Doctoral Researcher in "Sensing Bounds and Algorithms for Perceptive Cell-Free Networks with Hybrid Intelligent Surfaces" (DC12 in MiFuture MSCA network)

The Doctoral Researcher will enroll as a PhD student at PhD Programme on Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering of Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) at latest by the date that their contract will start and will actively participate in all the research and training activities of MiFuture network, including participation to regular networking events and 3-month secondment to our academic partner Instituto de Telecomunicaçoes (IT), in Portugal. The Doctoral Researcher will spend 18 months at UAB (including the 3-month secondment at IT) and 18 months at Ericsson, Sweden. The offered contract at UAB  is 36 months. The research work will focus on investigating the statistical statistical performance bounds and algorithms for positioning and sensing in cell-free or distributed massive MIMO networks that include advanced structures such as different types of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces.

The researcher will also participate in all the PhD-related activities (attending lectures and writing publications) required for a PhD thesis at UAB and will also participate in writing project deliverables and disseminating the project results through various social media channels. Publications are very important during the project duration. The researcher will be provided with supervision in a cross-sectorial team with deep expertise on satellite-based and terrestial wireless positioning , and with a blend of academic and industrial supervisors. Close collaborations with the other 14 doctoral researchers/doctoral candidates of the MiFuture network is also envisaged.

• To be eligible to apply for the Doctoral Researcher position, you must have completed a master’s degree in a relevant area of engineering at the time of the application.
• Successful candidate must fulfill the mobility condition explained above.
• The applicant should have strong skills in Matlab.
• Good knowledge about wireless communications and digital signal processing is desirable.
• Additional skills that are highly appreciated in this position are the willingness to work hard in a cross-sector and multi-cultural environment, ability to work both independently and in a team, and interest in a research career.

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) is known for its excellence in research and quality in teaching, and is a reference centre in Europe. The UAB is located only 25 minutes via public transportation from Barcelona’s city centre, a cosmopolitan metropolis lying on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The main campus is located in Bellaterra, in the heart of one of the main industrial and technological poles of Mediterranean Europe. 

UAB is the top Spanish university according to the 2024 QS World University Ranking.

UAB caters to all aspects of university life. The campus is a true city of knowledge with almost 50,000 inhabitants: students, lecturers, researchers and administrative staff. It is organised with all the necessary services for the university community: residence halls (2,100 places), specialised libraries, a language learning centre, sport facilities (with a gym, pools, football pitch, etc.), healthcare centre, restaurants, stores and cafés. The international dimension of the UAB can be seen by the number of students enrolled from abroad, especially in master's degrees with 2,105 international students (35%), and PhD programmes with 1,692 international students (33%). There are over 45 master's degrees taught 100% in English. 

UAB promotes innovation, employability and entrepreneurship. It strives to foster research and transfer in all areas of knowledge and works closely together with the surrounding business and industrial community.

The SPCOMNAV research group is among the most recognized groups in the fielf of positioning techniques using either satellite or terrestrial signals. It pioneered the use of 4G/5G cellular signals for positioning, and it is now involved in the definition of positioning techniques for beyond 5G and 6G.

The salary will be based on MSCA Doctoral Candidate regulations and according to the country indexation coefficient. The gross salary for a fellow without a family is around 2770€ and for a fellow with family  (e.g., married/in recognized relationship/with children) is around 3270€. In addition to this, the fellow will get yearly holiday bonus and increments based on the labor agreement. Detail information about the remuneration be found here.

In order to be eligible, the applicant should not be in possession of a PhD degree at the moment of being recruited. Recruited Doctoral Researcher can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility condition: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.

The selection process is merit-based according to 6 main criteria:  Study records, Work & research experience, Motivation, Letters of recommendation, Positive attitude & previous mobility, English proficiency.