PhD scholarship in Intelligent Control of Ship-Shore Communication System for Remote Situational Awareness - DTU Electro

Do you want to help drive the sustainable and human-centred digital transformation of the maritime industry? Are you excited by the opportunity to design cutting-edge intelligent systems that enhance the safety of navigation at sea? Would you like to establish yourself as a key scientist in autonomous systems and join a world-leading research group in this field? Look no further—your opportunity to achieve your professional ambitions is right here. 

Following the successful implementation and demonstration of the GreenHopper, Denmark’s first autonomous harbour bus, DTU Electro will break new ground on autonomy at sea by pursuing the development, testing and experimental verification of a resilient situational awareness system to enable the remote navigation of waterborne systems in congested fairways and harbours. As PhD candidate in Intelligent Control of Ship-Shore Communication System for Remote Situational Awareness you will have a key role in the innovation project SLGreen – WP4 Digital land-based pilotage and remote navigation, you will collaborate with leading industry partners in the Danish and global maritime landscape, and you will contribute to consolidate DTU Electro’s international leadership on autonomous marine systems.

The research of this project has civilian objectives. However, equipment restricted by export licenses and ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) is being used. Applicants that are citizens of Denmark, Norway and other NATO countries, Australia, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine are eligible. Other applicants should provide evidence of eligibility to use such equipment for their application to be considered.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Your overall focus will be to strengthen DTU Electro expertise in robust and optimal control of multi-channel communication systems to achieve a resilient ship-shore data transfer for remote situational awareness. The research focus will be on the creation of an optimal bandwidth control strategy for maximum data throughput and minimum latency, by developing novel methods and tools at the intersection of control theory, machine learning, optimisation, and information/communication theory. You will work closely with members of the autonomous ship research group at DTU Electro, and you will collaborate with industry partners in SLGreen – WP4. You will also gain international experience by engaging with academic institutions abroad.

Your primary tasks will be to:

• Perform internationally relevant research in intelligent control of multi-channel communication systems
• Model the dynamics of multi-channel ship-to-shore data transmission systems and analyse their sensitivity to model uncertainty and equipment limitations, such as time delays
• Investigate different parametrisation policies for representing data transmission cost and efficiency 
• Investigate nonlinear, learning-based and predictive control as well as information theory for resilient and safe data transmission
• Develop optimal bandwidth control strategy for maximum data throughput and minimum latency
• Test and evaluate developed methods in simulation and with real data
• Lead the preparation of scientific publications towards ISI journals and highly ranked international conferences
• Share findings of your research with qualified professional audiences
• Co-supervise BSc and MSc projects possibly within areas relevant to the PhD project
• Provide teaching assistance in BSc and MSc courses at DTU Electro

As part of the Danish PhD program, you will also take PhD courses, participate in teaching, conduct an external research stay, and disseminate your research through publications.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree. Additionally, you should meet the following qualifications:

• You have a strong analytical skills and background in control theory and optimisation.
• Experience within the field of mathematical modelling and nonlinear control is a plus.
• You are familiar with machine-learning-based methodologies for modelling and control.
• You have documented experience through courses, projects or former professional experience to set up and execute experimental work
• You have a good expertise in scientific computing within development environments such as Matlab and/or Python
• You have strong communication skills in English, especially in connection to writing and presenting scientific results.
• Your curiosity and passion drive you to uncover the unknown. Your energy enables you to collaborate effectively with peers and pursue independent work towards shared objectives. As a results-driven individual, you are capable of going above and beyond to meet crucial deadlines.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education

. 

Assessment

The assessment of the applicants will be made by Dimitrios Papageorgiou and Roberto Galeazzi.

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years. The preferred starting date is December 1, 2024, or according to a mutual agreement. The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here http://www.dtu.dk/english/about/job-and-career/working-at-dtu/career-paths.

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Dimitrios Papageorgiou, Associate Professor by sending an email to dimpadtu.dk

 or Roberto Galeazzi, Associate Professor, Head of DTU Center for Collaborative Autonomous Systems by sending an email to rogadtu.dk

.

You can read more about the Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering at www.electro.dtu.dk.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark

. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar

” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU. 

Application procedure 

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than the 9th of August 2024 (23:59 Danish time)

. 

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file

containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file

. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• List of publications (if any)

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

DTU Electro

has more than 300 employees with competencies in electrical and photonics engineering. Research is performed within robotics, autonomous systems, power electronics, acoustic, nanophotonics, lasers, quantum photonics, optical sensors, LEDs, photovoltaics, ultra-high speed optical transmission systems, bio-photonics.

Technology for people

DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.