PhD Position on Energy harvesting and reliable networking for dense IoT

Ref. BAP-2020-602
https://www.esat.kuleuven.be/telemic/research/NetworkedSystems

http://www.esat.kuleuven.be/telemic/people/index.php?puc=101

Project
The research group ESAT-TELEMIC focuses on Telecommunications and Microwaves. Within TELEMIC, the Networked Systems group
covers research on several fields of wireless networking: Massive MIMO, UAV communications, In-band Full Duplex, mmWave, AI and
Machine Learning, Visible Light Communications, Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer and Internet of Things.

With increased momentum and special interest from both industrial and academic partners, Networked Systems is looking for a suitable
candidate to pursue a PhD in the topic of efficient and reliable deployment of dense IoT networks, aiming to design the first battery-less
smart network of the state of the art.

The aim of the PhD project is to design and implement novel energy harvesting and networking paradigms for IoT networks, where a large
number of resource constrained nodes with minimal computing capabilities collaborate with each other to ensure that optimal performance
can be achieved in metrics such as reliable packet delivery, low end-to-end delay and minimal energy expenditure and network overhead.
Additionally,the ultimate aim of the project is to develop completely battery-less devices,where the nodes harvest the required energy
from ambient RF sources and adapt their behavior to the availability of these sources and the remaining energy stored. These networking
paradigms may be applied to wireless sensor networks for patient monitoring in hospitals, intelligent lighting for business and the smart
home, indoor localization of goods in harbors and storage facilities,offline machine to machine communication outside of cellular coverage,
etc.

The Networked Systems lab facilities have a fully operative, smart and reconfigurable IoT testbed,consisting of 75 low power nodes using
Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh (BLE Mesh).Multiple networking protocols can be tested on the testbed, and being such a dense mesh network
the design of efficient network management policies and orchestration is a key element to ensure the best performance of the network in
the aforementioned metrics. Additionally, the design of efficient energy harvesting receivers (formed by an antenna, a rectifier, an energy
storing unit and the node itself) and their network stack with the aim of enabling battery-less operation is targeted for the PhD project.

The nature of the project is both analytical and experimental, where the proposed networking paradigms should be carefully designed and
modeled but also implemented and characterized. Collaboration with other universities and industrial partners is also expected within the
project.

Profile
The applicant should have a Master Degree in Electronic Engineering and should meet the minimum eligibility criteria for a PhD at
KU Leuven, namely having exceptional grades as well as proficiency in English. The applicant should have a background in wireless
communication, embedded systems and networking. Additionally, the applicant should have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to
work in an international team.

Offer
● We offer a PhD scholarship up to four years (subject to positive intermediate evaluations). If the applicant is non-EER, also up to 1
year pre-doc will be supported.
● An exciting research environment, working on the intersection between theory and implementation, in a very multi-disciplinary
research environment
● A PhD title from a highly-ranked university (after approximately 4 years of successful research)
● A thorough scientific education, the possibility to become a world-class researcher
● A KU Leuven affiliation, one of the largest research universities of Europe
● The possibility to participate in international conferences and collaborations

Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Sofie Pollin, tel.: +32 16 32 10 51, mail: sofie.pollin@kuleuven.be or Mr. Yuri Murillo Mange,
tel.: +32 16 37 47 63, mail: yuri.murillomange@kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this job no later than September 30, 2020 via the online application tool :
http://www.kuleuven.be/eapplyingforjobs/light/55766726
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or
impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.