Doctoral student in underwater communication and signal processing

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Information and Communication Technology

The Nord Stream incident has demonstrated the vulnerability of critical underwater infrastructure, such as gas pipelines and submarine cables. New technologies for monitoring marine environments are needed to increase security around critical underwater infrastructure and thereby increase the protection of our society and marine environment. A key component required to develop these new technologies is scalable and resource-efficient methods for reconnaissance and communication in underwater environments.

Today sensing and communication are separate processes in most underwater systems. This causes a suboptimal utilization of resources, such as energy, bandwidth, etc. But thanks to technological advancements, it is now realistic to imagine systems that integrate sensing and communication into a single task. Thereby, the systems will be better able to utilize available resources and enable large-scale monitoring of marine environments. Within this PhD project, you will contribute to the development of theory and methods for integrated sensing and communication within underwater systems.

The exact research direction within the overall research area of integrated sensing and communication can be tailored to your interests. A few possible directions are the research and development of methods for a) distributed sensor fusion and communication in underwater sensor networks; b) estimation and identification of acoustic propagation models using communication signals; and c) beamforming for spatial multiplexing and improved channel stabilization. Theory and methods from signal processing, communication theory, optimization, and machine learning will form an important part of the research.

Supervision:  Main supervisor Associate Professor Isaac Skog with co- supervision by Prof. Joakim Jaldén and Magnus Nordenvaad (external underwater communications expert)     

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.
• The research will be carried out at the Department of Communication Systems.
  The results will be published in international journals and prepare you for a research career in academia or industry.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyse and work with complex issues.
• present excellent skills in reading Swedish academic texts. The reason for this is for the candidate to be able to assimilate relevant background material from the project's research partners, as well as to be able to report back to them. 

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal competency. 

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years ' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for doctoral section.

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

The position may include security-sensitive activities. To become authorized, you therefore need to pass a possible security check.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

About KTH

KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy. Read more here