PhD in communication systems with fiber-optic applications

The department offers a position as PhD student with the Communication Systems Group. Our research is focused on theory and algorithms for digital communication systems. We study systems such as next generation wireless cellular communication systems, vehicular communication to enable traffic safety applications, fiber-optic communication systems, and hardware-constrained communications. Our research is diverse in nature and includes fundamental and application-driven as well as disciplinary and multidisciplinary projects. We are heavily involved in the Master’s program in Communication Engineering. The group is the largest in Sweden in its field and employs about 35 persons. We offer an intellectually stimulating, international research environment with many opportunities for collaboration around the world.

The research in this project will be conducted within the Fiber-Optic Communications Research Center (FORCE) at Chalmers. FORCE is an unprecedented endeavor in Swedish research, where technologies and algorithms for future optical communications are developed based on a cross-disciplinary approach, incorporating not only photonics but digital communications, information theory, and electronics. FORCE performs state-of-the-art experimental and theoretical research in the photonics and communications fields, supported by Sweden’s major research sponsors: VR, SSF, and Wallenberg.

Chalmers University of Technology is located in Gothenburg on the scenic west coast of Sweden. It is among the top research schools in Europe. English is the working language and candidates of any nationality are welcome to apply.

Position summary
Optical communication links and networks are indispensable for our society’s information infrastructure; they are essential for the Internet backbone as well as for interconnects used in data centers and high-performance computing systems. Therefore, the energy consumption in optical transmission systems is an increasingly important problem within our information society. 

In a newly funded research project on Energy-efficient optical communications, we seek to develop novel theory, algorithms and power consumption models for electronics and optics, as well as demonstrating novel energy-efficient link building blocks. This involves analyzing trade-offs required to minimize the energy consumption of a given system. We aim at analytically and experimentally verifying full links that are 10 times more power efficient than today's state-of-the-art and will verify our models in demonstrator projects, which will vertically integrate the algorithmic, optic, and electronic components.

The project is cross-disciplinary and involves three different departments at Chalmers; the Communication Systems Group at the Department of Signals and Systems (S2), the Photonics Lab at Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, and the VLSI group at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The project will benefit from the prolific research environment in FORCE.

The role of the PhD student, who will be a member of the Communication Systems Group at S2, is to be the communications theory expert in the team (keywords are channel coding, modulation, and receiver design). In collaboration with the other FORCE research groups, who will provide optics and electronics expertise, the student will investigate tradeoffs between various communication algorithms and settings in terms of energy consumption.

A PhD student position is an appointment that offers the opportunity to obtain a PhD degree. With a PhD degree in this area, you will be in great demand from Swedish as well as international industry, and you will have a very good basis for further academic research as well. The position is paid with a full-time monthly salary and are time-limited. In addition to research, the position may include some teaching (up to 20 % of full time). The starting date is fall 2014.

Required qualifications
To apply for this position, you should have a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, or similar, with specialization in digital communications and high grades in the core courses. Experience in optical communications is not required (although it is a plus), but you should have an interest in applying your skills to optical systems. An interest in interdisciplinary collaboration with researchers from the other research groups in FORCE is essential.

Furthermore, you should be fluent in English, have good collaborative skills, and have good abilities to communicate your results in writing and in presentations. Having teaching qualifications is also an advantage.

Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Application deadline: 2014-05-31

Links



• Chalmers

• Department of Signals and Systems

• Fiber-Optic Communications Research Center (FORCE)

Contacts



• Professor Erik Agrell, agrell@chalmers.se

• Associate Professor Alexandre Graell i Amat, alexandre.graell@chalmers.se



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