PhD Fellowship in “Intra-body Semantic Communications – Theory and Principles for Receiver Design"

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the job

CLIPEUS aims at creating a communications network among man-made implantable devices and the natural cells inside the body under the novel communication paradigm called Internet of Bio-NanoThings, where sensing, actuation, and computing processes are tightly coupled to pervasively, perpetually, and precisely sense, process, control, and exchange health information of the body in real-time to defend it against infections. The project focuses on detecting bacterial infections inside the body based on biosensors. The biosensor will be extensively tested and ameliorated in-vitro cell culture experiments as a first step before in vivo experiments. The CLIPEUS project has a PhD student, a Postdoc and a Researcher and is looking to recruit a new PhD student to complete the team.

PhD project: Intra-body Semantic Communication Theory and Principles for Receiver Design
This PhD project aims to develop a theoretical framework for biocommunication using semantic communication theory and principles. The foundational framework will provide insights into developing a receiver system that can continuously and precisely sense and process molecular signals among infectious bacteria colonies for diagnosis. The receiver development will consider novel design principles combining approaches in biosensors, communication systems, and machine learning.

Duties of the position

The candidate will develop novel theories based on semantic communications with a proposal for receiver design. The simulation results will be validated in in-vitro experiments performed by the present Postdoc in biology.

Your immediate leader is the Head of Department.

Required selection criteria

The PhD position's main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is that you have completed a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) with a solid academic background in MSc in wireless communication, electrical engineering with course credits in information theory or equivalent education with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. You must have an equally good academic foundation if you do not have letter grades from previous studies. If you cannot meet these criteria, you may be considered only if you can document that you are particularly suitable for education leading to a PhD degree.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant

Preferred selection criteria

Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language must 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.
  

Personal characteristics

• Self-motivated, independent, and team player
• Honest and trustable
• Social and pleasant to work with

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you be admitted to the PhD program in Electronics and Telecommunications within three months of employment and participate in an organized PhD program during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the abovementioned criteria.

The application must include:

• CV, certificates, and diplomas (BSc and MSc degree transcripts).
• Research plan or project proposal (max 3 pages).
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 10 works).
• Name and address of three referees.

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

If all or parts of your education have been taken abroad, we ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. The required documentation can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach it as well.

Emphasis will be placed on education, experience, and personal suitability in evaluating the best-qualified candidate.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population, and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision-making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions, and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment, or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must continually maintain and improve your professional development and be flexible regarding any organizational changes.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Ilangko Balasingham, email: Ilangko.balasingham@ntnu.no.

If this looks interesting and aligns with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas, and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number 2021/16309 when applying.

Application deadline: 01.10.24