UiT The Arctic University of Norway

UiT is a multi-campus research university in Norway and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.

Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.

Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology

The position

The Department of Electrical Engineering has a PhD position vacant from October 2020 for applicants who wish to obtain the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD). The position is attached to the research group Electromechanical Systems within the field of Free Space Optical Communication.

The workplace is at UiT in Narvik. The candidate must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The appointment is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD program is three years. The fourth year is used for teaching or other duties for the department. These duties are normally distributed evenly over the four years.

The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to a PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD candidate shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment.

The work will be performed at the Department of Electrical Engineering within the research group Electromechanical Systems. The research activities of the group are aimed at remote sensing, communications technology, autonomous platforms, power electronics, energy systems and advanced control.

The position's field of research

There has been a large growth in the number of broadband network users worldwide. This growth challenges the next generation communication systems. Radio frequency (RF) communications has several limitations with respect to satisfying these growing needs, both in terms of cost, bandwidth and interferences. Free Space Optical (FSO) Communications finds its applicability in wireless communications with multiple advantages, such as high bandwidth, license-free band use, long operational range, spatial reusability, security, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. FSO communications system can be used in a wide range of network applications like for instance satellite systems, cellular mobile radio and indoor IoT applications. Here ship to land, ship to ship, drone to drone, ground to drone and ship to drone are possible applications.

For this PhD position at the Electromechanical System Group, the main focus on dynamic and moving platforms will be Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV or drones) and small autonomous ships. There is a requirement for a reliable and high throughput data links amongst the vehicles or between moving vehicles and ground base stations (Swarm of drones assisted-5G/beyond 5G mobile communications network or maritime broadband communications system for ships at busy ports or communications network between supporting vessels and oil platforms are few examples). First, this research needs to address solutions to these challenges of optical communications in such scenarios like the performance degradations by atmosphere, air turbulence and beam misalignment. Then, based on data from experiments for various system configurations and conditions, an important task is to develop novel channel modelling, modulation methods and other mechanisms in order to maximize an end-to-end network performance for different scenarios. Another challenge is the selection of emitting system (e.g. laser /LED or both) and how to minimize the effect of its instability with mechanical and digital measures.

The research for this position focuses on:

• Optical designs for beam steering and detector geometries in order to compensate for position changes and optical path disturbances.
• Establish experiments for various system configurations and environments to gain insight knowledge of system performance, challenges and its solutions
• Design robust end-to-end optical wireless networks which includes both optics, communications theory and networking aspects. The main focuses are on new techniques in signal modulation, channel coding, channel modelling and digital signal processing.
• Propose dynamic mechanisms for end-to-end throughput optimization in the network scenarios has mentioned above (theory and simulations).
• Implement communications system and apply developed mechanism for at least one demonstration (depends on the availability at the research group)

The position additionally includes 25% lecturing, supervision and laboratory support at the bachelor and master’s level.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact:

• Associate Professor Tu Dac Ho, phone: +4776966261, email: tu.d.ho@uit.no
• Associate Professor Pål Gunnar Ellingsen, phone: +4776966214, email: pal.g.ellingsen@uit.no

Qualifications

The candidate must have a Norwegian Master’s degree, or a corresponding foreign Master’s degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian Master’s degree in communications technology, applied physics, optics, or other relevant disciplines.

In addition, documented knowledge and training in the following fields are desirable:

• Optical design
• Experiments in radio communication
• Programming skills in Python, C/C++ (Embedded systems programming and FPGA programming are preferable)
• Mathematics

Good communication skills in English are necessary and documented fluency in English as stated here is required: Proficiency in English - PhD level studies.

Moreover, knowledge in physics, lasers, signal encoding and decoding, autonomous platforms, numerical modelling, digital signal processing and scientific writing would be advantageous.

The applicant must present a short essay (max 2 pp, excluding references) detailing the proposed research focus within the topics of the PhD position. The essay should outline the applicant’s area of interest and motivation for completing a PhD at UiT in Narvik.

Qualification with a Master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your Master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis. You must document completion of your degree before commencement in the position.

Emphasis will be put on the candidate’s potential for research, motivation and personal suitability for the position.

Admission to PhD programme

The position requires admission to the PhD programme. Admission requires that the applicant has at least 5 years of higher education, equivalent to 300 ECTS. Applicants with a master's degree without a master's thesis are normally not eligible for admission to the PhD programme. The applicant must have an average grade of B or better.

Applicants with a foreign education will be evaluated on whether the educational background is equivalent to Norwegian higher education. Applicants from some countries will have to document additional higher education in order to be admitted.

Application

Your application must include:

• Letter of application
• Essay on a proposed research focus (max 2 pages)
• CV
• Diplomas, diploma supplements and transcripts for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree
• Documentation of English language proficiency
• List of references with contact information
• Master thesis, and any other academic works

The documentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language. We only accept applications sent via www.jobbnorge.no within the application deadline.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. During this assessment process, emphasis will be attached to the applicant’s potential for research as shown by:

• Master’s thesis or equivalent
• any other academic works, and
• essay on a proposed research for this PhD position

In addition, consideration may be given to work experience or other activities of significance for the implementation of the PhD studies, and to any teaching qualifications. This includes teaching education, teaching experience, experience from popularization and experience/education from other types of dissemination. Information and material to be considered during the assessment must be submitted by the stipulated deadline.

The applicants who are assessed as the best qualified will called to an interview. The interview shall among other things aim to clarify the applicant’s personal suitability for the position.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.

As many as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.

A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.

Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: Welcome to UiT!

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. UiT will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to Offentleglova information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.

Apply for position