Job Description

The Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has two (2) PhD Research Fellow vacancies at the Department of Electronic Systems (IES).
Each of the PhD positions is for up to 4 years with 25% work assignments for NTNU IES.


Project description:
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The pervasion of the Internet of Things (IoT) which connects numerous sensors, actuators, appliances, vehicles etc., will have a strong impact on the evolution of smarter and greener cities as well as on environmental monitoring. A basic tenet underlying all key functionalities of the IoT is situational awareness, i.e., the ability to capture events and derive accurate, critical information to facilitate decision making for timely actions in a heterogeneous and highly dynamic environment. The scale and largely interconnected nature of IoT, together with the stringent requirements on low energy and limited hardware, pose severe challenges to security. The network of IoT is vulnerable to various forms of man-made intrusion or natural disruption. For example, an adversary may gain full control over a subset of the devices, and maliciously alter the reported measurements. This calls for an intelligent infrastructure that is autonomous, dependable, and resilient to natural or man-made disturbances. To ensure that the IoTs operate effectively, we need to take a holistic approach to designing secure sensor networks with resource-efficient functional algorithms starting with sensing, followed by data processing and communication to ensure reliable decision making for long long-lasting, secure, and dependable services.

The PhD projects will be around developing and analyzing new efficient distributed detection, estimation and (machine) learning schemes to improve data quality and security of the physical-layer signals in IoT. The aim is to go beyond the state-of-the-art solutions and take a holistic approach encompassing intelligent sensors, smart inference, and secure two-way communication among all the devices in the network.

The PhD candidates will have the opportunity to visit, and collaborate with research scientists from, University of Notre Dame, USA and Aalto University, Finland.


Qualifications:
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We seek a highly-motivated individual who has

* a Master’s degree, with an average grade A or B, in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics

* strong mathematical background and a research-oriented master thesis in a related field, e.g., signal processing, statistical machine learning, applied mathematics, statistics, wireless sensor networks, or optimization

* experience with programming

The successful candidate should be creative, independent, self-motivated, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Publication activities in the aforementioned disciplines will be considered an advantage but is not a requirement.

Applicants must be qualified for admission to a PhD study program at NTNU. See http://www.ntnu.edu/ie/research/phd for information about PhD studies at NTNU.

Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language should provide evidence of good written and spoken English language skills. The following tests can be used as documentation: TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:

* TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test)
* IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted)
* CAE/CPE: grade B or A.


The application:
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The application is made via the supplied link. Please submit an application letter describing your motivation, relevant experience, skills and qualifications, and a brief research vision for the position (maximum 2 pages) along with a CV, publication list, letters of reference and proof of fluency in the English language (if applicable) and certificates from both Bachelor and Master degrees.

Applicants are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement or a similar document, which describes in detail the study and grading system and the rights for further studies associated with the obtained degree.
Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.
Formalities

The appointment is made in accordance with the regulations of employment for PhD candidates issued by the Ministry of Education and Research, with relevant parts of the additional guidelines for appointment as a PhD candidate at NTNU. Applicants must participate in an organized PhD programme of study during their period of employment. The candidate appointed must comply with the regulations for employees in the public sector. In addition, a contract will be signed regarding the period of employment.
Applicants must be qualified for admission to a PhD study program at NTNU. See http://www.ntnu.no/ie/forskning/phd for information about PhD studies at NTNU.

We can offer

* an informal and friendly workplace with dedicated colleagues
* academic challenges in a cross-disciplinary team
* attractive schemes for home loans, insurance and pensions through the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

For further information about the position, contact Professor Stefan Werner, email: stefan.werner@ntnu.no
Depending on qualifications and academic background, PhD Candidates (in code 1017) at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering will be remunerated at a minimum of NOK 435 100 per year before tax. Normal wage level is NOK 435 100 – 488 900 of which 2% is deducted for the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The appointment is subject to the conditions in effect at any time for employees in the public sector.

The Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering wants to attract outstanding and creative candidates who can contribute to our ongoing research activities. We believe that diversity is important to achieve a good, inclusive working environment. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of the gender, disability or cultural background.
Under Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act, information about the applicant may be made public even if the applicant has requested not to have his or her name entered on the list of applicants.

Deadline for applications: April 3, 2018

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