modulation, nonlinear Fourier transform, nonlinear interference, nonlinear transmission, open position, optical fiber, optimization, Ph.D. student, signal processing, solitons, telecommunications.