PhD student in Dynamically reconfigurable radio-over-fibre network techniques



Date off
30/11/2010

Reference number
V36.1238



The Department of Electrical Engineering concerns the research and education of the Electrical Engineering discipline. Electrical Engineering covers the application of electrical phenomena with respect to telecommunication, to capturing, processing and presentation of information, to energy transfer, and to the technologies involved. Both hardware, in the form of electrical and optical devices and subsystems, and software, in the form of system software for control and analysis of electro-technical applications, are studied. Existing and new electrical and optical components and systems are analyzed, designed and realized. In addition, the relevance for society is the subject of research, addressing topics such as user friendliness, sustainability, and environmental impact.
The vacant Ph.D. student position is in the Electro-Optical Communication Systems (ECO) group, part of the COBRA Research Institute, in the Department of Electrical Engineering of Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. In the ECO group, research is done in the area of optical fibre communication networks and their supporting techniques, ranging from ultra-high capacity long distance transport and ultra-fast optical signal processing, to optical fibre techniques for providing broadband services to the user in access networks and in-home networks.
The project

It is expected that the number of devices per person which need to communicate will explode in the coming years. It has been predicted that more than 1000 wireless devices per person will need to be connected to the worldwide web in 2017. To meet this hyperconnectivity demand, the performance of the communication network infrastructure should be drastically improved. The network capacity needs to increase by orders of magnitude, the network itself must be able to reconfigure and adapt to the varying location and traffic needs of the devices, and the whole network should be very efficient in power consumption.
In the Dutch R&D project MEANS – Management and Control of Energy-efficient Ad-hoc Networks and Services, which is part of the IOP Generieke Communicatie programme, together with other partners we will investigate how an in-building network based on intelligent fibre-wireless routing techniques can meet these requirements. The project addresses both the physical layer and the management and control layers of the network. It is to be executed by a consortium of academic and industrial partners, and will be led by the TU/e-ECO group. After having designed and realized the functions of this novel network concept, the project aims to validate and demonstrate them in a small-scale field trial with real-life users and services.
Tasks

In the MEANS project, as a PhD student in the TU/e-ECO group you will investigate novel techniques for dynamically routing radio-over-fibre signals for pico-cell wireless networks which have to support multimedia broadband services as well as sensing and actuating services. Your tasks will encompass the definition and design of a physical network architecture for a radio-over-fibre based picocell wireless network, which is able to respond effectively to the traffic demands of many devices which fluctuate in time and location. You have to define, design and realize effective technical solutions for routing dynamically multi-standard radio signals in an in-building fibre network.
Your tasks will encompass the definition, analysis, and design of subsystems for a radio-over-fibre routing system, the construction of experimental laboratory setups, the validation of the subsystems by comprehensive measurements, the integration of these subsystems into a complete network including the interaction with the network management and control functions (which are to be realized by other project partners), and the validation of the system’s performance in a laboratory setup as well as in a small-scale field trial. You should be able to communicate effectively with the other partners in the project, amongst others in cooperating in joint experiments.
Requirements

The candidate for this challenging project should have a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering or in Applied Physics. He/she should have a strong affinity with optical and data communication techniques, have a background on wireless communication techniques and on network management and control techniques, and preferably have hands-on experience with optical bench-top laboratory setups, optical fibre systems and electronic circuits. He/she should have good communication skills, both orally and in writing.
Appointment and Salary

The appointment is for four years. As an employee of the university you will receive a competitive salary as well as excellent secondary benefits (holiday allowance, etc.). The research in this project must be concluded with the attainment of a Ph.D. degree. A salary is offered starting at Euro 2042.- per month (gross) in the first year and increasing up to Euro 2612.- per month (gross) in the last year. Moreover 8% bonus share (holiday supplement) is provided annually. Assistance for finding accommodation can be given.
TU/e offers you also the opportunity for personal development by developing your social and communication skills. We do this by offering every PhD student a series of courses that are part of the Proof program an excellent addition to your scientific education Proof program.
Information


For further information on this vacancy you can contact prof. Ton Koonen ( a.m.j.koonen@tue.nl , tel. +31 40 2474806), or dr. ir. E. Tangdiongga ( e.tangdiongga@tue.nl , tel. +31 40 2473219).
Application

If you are interested in this position, please upload a detailed curriculum vitae, an application letter motivating why the position and the proposed research is of interest to you and summarizing your views on the research area, a publication list, a copy of your best publication in English, course lists of your Masters and Bachelor programs (incl. grades), and the names of two references, all in electronic form by using the “Apply Now” button.